This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/22/2021
This lot closes on May 22nd, 2021 at 10:00 PM EDT for initial bids.
Graded NM-MT 8 by PSA. Hall of Famer. This is Mickey Mantle's most esteemed Rookie Card, and a scarcer "High Number" in its release.
Among more than 1,700 examples holdered by PSA, fewer than three dozen copies of this universally coveted card have achieved that grading service's unqualified NM-MT 8 assessment, and just fourteen of its counterparts have been awarded a higher, unqualified tier.
This is Topps' first depiction of Mickey Mantle. Although the Yankee legend had been immortalized the year before by the Brooklyn gum company's rival, Bowman, the "Giant Size" 1952 Topps commemorative carried an undeniable, special mystique. The flagship subject in '52 Topps' much-awaited final series (which was in fact chock-full of popular Yankees, Dodgers and Giants players), the Mantle card has endured to enjoy reverence among multiple, succeeding generations of collectors.
The piece's aesthetic attributes help to explain its decades-long "hold" on enthusiasts' emotions. The slugger's confident smile, those distinctive pinstripes, a bright, azure-blue background complemented by yellow in the bat and logo surround ... these comprise an irresistible combination of exhilarating elements. And they're a fitting visual tribute to a beloved sports figure.
All of these features combine most effectively in a truly high-grade example, as seen here. Only in the finest specimens of this card do the item's physical details coalesce with the early Mantle's remarkable evocative pull to yield a truly irresistible, magnetic collectible. The offered piece is clearly one of the collecting industry's finest, and it thus inspires only the most positive feelings within any hobbyist who views it.
Thoroughly befitting this '52 Mantle's exceedingly favorable grade assignment, its focus, color and border whiteness reflect the highest-imaginable quality. Also present is a sparkling luster that – in comparison to this piece – would likely be conspicuously diminished on similarly graded but visually lesser examples. The card's reverse-side printing is clear and crisp.
Over the past few years, the news media have been diligent in reporting the steady and consistent, but nonetheless dramatic trend toward rising prices for this treasured collectible in the highest grades. Three years ago – a lengthy interval in the progress of an important piece that's the subject of such active, persistent interest – a PSA NM-MT 8 copy fetched nearly $700,000 at auction! Just a year later, a PSA MINT 9 example brought $2.88 million dollars, and another PSA MINT 9 specimen, sold in mid-January, 2021, closed at $5.2 million. Finally, most recently, an outstanding PSA NM-MT 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card in our company's "Goldin Elite" sale closed at a figure exceeding $1.56 million (January 30, 2021, Lot #2). The rate and direction of this card's value trajectory are clear, and they could very easily combine to make the splendid piece, here offered, yet another 1952 Topps Mantle "record breaker!"
Very seldom does this trophy gum card appear with all virtues in manufactured excellence, degree of preservation and harmonious eye-appeal so beautifully fulfilled. Here is a simply magnificent collectible, in resplendent Near Mint to Mint condition.