(LOT 63)
1957 Topps #95 Mickey Mantle (PSA Mint 9) - Only ONE Example Graded Higher!
Any card of the great HOF Yankee centerfielder, Mickey Mantle, is considered a bona fide collectible in the baseball card circuit with his incredibly hot 1952 Topps Rookie card paving the way for "The Mick's" other 1950's cardboard gems. Mantle's HOF credential are countless including 536 home runs, 3 MVPs, 12 Pennants, 7 World series victories, a record for World Series Home Runs (18), and a Triple Crown season in 1956. Following that "Cinderella" season in which the Yankees also reclaimed the world championship, Topps issued one of "The Mick's" most popular cards in 1957, with one of this issue's most breathtaking specimens presented here in a miraculous PSA Mint 9 holder.

One of the "Empire State Collection's" proudest cards, consider that of the 4,600+ encapsulated copies, only 0.4% of those specimens have achieved the sanctified "Mint 9" assessment with a SOLE copy graded higher! Indeed, only a single 1957 Topps PSA encapsulated #95 Mantle subject has ever achieved a "Gem Mint 10" grade, substantiating the utmost significance of finding a "near-impossible" Mint 9 example. The phrase "a sure thing" is seldom used in today's society. Yet, high grade Mantle cards continue to escalate in value at a nearly alarming rate, once again substantiating the accepted notion that the "Commerce Comet" continues to be the foundation of the post-WWII card market.

However Mantle secured this concept is still a mystery. Was it the mystique of his 1952 Topps rookie card, being the great Joe DiMaggio's successor or how about his long tape measure home runs? Whatever the reason, his cards hold a special place next to the great turn of the century players such as Cobb, Wagner, Mathewson and Ruth, and this 1957 museum quality example just happens to be one of Mantle's best! The card itself is magnificent in all aspects of condition sensitivity. Let's start with the super defined contrast of the classic Mantle batting image as he possibly clouts another one of his majestic long balls wearing the classic Yankee pinstripes.

Atypical for virtually all '57 Topps Mantles, the hallowed image is positioned in a near-perfect fashion (45/55 – 50/50), with most of these subjects exhibiting skewed illustrations. Blinding white borders lead to a razor-sharp perimeter, bolstered by four un-improvable pinpoint corners. Not a single surface blemish is evident, the sheer gloss is completely intact, and the reverse side red and blue typography reflects bold and vivid registration. This just happens to be one of the finest cards ever produced by any card manufacturer, immaculately preserved for nearly 60 years in its original "pack-fresh" condition!

MIN BID $7,500

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