Goldin Auctions is proud to offer an extremely rare Mickey Mantle home New York Yankees jersey from the 1959 season. Mantle home jerseys from the 1950s are extremely rare, with only a few known to be in existence and even more rare to find one that can be photo matched like the one offered here. The Mick is widely regarded as one of the most popular Yankees in team history not only from the fans but many of his teammates. Mantle’s power from both sides was prodigious as the slugger from Oklahoma still holds the record for most career home runs (536) by a switch hitter. The Commerce Comet was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1974.

     Replacing a legend is one of, if not the most difficult things to do in sports. All Mantle had to do was to replace Hall of Famer and Yankee icon Joe DiMaggio in center field starting in 1952 after the legend retired following the 1951 season. Mantle made his debut with the Yankees in 1951, appearing in the beginning of the season and for the last 40 games, all in right field. Despite severely injuring his right knee during the 1951 World Series, Mantle took the center field reins and led the Yankees to a World Series title in 1952 when he homered in Game 6 and drove in the winning runs in Game 7 with a home run and RBI single. Mantle would lead the Yankees to three more World Series titles during the 1950s (1953, 1956 & 1958) and he was simply the most dominant player in baseball during that decade. Mantle’s finest season was when he won the Triple Crown in 1956 with 52 home runs, 130 RBI and a lofty .353 batting average all while earning the MVP for the American League. Mantle would also go on to win the MVP the following season in 1957.

     This visually attractive size 44 button-down flannel jersey with set-in sleeves displays an off-white color with the traditional Yankees’ pinstripes and the interlocking “NY” sewn on in felt on the upper left chest. On the inside back collar is “Mantle” that has been embroidered in navy blue on a matching off-white ½ x 2 inch swatch. On the bottom of the front left tail is the blue “Spalding” tag with an adjacent white tag with “44” in red. Below the two tags is “59” that has been embroidered directly on the jersey. The armpits have four manufactured holes for ventilation, while the back of the jersey has Mantle’s number “7” sewn on in navy blue felt. The jersey displays heavy wear with some areas having the fabric worn completely through. There are seven buttons on this jersey in which one is missing and four have been replaced. The “7” and the “NY” have been professionally restored with period correct style and material. Also, per Sports Investor's expert Bill Henderson, although the "7" was removed and replaced with a period correct "7", it does not appear that any other number besides "7" was on this jersey. Mantle signed his name below the Yankees interlocking “NY” on the front of the jersey in blue marker. Mantle’s signature adds to the already beautifully displayed jersey that would be a cornerstone of anyone’s collection. This jersey comes with authentication from Mears and Sports Investors and will come with LOAs from each. There is also a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication. This jersey has been photo matched by Resolution Photomatching to an April 12, 1960 image, and probable photo matches with an August 17th, 1959 image and a 1960 Topps Mickey Mantle Sport Magazine '60 ALL-STAR SELECTION card. There is a LOA from Resolution Photomatching that will accompany this item.

Auction Notepad