(LOT 113)
1957 Topps #95 Mickey Mantle PSA 8 NM-MT
MANTLE!!!... Any card of the great HOF Yankee center fielder, 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 1950s cardboard gems. Mantle's HOF credentials are countless including 536 home runs, three MVPs, 12 Pennants, seven 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 super eye appeal specimens presented here in a scintillating PSA NM-MT 8 holder.
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. How 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 worthy masterpiece just happens to be one of Mantle's finest!
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, with most of these subjects exhibiting seriously skewed illustrations. Snow-white borders lead to a razor sharp perimeter, bolstered by four pinpoint corners. No glaring surface blemishes are evident, the sheer gloss is completely intact, and the verso retains its original print attributes. A pack-fresh card to say the least, it merits serious attention from even the most meticulous enthusiast!
MIN BID $2,500
_