(LOT 450)
1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Rookie PSA 3 VG
The manner in which the Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps subject achieved its current mystique may never achieve full resolution, but it is surely "here to stay", with only the T206 Honus Wagner surpassing "The Mick's" inaugural '52 Topps stature. This cardboard marvel's sudden rise to stardom in the late '80s and early '90s ably assisted the overall market stature, with its incredible pricing points redefining one's perspective for utilizing cardboard heirlooms as viable investment options. For quite some time and prior to 2013, price tags for the 1952 Topps Mantle subject had remained relatively flat. That concept has truly changed course, with the $5.2 million private sale for a PSA 9 Mint example paving the way, as well as a PSA 8 specimen achieving a record-setting $2.1 million in Memory Lane's July 2021 auction. Even VG specimens such as this PSA 3 offering have achieved record-setting prices in 2021, with several eye pleasing examples fetching $85K and $90K, and an absolutely breathtaking PSA 3 realizing a "record for the grade" $162K figure in March 2021. Typical with any market commodity, the investment values of valuable baseball cards likewise run in cycles, and the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, dubbed the post-WWII "Holy Grail", is now experiencing an amazing pricing surge for all grade levels that have rewritten its overall value. Synonymous with an uncontrollable brush fire, since mid-year 2013, the Topps Mantle Rookie value has risen to an unprecedented level, with mid-grade specimens now realizing 300% - 400% pricing upticks. Mickey Mantle's Goliath-like power obviously contributed to his overall hobby stature, with the "Mick" blasting an inconceivable 10+ documented 500 ft.+ round-trippers throughout his spectacular 18-year career. His mammoth blast off of Senators hurler Chuck Stobbs in 1953 at Griffith Stadium ricocheted off of the scoreboard into a neighboring back-yard across the street, traveling a record-breaking 565 feet from home plate!

The Oklahoma Kid twice crushed horsehide spheres off of Yankee Stadium's right-field facade, and no player will ever hit more tape-measure home runs than the supernatural-like Mickey Mantle. No wonder his regal 1952 Topps card is widely regarded as the "king" of the post-WWII baseball cards, and this breathtaking offering easily stands as one of his finest VG examples imaginable. You can virtually feel Mickey's curious nature as he gazes into an unknown future, unaware that he would soon be embarking on a majestic career that would lead to his immortal Yankee standing. Fine image quality for the iconic Mantle pose, clean white borders and the robust aquamarine background dominate the show, with the atypical excellent centering only revealing a modest partiality towards the right edge. Indeed, more than 90% of the existing '52 Topps Mantle specimens reveal skewed central images, and while this offering's centering isn't perfect, it certainly falls in the top 10% of superiority with regard to its desirable positioning. The overall brilliant presentation also includes VG-EX/EX corners, no glaring creases and a clean verso, with this Mantle gem emanating solid "VG-EX+" overall aesthetics. The only stigma preventing a mid-grade is a microscopic surface abrasion situated beneath the brim of his period-style Yankees cap. While this negligible blemish downgraded the card to a "VG" assessment, its diminutive nature does not even remotely impede the sparkling eye appeal of this timeless marvel. Currently, pricing points for all '52 Topps Mantles are soaring to stratospheric heights, a bona fide testament to the unparalleled prestige of this post-war "Holy Grail" that along with the exalted T206 Wagner stands tall as one of the two most historic cards in our illustrious hobby!

MIN BID $15,000
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