(LOT 59)
1962 Topps #200 Mickey Mantle PSA 9 MINT - Only ONE Example Graded Higher!
After placing a bat in Mantle's hands in their prior two issues, Topps decided to utilize another classic Mantle portrait image for their ultra-condition sensitive wood-grain bordered 1962 compilation. Always one of hobbyists' favorite Mantle subjects, high-grade collectors who settle for nothing but the best, endure an ongoing painstaking task in locating PSA "Mint 9" examples. Simply stated, the wood-grain borders and/or edging magnify even the slightest surface flaws, similar to the 1955 Bowman and 1971 Topps issues. No wonder only 0.3% of the 5,500+ PSA encapsulated examples have achieved the hallowed "Mint 9" assessment, with a SOLE specimen graded higher! The 1962 season would represent Mickey Mantle's final World Series title, with the Yankees besting the San Francisco Giants in a grueling 7-game contest. "The Mick" would claim his third and final American League M.V.P. award that season, with his 30 round trippers, .321 batting average and .605 slugging percentage paving the way for the Yankees' final championship over the next 15 years.

The "rare for the grade" status, Mantle's stellar 1962 campaign and the extraordinary value escalation of virtually any high-grade Mantle cardboard issue all combine to elevate this offering to world-class stature. His stoic portrait image depicts brilliant facial tints, with the classic pose well projected via the immaculate powder-blue sky setting. The near-perfect centering is only slightly compromised by an "ever so slight" image tilt towards the upper right corner, and as most enthusiasts surely realize, locating a well-centered '62 Topps Mantle is synonymous to finding a needle in a haystack. Pinpoint corners, immaculate surfaces, and atypical clean wood-grain borders complete this time defying marvel that rarely surfaces with the "Mint 9" assessment. In our last auction, a PSA 8 example sold for over $22K, and it has been quite some time since a formidable PSA Mint 9 specimen has been available to the general public, with a few "9s" fetching between $31K - $35K some 3-4 years ago. That said, we cannot even begin to imagine the "true" pricing point for this breathtaking mint offering that has been bested by only a single PSA 10 example!

MIN BID $10,000
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