(LOT 55)
Spectacular 1953 Topps #82 Signed Mickey Mantle w/a Perfect PSA "Gem Mint 10" Autograph Grade!
"Every now and then some athlete is touched for a moment with a kind of higher level of greatness which they may never achieve again, but at that moment, they were more than life allows". Such were the iconic words of the late CBS Commentator Heywood Hale Broun when referring to the immortal race horse Secretariat's unfathomable 31-length 1973 Belmont Stakes victory to claim the elusive Triple Crown. Indeed, there are a handful of iconic athletes that have separated themselves from the "rest of the pack" via their supernatural feats and one of those hallowed stars just happens to be Mickey Charles Mantle!

The undisputed "Babe Ruth" of the Post-WW II card market, values for "The Mick's" highly coveted cardboard heirlooms have soared to stratospheric heights with no end seemingly insight. While his unparalleled mystique is still a profound mystery, one can only assume that his "Goliath-like" un-worldly power was one of the main drivers of his legendary hero stature. Worshiped by millions of fans, Mickey Mantle could hit a baseball further than anyone who ever played the game, and even in lieu of a "steroids driven" environment, no baseball player can wallop a baseball further than Mantle. Incredibly, the "Commerce Comet" hit two balls off the façade at Yankee Stadium, and his 565-foot home run off Senators hurler Chuck Stobbs at Griffith Stadium in 1953 still stands as the longest official ball ever hit in a Major-League game.

Ironically, presented here just happens to be a miraculous signed Mantle 1953 Topps card depicting the perfect PSA "Gem Mint 10" autograph grade; one of only 25 total signed examples (for any autograph grade) listed on PSA's prestigious "pop" chart! Scripted in bold blue sharpie, the pristine "10" signature depicts literally "jumps off a card" that portrays overall stellar eye appeal via the crystal-clear portrait image. It is no secret that early 1950's Mantle cards are achieving record setting prices nearly every week, with his high-grade '51 Bowman, '52/'53 Topps issues leading the way.

Furthermore, there are currently 90+ encapsulated PSA 8 1953 Topps Mantle's that are now valued at roughly $50K apiece, with a fraction of the '53 Mantle PSA "pop" count depicting his hallowed autograph. In our summer auction, an "un-graded" signed '53 Mantle with a far inferior autograph (as compared to this offering's magnificent "10" script) realized a price tag in excess of $11K. With that in mind, we can only begin to estimate the potential value for this absolutely remarkable 2nd year Mantle Topps card that reflects the pinnacle and near-impossible PSA Gem Mint 10 autograph assessment!

Please keep in mind, if the winner of this card wants to get the card graded, Memory Lane guarantees a grade for the cards condition from any mainstream third party grading company.

MIN BID $2500

_