(LOT 359)
1957 Topps #95 Mickey Mantle PSA 8 NM-MT
"MANTLE!!! Mantle's HOF credentials are seemingly countless including 536 home runs, 3 MVPs, 12 Pennants, seven world championships, a record for World Series Home Runs (18), and a Triple Crown season in 1956. Following that "Cinderella" '56 campaign in which the Yankees also reclaimed the world championship from Brooklyn, Topps issued one of "The Mick's" most popular cards in 1957, with this PSA 8 NM-MT #95 subject only bested by a mere 0.4% of the nearly 7,100 PSA encapsulated examples. High-grade Mantle cards from the 1950s continue escalating in value at a rapid rate, substantiating the notion that the "Commerce Comet" is the foundation of the post-WWII card market. The manner in which Mantle secured this stranglehold on the card market somewhat remains a mystery. Was it the mystique of his 1952 Topps rookie card or simply his Goliath-like power resulting in an abundance of 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 finest. The card itself offers wonderful contrast and clarity for the classic Mantle batting image as he possibly clouts another one of his majestic long balls wearing his renowned Yankee pinstripes. Atypical for virtually all '57 Topps Mantles, the hallowed image exhibits fine centering between four bright white borders. As most hobbyists surely realize, a majority of the '57 Topps Mantle's exhibit skewed images, and it is an excruciating chore to find ANY example revealing excellent centering. Right-angled corners, clean surfaces and a sharp perimeter complete this 65-year-old gem that offers one of the premier positioned Mantle '57 Topps images you will ever find!

MIN BID $5,000