(LOT 7)
1956 Topps #135 Mickey Mantle "Gray Back" PSA 9 MINT - Only 4 PSA Examples Graded Higher!
TRIPLE CROWN SEASON!!! Most hobbyists would agree that the hottest cards in the hobby are high-grade 1950 & '60s Hall of Famers, with the iconic Mickey Mantle paving the way! It is no coincidence that the 1950s high-grade card market has recently soared to new heights, with each passing sale setting a seemingly endless number of record prices including the unfathomable sale of an SGC 9.5 Gem Mint 1952 Topps Mantle for $12.6 million! One of Mantle's most popular cards continues to be his 1956 Topps #135 subject since it was this magical season that Mantle would capture both the Triple Crown and his fourth World Championship in only his sixth Major League season.

Presented here is one of the most remarkable 1956 Topps Mantle subjects, a virtually pristine PSA 9 MINT "Gray Back" marvel that has only been bested by a meager four specimens with a fractional 0.5% of the 8,400+ specimens depicting a PSA 9 assessment! It boggles the mind to think that no baseballer has ever managed to hit a baseball as far as the Commerce Comet even in lieu of the vast number of steroid induced players, extreme conditioning technology, faster pitchers, and tighter stitched baseballs.

Mantle's 565 ft. blast off of the Senators Chuck Stobbs still remains the furthest recorded ball ever hit in any baseball game, and it is no coincidence that The Mick also walloped two home runs off the façade of Yankee Stadium. It is this supernatural once-in-a-lifetime power that places Mickey Mantle cardboard collectibles at the top of most post-war hobbyists want lists, and this 1956 Topps scarce for the grade masterpiece is the perfect testament to Mantle's legendary stature. Let's start with the super defined contrast of the classic Mantle portrait image accompanied by his great outfield acrobatic catch as he reaches in the grandstand to rob a hitter of a sure home run.

The excellent centering only exhibits an ever-so-slight favoritism towards the upper edge, with the legendary illustration residing between four dazzling white borders. Blistering sharp corner tips highlight the razor-sharp perimeter, and the surfaces are near-immaculate. The final exclamation point is a flawless gray surfaced verso that reveals vivid print registration. High-grade Mickey Mantle cards continue to soar in value, substantiated by two other PSA Mint 1956 Topps Mantles fetching $150K and $175K last year, the former being realized in a Memory Lane Auction. That said, neither of those examples could possibly surpass the sheer aesthetic brilliance of this miraculous offering that proudly stands tall as one of Mantle's cream of the crop cardboard issues!

MIN BID $50,000
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