Mickey MANTLE (1931-1995)
1951 A New Rookie with the Yankees
2018 SOLD for $ 750K including premium
At the dawn of his career Mickey Mantle alternates between feats and discouragement. His legs are fragile. When he was a teenager a kick in his left shin left an infection of the ankle with after-effects and prevented his incorporation into the army in 1949.
Yet when he is at the top he is the fastest and most powerful new promise in baseball. Early in 1951 the New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel considers that the boy must play the season in Major League. The uniform number 6 is attributed to him for stating that this rookie will be the successor to Ruth (3), Gehrig (4) and the then current star DiMaggio (5).
The 1951-253 Bowman card is prepared after the spring training during which Mickey has confirmed his skills. Like all cards in this series the image was a colored drawing copied from a photograph. The future champion is in profile, his smiling face turned towards the photographer and his bat held over the right shoulder. Aesthetics is not a must in these Bowman series : a useless electric pole has not been cancelled.
Bowman cards are rare in Mint condition, mostly because of some centering defect or original stain. Only one 1951-253 was graded Gem Mint-10 by PSA. One of the nine Mint-9 graded copies was sold for $ 590K including premium by Memory Lane on October 14, 2017. It will be sold by Heritage online from Dallas on April 19, lot 80449 with a $ 1M value guide. This very clean card is perfectly centered 50/50 side to side.
The season is not successful. Mickey debuts in Major League on April 17 but is not convincing. Downgraded to Minor League in Kansas City he requires once again to stop baseball but is being bullied by his father. He comes back with the Yankees but returns the number 6 to Bobby Brown. He is then wounded in the right knee with a permanent torsion of a ligament during a fall in full action to avoid hurting DiMaggio. 1951 is indeed his rookie year in MLB but 1952 will be the actual trigger of his fame.
What beats everything in this story is the fact that this guy whose exploits will be a major element of the American Dream of the 1950s is confirmed as physically unfit for the army in 1952 during the Korean War.
Yet when he is at the top he is the fastest and most powerful new promise in baseball. Early in 1951 the New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel considers that the boy must play the season in Major League. The uniform number 6 is attributed to him for stating that this rookie will be the successor to Ruth (3), Gehrig (4) and the then current star DiMaggio (5).
The 1951-253 Bowman card is prepared after the spring training during which Mickey has confirmed his skills. Like all cards in this series the image was a colored drawing copied from a photograph. The future champion is in profile, his smiling face turned towards the photographer and his bat held over the right shoulder. Aesthetics is not a must in these Bowman series : a useless electric pole has not been cancelled.
Bowman cards are rare in Mint condition, mostly because of some centering defect or original stain. Only one 1951-253 was graded Gem Mint-10 by PSA. One of the nine Mint-9 graded copies was sold for $ 590K including premium by Memory Lane on October 14, 2017. It will be sold by Heritage online from Dallas on April 19, lot 80449 with a $ 1M value guide. This very clean card is perfectly centered 50/50 side to side.
The season is not successful. Mickey debuts in Major League on April 17 but is not convincing. Downgraded to Minor League in Kansas City he requires once again to stop baseball but is being bullied by his father. He comes back with the Yankees but returns the number 6 to Bobby Brown. He is then wounded in the right knee with a permanent torsion of a ligament during a fall in full action to avoid hurting DiMaggio. 1951 is indeed his rookie year in MLB but 1952 will be the actual trigger of his fame.
What beats everything in this story is the fact that this guy whose exploits will be a major element of the American Dream of the 1950s is confirmed as physically unfit for the army in 1952 during the Korean War.
1952 Fame for Topps and Mantle
2018 SOLD for $ 2.9M including premium
1952 starts very well for Topps and quite bad for Mickey Mantle.
The New York Yankees' great prospect, highlighted in early 1951 as Joe DiMaggio's designated successor, had finally made a dull season. After being downgraded to the Minor League, he returned to the Major League but suffered a severe injury to his right knee in an action with DiMaggio.
His father who was also his mentor dies on May 7, 1952 at the age of 40 of a blood disease. It was not known at the time that his illness was lead poisoning developed when mining. The young Mickey who is psychologically fragile believes in a hereditary curse. On July 8 Mickey is selected for the All-Star Game as an outfielder but left in reserve.
At the instigation of Sy Berger the bubble gum brand Topps makes a sensational entry into the edition of baseball cards. After a first trial in 1951, Topps launches in 1952 an extensive series with sharp pictures, pretty colors and a pleasantly didactic inscription on the back.
The printing of the 1952 series is made in several batches including the gradual selection of additional players. Mantle's omission in the first 310 players is probably due to his poor start of the season. When he becomes the first of the final 311-407, it is too late. The 1952 season is already well underway and Topps is slowing down the distribution to prepare for 1953 with suitably updated information.
An excellent participation at the beginning of October in the World Series launches the career of Mickey Mantle in a sustainable way. Although 1952 is not his rookie year, the rare Topps 1952-311 will become the most desirable of the modern baseball cards.
At the top of the scale PSA ranked three cards as Gem Mint 10 and six as Mint 9. None has been auctioned for more than a decade. One of the Mint 9 is estimated $ 3.5M by Heritage online from Dallas on April 19 plus extended bidding, lot 80477. With its bright colors and excellent centering this card excites the experts. The reason why it did not obtain the Gem Mint 10 grade is not revealed in the catalog.
Please watch the video shared by Heritage.
The New York Yankees' great prospect, highlighted in early 1951 as Joe DiMaggio's designated successor, had finally made a dull season. After being downgraded to the Minor League, he returned to the Major League but suffered a severe injury to his right knee in an action with DiMaggio.
His father who was also his mentor dies on May 7, 1952 at the age of 40 of a blood disease. It was not known at the time that his illness was lead poisoning developed when mining. The young Mickey who is psychologically fragile believes in a hereditary curse. On July 8 Mickey is selected for the All-Star Game as an outfielder but left in reserve.
At the instigation of Sy Berger the bubble gum brand Topps makes a sensational entry into the edition of baseball cards. After a first trial in 1951, Topps launches in 1952 an extensive series with sharp pictures, pretty colors and a pleasantly didactic inscription on the back.
The printing of the 1952 series is made in several batches including the gradual selection of additional players. Mantle's omission in the first 310 players is probably due to his poor start of the season. When he becomes the first of the final 311-407, it is too late. The 1952 season is already well underway and Topps is slowing down the distribution to prepare for 1953 with suitably updated information.
An excellent participation at the beginning of October in the World Series launches the career of Mickey Mantle in a sustainable way. Although 1952 is not his rookie year, the rare Topps 1952-311 will become the most desirable of the modern baseball cards.
At the top of the scale PSA ranked three cards as Gem Mint 10 and six as Mint 9. None has been auctioned for more than a decade. One of the Mint 9 is estimated $ 3.5M by Heritage online from Dallas on April 19 plus extended bidding, lot 80477. With its bright colors and excellent centering this card excites the experts. The reason why it did not obtain the Gem Mint 10 grade is not revealed in the catalog.
Please watch the video shared by Heritage.
1952 The Topps Card 1952-311
2016 SOLD for $ 1.13M including premium
2019 SOLD for $ 765K including premium
PRE 2019 SALE DISCUSSION
14 examples of the 1952 Topps baseball card # 311 have been graded NM-MT 8.5 + or better by PSA. One of them was sold for $ 1.13M including premium by Heritage on November 17, 2016, lot 50786. The same copy is now estimated $ 800K in the online sale ending on December 5 by Heritage, lot 51027.
I narrated it as follows in 2016 (2019 data included) :
The first part of the series of baseball cards published by Topps in 1952, numbers 1 to 310, inaugurated the modern style with a colorful and pleasant image and a good information on the back about the player.
Topps wanted to keep going but their extension of the 1952 series, numbers 311 to 407, was not released on suitable time. Their informations concerning the records of the players being already obsolete, the distribution was limited and the cards that remained unsold in the stock of the publisher were destroyed in mass a few years later.
The first card of this second part, bearing the number 311, maintains a high excitement in the hobby. It is not the earliest baseball card of Mickey Mantle but it may be considered as his rookie card.
Mickey Mantle is that young player who was iconic of the postwar American dream. Owning a high grade 1952-311 card is currently recommended as a strong investment. The date of this edition is not so old and our grandfathers are feverishly searching into the shoeboxes of their youth. The population of PSA graded cards is growing significantly : 1,225 in December 2015, 1,392 in October 2016 (and approaching 1,600 in 2019).
The top of the scale is occupied by 3 cards graded Gem Mint 10 and 6 graded Mint 9 (these figures are still valid in 2019).
The copy for sale has beautiful colors and a remarkable lack of wear. It was brought by a visitor at the Heritage booth in a trade fair in August, 2016 and was immediately appraised by PSA. It is graded NM-MT+ 8.5.
14 examples of the 1952 Topps baseball card # 311 have been graded NM-MT 8.5 + or better by PSA. One of them was sold for $ 1.13M including premium by Heritage on November 17, 2016, lot 50786. The same copy is now estimated $ 800K in the online sale ending on December 5 by Heritage, lot 51027.
I narrated it as follows in 2016 (2019 data included) :
The first part of the series of baseball cards published by Topps in 1952, numbers 1 to 310, inaugurated the modern style with a colorful and pleasant image and a good information on the back about the player.
Topps wanted to keep going but their extension of the 1952 series, numbers 311 to 407, was not released on suitable time. Their informations concerning the records of the players being already obsolete, the distribution was limited and the cards that remained unsold in the stock of the publisher were destroyed in mass a few years later.
The first card of this second part, bearing the number 311, maintains a high excitement in the hobby. It is not the earliest baseball card of Mickey Mantle but it may be considered as his rookie card.
Mickey Mantle is that young player who was iconic of the postwar American dream. Owning a high grade 1952-311 card is currently recommended as a strong investment. The date of this edition is not so old and our grandfathers are feverishly searching into the shoeboxes of their youth. The population of PSA graded cards is growing significantly : 1,225 in December 2015, 1,392 in October 2016 (and approaching 1,600 in 2019).
The top of the scale is occupied by 3 cards graded Gem Mint 10 and 6 graded Mint 9 (these figures are still valid in 2019).
The copy for sale has beautiful colors and a remarkable lack of wear. It was brought by a visitor at the Heritage booth in a trade fair in August, 2016 and was immediately appraised by PSA. It is graded NM-MT+ 8.5.
1952 Super High End
2017 SOLD for $ 660K including premium by Heritage
PRE 2021 SALE DISCUSSION
The highest grades defined by PSA are 10 Gem Mint, 9 Mint and 8 Near-Mint-to-Mint, summarized respectively as Virtually perfect, Superb and Super high end. Collectors are of course looking for the best ranked, but also for the finest cards in their grade.
A card graded 8 may have some minor imperfections such as wax stain on the back, fraying on two corners, printing defect, off white edges, 65/35 centering on image side and 90/10 on reverse side. Visual appeal is not measurable and is not considered for the attribution of the grade. Nothing prevents an 8 from having retained the brightest colors.
Here are two examples of the Topps 1952-311 card featuring Mickey Mantle in the NM-MT 8 PSA grade, from a population of 35 in that grade with 16 cards in the higher levels.
One of them was sold for $ 460K including premium by Heritage on February 23, 2019 and for $ 570K including premium by Goldin on November 1, 2020. It has an exceptional centering, a glossy surface and a very nice color contrast between the portrait and the azure blue background.
The other example has similar qualities plus very white edges and a perfectly printed reverse side. It was sold for $ 660K including premium by Heritage on February 26, 2017, lot 80084. It is listed as lot 2 in the online sale by Goldin which closes on January 30.
The highest grades defined by PSA are 10 Gem Mint, 9 Mint and 8 Near-Mint-to-Mint, summarized respectively as Virtually perfect, Superb and Super high end. Collectors are of course looking for the best ranked, but also for the finest cards in their grade.
A card graded 8 may have some minor imperfections such as wax stain on the back, fraying on two corners, printing defect, off white edges, 65/35 centering on image side and 90/10 on reverse side. Visual appeal is not measurable and is not considered for the attribution of the grade. Nothing prevents an 8 from having retained the brightest colors.
Here are two examples of the Topps 1952-311 card featuring Mickey Mantle in the NM-MT 8 PSA grade, from a population of 35 in that grade with 16 cards in the higher levels.
One of them was sold for $ 460K including premium by Heritage on February 23, 2019 and for $ 570K including premium by Goldin on November 1, 2020. It has an exceptional centering, a glossy surface and a very nice color contrast between the portrait and the azure blue background.
The other example has similar qualities plus very white edges and a perfectly printed reverse side. It was sold for $ 660K including premium by Heritage on February 26, 2017, lot 80084. It is listed as lot 2 in the online sale by Goldin which closes on January 30.
1952 Topps Mantle
2020 SOLD for $ 580K including premium by Goldin
1952 The Mantle Boom
2016 SOLD for $ 500K including premium
The Mickey Mantle card in the 1952 Topps series becomes an icon for the collectors at the same level as the Inverted Jenny error, the first Superman or the Wagner T206 card. This newcomer to the pantheon of American dream had undeniably many assets.
The 1952 Topps is the first modern series of baseball cards, with a striking iconography on front side and relevant information on the back of the card. The end of this series, from the number 311 showing Mantle, is rare due to its late printing date that did dot match the sporting season. The total population validated by PSA was 1225 units in December 2015.
Born in the same year as James Dean, Mickey Mantle joined the team of the New York Yankees in the previous year and appeared as the successor to Joe DiMaggio who had just retired. His career will meet such promises.
Collectors are struggling to find the best possible card. In a previous post, I had retrieved that three Topps 1952-311 had been graded Gem Mint 10 by PSA. To my knowledge, the last offering of one of them at auction happened in June 2001. The result recorded by Superior Sports Auction, $ 275K, was astonishing in its time.
Interest is growing and prices are soaring, particularly for cards graded Near Mint - Mint 8 by PSA. I had discussed two of them in July 2015, sold for $ 380K including premium by Heritage and $ 400K including premium by Goldin. Such a rating is already outdated. Another 1952-311 NM-MT 8 was sold for $ 486K by PWCC Auctions on eBay in November 2015, soon exceeded by another unit that sold for $ 525K including premium at Heritage on December 10.
The grading by PSA is not sufficient to compare these examples in terms of visual effect and centering. Heritage announced that the 1952-311 NM-MT 8 for sale by them in New York on February 20 is the best that they ever encountered in its grade. It is estimated $ 400K, lot 80015.
The 1952 Topps is the first modern series of baseball cards, with a striking iconography on front side and relevant information on the back of the card. The end of this series, from the number 311 showing Mantle, is rare due to its late printing date that did dot match the sporting season. The total population validated by PSA was 1225 units in December 2015.
Born in the same year as James Dean, Mickey Mantle joined the team of the New York Yankees in the previous year and appeared as the successor to Joe DiMaggio who had just retired. His career will meet such promises.
Collectors are struggling to find the best possible card. In a previous post, I had retrieved that three Topps 1952-311 had been graded Gem Mint 10 by PSA. To my knowledge, the last offering of one of them at auction happened in June 2001. The result recorded by Superior Sports Auction, $ 275K, was astonishing in its time.
Interest is growing and prices are soaring, particularly for cards graded Near Mint - Mint 8 by PSA. I had discussed two of them in July 2015, sold for $ 380K including premium by Heritage and $ 400K including premium by Goldin. Such a rating is already outdated. Another 1952-311 NM-MT 8 was sold for $ 486K by PWCC Auctions on eBay in November 2015, soon exceeded by another unit that sold for $ 525K including premium at Heritage on December 10.
The grading by PSA is not sufficient to compare these examples in terms of visual effect and centering. Heritage announced that the 1952-311 NM-MT 8 for sale by them in New York on February 20 is the best that they ever encountered in its grade. It is estimated $ 400K, lot 80015.
1952 Baseball Cards with the Bubble Gum
2017 SOLD for $ 410K including premium
The value of the top graded Mickey Mantle baseball cards from the 1952 Topps series started an unprecedented rise in 2015. A card graded NM-MT+ 8.5 by PSA was to fetch $ 1.13M including premium at Heritage on November 17, 2016.
Before that auction feat other examples had been discussed in this column. One of them graded NM-MT 8 by PSA and also described as perfectly centered was sold for $ 400K including premium by Goldin on July 31, 2015, lot 52.
This card is now offered as lot 80676 with a guide value of $ 500K by Heritage in Dallas in an online auction whose extended bidding phase starts on November 16.
Its 2015 sale had been an opportunity to narrate the 1952 Topps Mantle cards as follows :
The bubble gum brands recuperated the traditional business of tobacco manufacturers to edit sports cards. After war Gum Inc. from then known as Bowman is the leader in this market. His rival Topps will however win the game from its first year of card production in 1952.
The Topps cards are innovative by their enlarged size 7 x 9.5 cm, the detailed information on the back about the player's records, the careful or smiling but always powerful attitude of the champion, and beautiful colors.
Mickey Mantle played his first Major League game with the New York Yankees in April 1951. He will make his entire career in this prestigious team. Aged 20, he has promising qualities that will make him one of the best post war baseball players. His ambidextrous hits are remarkable : he holds the bat in the right hand against left-handed pitchers and switches to left hand against right-handers.
The first baseball card of Mickey Mantle is the number 253 of the 1951 Bowman series, but it is the number 311 of the 1952 Topps set which will become the most prestigious in the hobby of post war baseball cards.
311 is the lowest number in the second part of this Topps edition but it has no reason to be rarer than the higher numbers. PSA has graded more than 1000 copies. The picture is especially appealing with the dynamic behavior of the player and the sunlight on the face protected by the cap. Copies in excellent condition have brilliant colors that make it one of the masterpieces of the genre.
Before that auction feat other examples had been discussed in this column. One of them graded NM-MT 8 by PSA and also described as perfectly centered was sold for $ 400K including premium by Goldin on July 31, 2015, lot 52.
This card is now offered as lot 80676 with a guide value of $ 500K by Heritage in Dallas in an online auction whose extended bidding phase starts on November 16.
Its 2015 sale had been an opportunity to narrate the 1952 Topps Mantle cards as follows :
The bubble gum brands recuperated the traditional business of tobacco manufacturers to edit sports cards. After war Gum Inc. from then known as Bowman is the leader in this market. His rival Topps will however win the game from its first year of card production in 1952.
The Topps cards are innovative by their enlarged size 7 x 9.5 cm, the detailed information on the back about the player's records, the careful or smiling but always powerful attitude of the champion, and beautiful colors.
Mickey Mantle played his first Major League game with the New York Yankees in April 1951. He will make his entire career in this prestigious team. Aged 20, he has promising qualities that will make him one of the best post war baseball players. His ambidextrous hits are remarkable : he holds the bat in the right hand against left-handed pitchers and switches to left hand against right-handers.
The first baseball card of Mickey Mantle is the number 253 of the 1951 Bowman series, but it is the number 311 of the 1952 Topps set which will become the most prestigious in the hobby of post war baseball cards.
311 is the lowest number in the second part of this Topps edition but it has no reason to be rarer than the higher numbers. PSA has graded more than 1000 copies. The picture is especially appealing with the dynamic behavior of the player and the sunlight on the face protected by the cap. Copies in excellent condition have brilliant colors that make it one of the masterpieces of the genre.
1952 The Drowning of the Topps Cards
2015 SOLD for $ 380K including premium
2018 SOLD for $ 360K including premium
PRE 2018 SALE DISCUSSION
In mid-Summer 2015 two 1952-311 Topps baseball cards starring Mickey Mantle fetched simultaneously in the region of $ 400K. Both are graded NM-MT 8 by PSA. These results smashed the previous records that had never reached $ 300K even in higher grades.
One of them has been sold by Goldin for $ 400K including premium on July 31, 2015 and by Heritage for $ 410K including premium on November 16, 2017. The other copy was sold for $ 380K including premium by Heritage on July 30, 2015, lot 80016. It is now estimated $ 400K by the same auction house in their online sale closing on February 24 plus extended bidding, lot 80027.
After July 2015 the auction records for this specific card number continued to rise including $ 660K including premium for the same grade at Heritage on February 26, 2017 and $ 1.13M including premium for an NM-MT+ 8.5 on November 17, 2016, also by Heritage.
Just before that boom I discussed the unusual fate of the high numbers of the 1952 Topps baseball edition when I introduced the copy that is now listed again in the next sale :
The bubble gum has somehow succeeded to tobacco : Topps Chewing Gum becomes a leader in its market by using the previous distribution networks of a tobacco company. After a limited 1951 test series, Topps launches in 1952 its first modern full range edition.
The project is ambitious and innovative. The image of the player printed in beautiful colors is accompanied by a fac simile of his autograph signature. The back side lists the statistics and feats of the player as well as his personal attributes and some laudatory comments.
No fewer than 407 players are selected and the production is executed in two runs. The second part starts at the number 311 showing Mickey Mantle. It was the rookie year for this champion in the very prestigious New York Yankees team, offering two additional reasons to be appealed by that card.
The fact that it is the first number in the second part is probably linked to his rapidly growing fame in 1952. His Topps card introduces him as the successor to Joe DiMaggio.
The second part of the 1952 Topps series is released too late, when the season is already over, and its sales are catastrophic. Due to the highly detailed sports record information, the cards were obsolete from one season to another. Topps were nevertheless happy with their development of baseball cards in a suitable format and started preparing the edition of the next year.
The unsold stock was of no further use to them and they drowned in 1960 in the Atlantic Ocean a barge loaded with the huge remains of the second part of the 1952 edition.
In mid-Summer 2015 two 1952-311 Topps baseball cards starring Mickey Mantle fetched simultaneously in the region of $ 400K. Both are graded NM-MT 8 by PSA. These results smashed the previous records that had never reached $ 300K even in higher grades.
One of them has been sold by Goldin for $ 400K including premium on July 31, 2015 and by Heritage for $ 410K including premium on November 16, 2017. The other copy was sold for $ 380K including premium by Heritage on July 30, 2015, lot 80016. It is now estimated $ 400K by the same auction house in their online sale closing on February 24 plus extended bidding, lot 80027.
After July 2015 the auction records for this specific card number continued to rise including $ 660K including premium for the same grade at Heritage on February 26, 2017 and $ 1.13M including premium for an NM-MT+ 8.5 on November 17, 2016, also by Heritage.
Just before that boom I discussed the unusual fate of the high numbers of the 1952 Topps baseball edition when I introduced the copy that is now listed again in the next sale :
The bubble gum has somehow succeeded to tobacco : Topps Chewing Gum becomes a leader in its market by using the previous distribution networks of a tobacco company. After a limited 1951 test series, Topps launches in 1952 its first modern full range edition.
The project is ambitious and innovative. The image of the player printed in beautiful colors is accompanied by a fac simile of his autograph signature. The back side lists the statistics and feats of the player as well as his personal attributes and some laudatory comments.
No fewer than 407 players are selected and the production is executed in two runs. The second part starts at the number 311 showing Mickey Mantle. It was the rookie year for this champion in the very prestigious New York Yankees team, offering two additional reasons to be appealed by that card.
The fact that it is the first number in the second part is probably linked to his rapidly growing fame in 1952. His Topps card introduces him as the successor to Joe DiMaggio.
The second part of the 1952 Topps series is released too late, when the season is already over, and its sales are catastrophic. Due to the highly detailed sports record information, the cards were obsolete from one season to another. Topps were nevertheless happy with their development of baseball cards in a suitable format and started preparing the edition of the next year.
The unsold stock was of no further use to them and they drowned in 1960 in the Atlantic Ocean a barge loaded with the huge remains of the second part of the 1952 edition.
1956 A Jersey for the Triple Crown
2020 SOLD for $ 650K including premium
Mickey Mantle's progress had been astonishing. During his first full MLB season in 1952, he had achieved 23 home runs with a batting average of .311. In 1956 he was the Most Valuable Player with 52 home runs and an average of .353. Also the best for the Runs Batted In, he won the Triple Crown of the MLB for the only time in his long career.
For that period, the photo-matching of New York Yankees jerseys is easy. The logo on the chest is composed of an N and a Y with curved branches, individually sewn by hand. Each piece is easily recognizable in the photos by the respective position of the two letters and by their positioning over the vertical stripes of the garment.
In an online sale which ends on January 23, Mile High Card Company sells as lot 1 a Spalding flannel home jersey dated 1955, on which the central bar of the N forms a narrow angle with the upper left bar of the Y. It is narrated in the article shared on January 1 by Sports Collector Daily.
This garment is matched with all of Mantle's photos in the Yankees Stadium from March 1956 to July 1956, with no prior use. The auction house estimates that Mantle achieved 17 homers with this jersey.
It is completely authentic except the large number 7 on the back which is not original. Such an alteration was a standard practice when a jersey obsoleted by a player was offered to a lower league club. It is graded A7 by MEARS.
The uniforms correlated to the most significant sporting events are the most appreciated in the hobby. Regarding Mantle, the jersey worn for two homers of the 1964 World Series was sold for $ 1.32M including premium by Heritage on August 18, 2018, and the jersey of the penultimate homer of his MLB career was sold for $ 486K including premium by Heritage on February 25, 2017.
For that period, the photo-matching of New York Yankees jerseys is easy. The logo on the chest is composed of an N and a Y with curved branches, individually sewn by hand. Each piece is easily recognizable in the photos by the respective position of the two letters and by their positioning over the vertical stripes of the garment.
In an online sale which ends on January 23, Mile High Card Company sells as lot 1 a Spalding flannel home jersey dated 1955, on which the central bar of the N forms a narrow angle with the upper left bar of the Y. It is narrated in the article shared on January 1 by Sports Collector Daily.
This garment is matched with all of Mantle's photos in the Yankees Stadium from March 1956 to July 1956, with no prior use. The auction house estimates that Mantle achieved 17 homers with this jersey.
It is completely authentic except the large number 7 on the back which is not original. Such an alteration was a standard practice when a jersey obsoleted by a player was offered to a lower league club. It is graded A7 by MEARS.
The uniforms correlated to the most significant sporting events are the most appreciated in the hobby. Regarding Mantle, the jersey worn for two homers of the 1964 World Series was sold for $ 1.32M including premium by Heritage on August 18, 2018, and the jersey of the penultimate homer of his MLB career was sold for $ 486K including premium by Heritage on February 25, 2017.
1964 Home Runs in World Series
2018 SOLD for $ 1.32M including premium
For more than one hundred years the World Series ends the season by opposing the champion of the National League and the champion of the American League.
The home run scored by Babe Ruth in the Third Game of 1932 is unforgettable, first by Ruth's defiance or victory gesture even before holding his bat, and then because this fifteenth and last homer scored by Ruth in World Series was a record.
To equal and then exceed a record set by Ruth is an enviable feat. Mickey Mantle ran his 15th World Series homer in 1963.
In 1964 the World Series was won in 7 games by the St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Yankees. The three homers scored by Mantle were not enough to defeat the Cardinals but they set his record at 18 homers. This was Mantle's last World Series performance because the Yankees failed to qualify until his retirement as a player in 1968.
Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 were played in St. Louis and games 3 to 5 in New York. Mantle's homers were split between both sites, in games 3, 6 and 7. On August 18 online including an extended bidding phase, Heritage sells a jersey worn by Mickey Mantle, photo-matched with games 6 and 7, lot 80055 estimated $ 750K. It is graded A9 by MEARS.
It was a common practice for the Yankees to wear new uniforms for the World Series. This jersey is therefore not photo-matched with previous games. A laundry mark indicates that it has also been prepared for the following season.
In an interview with Sports Collectors Daily during the National Sports Collectors Convention, the Heritage Auctions specialist underlines the extreme rarity of this type of piece. Please watch this video. Keep also in mind the jersey worn by the same player when he scored his 535th MLB homer in 1968, sold for $ 486K including premium by Heritage on February 25, 2017.
The home run scored by Babe Ruth in the Third Game of 1932 is unforgettable, first by Ruth's defiance or victory gesture even before holding his bat, and then because this fifteenth and last homer scored by Ruth in World Series was a record.
To equal and then exceed a record set by Ruth is an enviable feat. Mickey Mantle ran his 15th World Series homer in 1963.
In 1964 the World Series was won in 7 games by the St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Yankees. The three homers scored by Mantle were not enough to defeat the Cardinals but they set his record at 18 homers. This was Mantle's last World Series performance because the Yankees failed to qualify until his retirement as a player in 1968.
Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 were played in St. Louis and games 3 to 5 in New York. Mantle's homers were split between both sites, in games 3, 6 and 7. On August 18 online including an extended bidding phase, Heritage sells a jersey worn by Mickey Mantle, photo-matched with games 6 and 7, lot 80055 estimated $ 750K. It is graded A9 by MEARS.
It was a common practice for the Yankees to wear new uniforms for the World Series. This jersey is therefore not photo-matched with previous games. A laundry mark indicates that it has also been prepared for the following season.
In an interview with Sports Collectors Daily during the National Sports Collectors Convention, the Heritage Auctions specialist underlines the extreme rarity of this type of piece. Please watch this video. Keep also in mind the jersey worn by the same player when he scored his 535th MLB homer in 1968, sold for $ 486K including premium by Heritage on February 25, 2017.
1968 The Mick with a Gentle Tiger
2017 SOLD for $ 490K including premium
2020 UNSOLD
PRE 2020 SALE DISCUSSION
The number of successful home runs (homers) in Major League baseball is the metrics that makes it possible to compare the best hitters of all time throughout their career. Babe Ruth was the first player to record his 500th homer in 1929, followed by Jimmie Foxx in 1940.
On September 19, 1968, the New York Yankees meet the Detroit Tigers. The absolute classification on that date is led by Ruth and Willie Mays with Foxx and Mickey Mantle sharing the third position with 534 homers each.
Since his rookie year in 1951, The Mick is a very popular player but at 37 years old in 1968 he has lost much of his effectiveness. During the game with Detroit, he holds the bat while the pitcher is one of his fervent admirers, Denny McLain, a strong personality who is not afraid of controversy. McLain launches an easy ball to Mantle and The Mick achieves his 535th homer with which he can finally overtake Foxx.
There was nothing illegal in this complacent pitch despite a wink by the Tiger when The Mick reached the third base. McLain will be reprimanded by the Major League Baseball Commissioner. Mantle will achieve before the end of that year his 536th and final homer.
These records have been exceeded many times : Mickey Mantle is currently in 13th position for the number of homers in Major League. His difficult end of life is forgotten and he has become again the symbol of the post-war American dream.
The road grey jersey worn by Mantle against the Tigers was autographed by him on the upper chest to a friend and signed "The Mick". This game worn uniform graded A10 by MEARS was sold by Heritage for $ 490K including premium on February 25, 2017, lot 80014. It is listed by the same auction house in an online sale closing on August 29, 2020, lot 80050.
The number of successful home runs (homers) in Major League baseball is the metrics that makes it possible to compare the best hitters of all time throughout their career. Babe Ruth was the first player to record his 500th homer in 1929, followed by Jimmie Foxx in 1940.
On September 19, 1968, the New York Yankees meet the Detroit Tigers. The absolute classification on that date is led by Ruth and Willie Mays with Foxx and Mickey Mantle sharing the third position with 534 homers each.
Since his rookie year in 1951, The Mick is a very popular player but at 37 years old in 1968 he has lost much of his effectiveness. During the game with Detroit, he holds the bat while the pitcher is one of his fervent admirers, Denny McLain, a strong personality who is not afraid of controversy. McLain launches an easy ball to Mantle and The Mick achieves his 535th homer with which he can finally overtake Foxx.
There was nothing illegal in this complacent pitch despite a wink by the Tiger when The Mick reached the third base. McLain will be reprimanded by the Major League Baseball Commissioner. Mantle will achieve before the end of that year his 536th and final homer.
These records have been exceeded many times : Mickey Mantle is currently in 13th position for the number of homers in Major League. His difficult end of life is forgotten and he has become again the symbol of the post-war American dream.
The road grey jersey worn by Mantle against the Tigers was autographed by him on the upper chest to a friend and signed "The Mick". This game worn uniform graded A10 by MEARS was sold by Heritage for $ 490K including premium on February 25, 2017, lot 80014. It is listed by the same auction house in an online sale closing on August 29, 2020, lot 80050.
