(LOT 1308)
1961 Mickey Mantle Taking Batting Practice at the All-Star Game PSA Type 1 Encapsulated Bill Crouch/Oakland Tribune Photo - Measures Approx. 8" x 10"
The first 1961 All-Star Game would be played at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on July 11, 1961, with the National League besting the A.L. by a 5-4 score in 10 innings. This spectacular 8" x 10" PSA Type 1 Photo reveals the immortal Mickey Mantle taking batting practice before the game with Roberto Clemente and the Tigers Rocky Colavito (#7) looking on. While Mantle would go hit-less in his three at-bats, the big story for the 1961 campaign would be both Mantle and Maris slugging it out through the entire summer in a "back-and-forth" quest to break Babe Ruth's hallowed single season 60-homer mark. Maris finally eclipsed Ruth's mark when on the last day of the regular season, he blasted Red Sox hurler Tracy Stallard's fastball into Yankee Stadium's lower deck for homer#61. Unfortunately for "The Mick", he had to "bow out" of the race in September due to an injury that placed him on the disabled list for the remainder of the month. Since that legendary 1961 season when these two baseball giants captivated an adoring nation, collectors actively pursue Mantle artifacts from the '61 campaign. Its breathtaking eye appeal is a result of near-perfect resolution and contrast, with the verso including a July 11th ink date and the seldom seen "Bill Crouch" credit stamp. One of Mantle's most obscure images, it conjures up vivid memories of the 1961 season when Mantle & Maris chased the "Sultan of Swat's" most revered record!

MIN BID $300