2020 October Legends Closing Oct 31 & Nov 1
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2020
Graded 84 NM 7 by SGC. Hall of Famer, in a Rookie Card appearance. This piece hails from its issue's scarcer run of "High Numbers." Mickey Mantle is still considered by many to be the last true baseball hero. Blonde and handsome, with a country boy's flair and innocence, he took up the torch passed by the great Joe DiMaggio (who, in similar fashion years earlier, had followed in the steps of Lou Gehrig). It's said that history repeats itself, and it was regarded by many as serendipitous that one Yankees superstar emerged just as his predecessor exited. This card was issued late in the 1951 baseball season, Mantle's first year in pinstripes. One imagines that a youngster who possessed this card, and idolized its subject, preserved the collectible by keeping the prize separate from other players' cards. To the modern observer, it's clear that Bowman's production of Mantle's very first gum card is a true masterpiece. A mini-artwork, this horizontal image, with the athlete pictured against the brightest skies, depicts the budding hero in magnificent fashion. The offered example displays four sharp corners, and only the most unforgiving scrutiny reveals traces of wear at the tips. The card has tremendous eye appeal with bold colors and a lovely image that barely concedes a vestige of the issue's routinely apparent, vertical print streak. The reverse exhibits only a small area of wrapper-wax shading. Impressive Near Mint condition.