(LOT 56)
1960 Topps #350 Mickey Mantle PSA 9 MINT - NONE Graded Higher!
It is no secret that obtaining any PSA "Gem Mint 10" 1960 subject is a near-impossible chore, with many factory-issued print defects and centering issues residing as the primary culprits. In fact, of the 303,000+ encapsulated copies, only a paltry 0.1% have managed to achieve cardboard perfection. This explains why the most meticulous enthusiasts scramble to obtain any of the scarce PSA Mint 9 Mantle examples, with this magnificent offering not bested by a single specimen! Of the 8,400+ PSA encapsulated Mantles, not a sole PSA "Gem Mint 10" 1960 Topps Mantle subject exists. Furthermore, considering the virtually infinite rise of his high-grade cardboard pricing points, we cannot even begin to estimate what this "best of the rest" offering could potentially realize, with a Mint 9 example achieving a lofty $58K pricing point earlier this year. After two successive issues ('58 & '59) of providing collectors with portrait Mantle images, Topps chose to put a bat back into "The Mick's" hands for his highly coveted 1960 #350 subject.

In fact, Topps actually chose to use TWO Mantle batting poses, a magnificent colorized centerpiece illustration coupled with a left side black & white smaller image, with both hallowed poses portraying the Yankee legend in his left-handed batting stance. Mantle's breathtaking colorized batting pose is virtually unimprovable, exhibiting near-perfect centering that only reflects the slightest "hint" of favoritism towards the left edge between four blinding white borders. Its pack-fresh look is supported by a vast array of rich hues and crystal clear resolution for the colored illustration. The additional black & white batting pose near the left border is likewise pristine, with both the bold red and radiant yellow backgrounds exhibiting their original factory-issued tints. Blistering sharp corner tips and gleaming surfaces complete one of the premier 1960 Topps Mantle examples you will ever come across, with his extraordinary cardboard wonder sharing the spotlight as the finest of its kind!

MIN BID $12,500
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