(LOT 3)
1952 Bowman #101 Mickey Mantle PSA 9 MINT - Only 2 PSA Examples Graded Higher!
MINT MICK!!! One of the most coveted post-WWII cards at the exalted PSA 9 MINT grade, this seldom-surfacing 1952 Bowman #101 Mickey Mantle masterpiece proudly resides as one of the most significant Mantle issues on the planet. Bested by only two PSA 10s, only 13 or 0.34% of the remaining 3,800 PSA encapsulated examples have managed to achieve the impressive 9 assessment. This world-class offering has somehow managed to defy time, retaining virtually all its original factory-issued attributes over the past 71 years. While several PSA 8 examples are available for the taking, rarely is a 9 MINT subject offered at public auction, with one particular PSA 9 fetching an extraordinary and record-setting $540K in April 2022. Obviously, all Mickey Mantle cards are amid a pricing surge, with his early 1950s issues paving the way for this seemingly relentless uptick. The $12.6 million record sale for an SGC 9.5 Gem Mint '52 Topps Mantle in August 2022 certainly adds fuel to the fire, with the finest Mantle cards now deemed bona fide investment commodities.

Synonymous with this revered offering's breathtaking aesthetics and time-defying condition is the unbridled legacy of Mickey Charles Mantle. The Commerce Comet, as so many avid fans dubbed him, captured the hearts of millions of Americans via his colossal tape measure home runs. It's nearly inconceivable to think that no baseball player before or after hit a baseball further than The Mick. He walloped at least 10 documented 500+ ft. home runs in his spectacular 18-year playing career in the Bronx, and his two mammoth round-trippers that struck Yankee Stadium's façade were both estimated to have surpassed the 600 ft. mark had their flight not been impeded by the renowned façade. In fact, Mantle still owns the longest official homer, with his unfathomable 565 ft, blast that sailed clear out of Griffith's Stadium in 1953 standing tall as the best of the rest. Incredible as it may seem, Mickey achieved his mighty power via his sheer natural existence as a coal miner's son who grew up in Commerce, Oklahoma, with no weightlifting or performance-enhancing drugs assisting him in any way, shape or form. Ultimately deemed the Oklahoma Kid, he is the undisputed king of the post-WWII card market, and this time defying PSA 9 marvel truly suffices as the perfect testament to his pinnacle stature within the collecting community.

The time-defying condition of this pack-fresh PSA 9 is highlighted by the fine centering that is excruciatingly tough to find on any 1952 Bowman Mantle subject, regardless of the assessment. So many of the existing examples portray unsightly skewed images, with this gem providing an extremely desirable, well-positioned illustration only slightly favoring the right edge. The sparkling lithographic image emanates rich blue and facial hues that literally jump off the card as The Mick reveals his candid arms-folded Yankee pinstripes pose. It is this classic illustration that truly stands as one of the cornerstones of post-WWII card collecting, a quintessential image defining Mantle's early years in the Big Apple as he was about to embark on a career for the ages. Aside from the previously mentioned near-perfect centering, additional world-class attributes include razor-sharp edges, the finest possible pinpoint corner tips consistent with any mint subject, blinding white borders, and immaculate surfaces, including a verso free of any typical gum stains. Indeed, so many of the early 1950s Bowman gum cards retained some level of gum staining that negatively impacted their current technical assessments.

Yet, both sides of this Cooperstown-worthy issue have managed to elude any notable blemishes, and it almost appears as though Mantle's iconic pose is set in 3D fashion, ably assisted by the sparkling hues and crystal-clear clarity. The most sophisticated card collectors painstakingly seek stellar cards with images that pop, and this Mantle pose literally jumps off the card. Ultimately, finding a MINT 1952 Bowman Mantle is synonymous with finding a needle in a haystack. While there are twelve other PSA 9 examples, virtually all of them are safely tucked away in some of the most elite private gatherings, and who knows when the next one will become readily available. With one PSA 9 specimen having already breached the half-million mark, there appears to be no limits to its growth. Add the fact that all of Mantle's Topps and Bowman cards are currently smoking hot regarding their spiraling price tags, it serves to reason that a PSA 9 MINT '52 Bowman scarcity merits the highest hobby accolades. This extraordinary offering has miraculously retained virtually all its original factory-issued pristine qualities, with its excellent centering and immortal image that has stubbornly defied time, paving the way for its assessment!

MIN BID $50,000

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