(LOT 296)
1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle PSA 5 EX
"HOLY GRAIL" MICK!!! Any eye pleasing 1952 Topps #311 Mantle subject is worthy of esteemed hobby accolades, let alone this stellar PSA 5 EX "Commerce Comet" offering that truly resides as a momentous six-figure marvel. Indeed, 2022 saw some remarkable 5 EX sales for the Mick's iconic '52 Topps high-number subject including $204K (Feb); $180K/$156K (May); $156K (July); and $180K (Sept). Atypically, many of these pricing points just happened to be for SGC graded examples, with PSA graded specimens typically achieving the highest values. The hyperbole associated with the record-setting $12.6 million sale of an SGC 9.5 GEM MINT '52 Topps Mantle in late August certainly assisted a brilliant SGC 5 example in realizing a record-setting and unfathomable $306K price a few weeks earlier. Only the T206 Wagner's unparalleled prestige can surpass the celebrated mystique associated with any 1952 Topps Mantle subject. Its sudden rise to stardom in the late '80s and early '90s literally jumpstarted the sports card market, 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 previously mentioned price tags joined by a $5.2 million private sale for a PSA 9 Mint example, as well as a PSA 8 specimen achieving $2.1 million in Memory Lane's July 2021 auction. 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", continues experiencing an amazing pricing surge for all grade levels that have rewritten its overall value. Mickey Mantle's unmatchable power obviously contributed to his immense hobby stature, with the "Mick" blasting an unfathomable ten plus 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 backyard 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 past, present or future will ever hit more tape-measure home runs than Mantle. No wonder his regal 1952 Topps card is widely regarded as the king of the post-WWII baseball cards, and this solid mid-grade PSA 5 heirloom suffices as another subject that has retained a vast number of its original redeeming qualities.

You can literally feel Mickey's curious nature as he gazes into an unknown future, unaware that he would soon be embarking on a majestic career leading to his immortal Yankee standing. Fine image quality for the iconic Mantle pose, and the robust aqua-marine/blue hued background can make any collector skip a beat. The relatively fine side-to-side centering (reflecting a mild partiality towards the right edge) is somewhat compromised by the image heavily favoring the upper perimeter, with a majority of '52 Topps Mantles exhibiting skewed images. No glaring surface blemishes are evident on either side, and the blue setting has eluded the unsightly surface snow typically plaguing this issue. Preventing a higher grade is modest border toning, even corner wear, a diminutive surface impression on the left border, and a microscopic notch on Mantle's chin. Most significantly, nearly all the visually striking attributes supersede the imperfect centering, substantiating this keepsake's mid-grade stature. To reiterate, the pricing points for all '52 Topps Mantles seemingly escalate at a steady pace, especially for aesthetically pleasing examples such as this Cooperstown worthy masterpiece that proudly resides as the "Holy Grail" of all post-WWII issues!

MIN BID $30,000
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