(LOT 760)
1953 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle SGC 1 Poor
One of the rarest 1950's baseball card issues are the Stahl-Meyer Franks subjects distributed in packages of hot dogs by a New York based meat-company from 1953 thru 1955, with the 1953 issues revealing white borders (vs. the 1954/1955 issues depicting yellow borders). The 1953 set included 9 subjects while the 1954/"55 sets were increased to 12 players. As is the case with almost all post WWII cardboard issues, the most popular and valuable of the nine subjects is the iconic Mickey Mantle, with his 1953 "white-border" issue presented here in an SGC 1 holder. Substantiating the extreme condition sensitivity of these scarce mementos is SGC's Census Report listing roughly half of the 24 encapsulated copies in either "1 Poor" or "Authentic" holders. Indeed, due to their package methodology, Stahl-Meyer subjects are ultra-condition sensitive, with most surviving examples exhibiting low technical assessments. Via his iconic 1952 Topps subject, Mantle personified the acceleration of the cardboard industry in the 1980's, and since that mystical period, his cardboard issues are held in the utmost esteem. Such is the case for this ultra-obscure SGC 1 Stahl Meyer offering that does reveal an abundance of stray creases, spotted paper loss and soiling on both sides. Fortunately, a majority of Mantle's classic portrait pose remains intact, with his good-natured boyish grin one of the legendary Mantle illustrations from the early 1950's, and the exact image used for his classic 1953 Briggs Meat and 1954 Dan-dee subjects. Although a somewhat "beater" copy, it stands as one of only 24 SGC encapsulated copies and one of "The Mick's" scarcest 1950's issues, with the "the right to own a copy" the main driver for its highly coveted stature!
MIN BID $1,000
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