(LOT 138)
1969 Topps #500 Mickey Mantle White Letters PSA 8 NM-MT
HIGH-GRADE '69 MANTLE "WHITE LETTER"!!!... The recent sale in January 2023 of a PSA 9 MINT 1969 Topps "White Letter" Mickey Mantle for a record $933K from the Memory Lane Inc. '23 Winter Rarities Auction sent shockwaves through the hobby. While a PSA 8 example had fetched $74K only a month earlier, no one expected a "9" to fetch the unfathomable $933K figure. One of the most undervalued cards in the hobby for the longest time, the floodgates have surely opened with regard to its highly coveted stature and value, and why not? High-grade specimens are few and far between, justified by PSA's illustrious population report listing only 45 PSA 8s; four PSA 9s and a single PSA 10. Those 45 PSA 8s represent only 3% of the total 1,400+ PSA "White Letter" population, and are only 9% of the total 519 "Yellow Letter" PSA 8 Mantles!

Like most population report disparities, we highly expect this substantial Pop delta to result in an enormous price tag for this momentous PSA 8 offering, especially in lieu of the aforementioned $933K sale of a PSA 9. Regarding the card's pack-fresh aesthetics, the Mick's classic left-handed batting pose is virtually pristine, portraying superb contrast and crystal-clear clarity. Synonymous with most 1969 Topps Mantle subjects, the image is somewhat skewed, in this instance favoring the lower left edges between four absolutely blinding white borders. Pinpoint corners, razor-sharp edging, near-flawless surfaces and vivid typography are the final superlatives justifying the world class assessment that rarely surfaces for the taking. Another example of an esteemed Mickey Mantle cardboard issue, it's no secret that high-end cards representing the Commerce Comet spearhead the post-WWII market, and his 1969 subject stands as his final mainstream card issued during his legendary playing days.

Mantle's unparalleled sports collectibles mystique was most likely achieved with his supernatural power that led to him walloping at least ten 500+ foot round-trippers throughout his incredible career, one of which traveling 565-feet to still reside as the longest home run ever hit in MLB history. Indeed, this coalminer's son from Oklahoma enjoyed a remarkable 18-year career in the Big Apple, with his highly coveted cardboard heirlooms the main driver of a lucrative card hobby. To reiterate, considering the extreme disparity of a "White" vs. "Yellow" Letter '69 Topps Mantle in high-grade, we will let you, the sophisticated collector, ultimately decide the true worth of this esteemed PSA 8 offering that is being offered to the collecting community fresh off the heels of our extraordinary PSA 9 record sale!

MIN BID $15,000
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