(LOT 34)
1953 Topps #82 Mickey Mantle PSA 8 NM-MT
BRILLIANT 2ND-YEAR MICK!!! No one would argue that the unparalleled mystique of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 high-number subject will forever be embedded in hobby folklore. Unfortunately, a considerable number of advanced collectors simply cannot afford the current stratospheric price tags of a high-grade 1952 Topps Mantle subject, with an SGC 9.5 Gem Mint example fetching a record-high $12.6 million price for ANY sports card in August 2022 as well as PSA 8 examples realizing seven-figure+ pricing. While not the "Holy Grail" inaugural '52 Topps Mantle, the Commerce Comet's second-year 1953 Topps subject is arguably the "Mona Lisa", gaining considerable prestige over the years via its stoic lithographic Mantle portrait image.

While a significant number of PSA 7s and lower graded examples have flooded the market, this outstanding PSA 8 offering seldom surfaces for the taking. Indeed, this extraordinary PSA 8 Mantle represents a fractional 1.8% of the approximate 5,400 PSA encapsulated examples, with only 16 specimens (0.3%) graded higher! No wonder advanced collectors jump at the opportunity to seize any aesthetically brilliant PSA 8 subject such as this time-defying marvel, for no baseball player could possibly equal Mickey Mantle's post-WWII popularity. Without question, his unequivocal mystique remains unequaled in the post-WWII card market, yet considering that his lifetime batting statistics were not overwhelming, you sometimes ponder as to the root of Mantle's unbridled fame. Worldly attributes such as his inconceivable power, long tape measure home runs and overall charisma have, undoubtedly, elevated his godly stature.

He was Davy Crockett, Goliath, John Wayne and Joe DiMaggio all rolled up into one super icon, the ultimate embodiment of a national hero. His mammoth home runs tested the confines of any ballpark, and he still holds the record for MLB's longest all-time homer when his 565-foot blast off of Senators southpaw hurler Chuck Stobbs sailed out of Griffith's Stadium into a neighboring backyard. Add the fact that the Commerce Comet twice hit the Yankee Stadium façade as well as blasting a minimum of ten 500+-foot documented round-trippers, you can surely comprehend why he was worshiped by millions of young American boys. This remarkable second-year marvel reveals a nearly flawless lithographic pose of The Mick, bursting with vitality via an array of bright fresh hues portraying pack-fresh quality. The sanctified image reveals relatively fine centering, exhibiting only a modest favoritism towards the right edge between snow-white borders.

Furthermore, the lower left quadrant's bold red text box appears to have eluded any glaring surface wear (only exhibiting the slightest "touching" near the lower left edge/corner tip), with the standard stigma for most examples being notable surface wear near the edging of this ultra-condition-sensitive text box. Additional world-class highlights include near-immaculate surfaces, crystal-clear clarity, and formidable right-angled corners, with no obtrusive surface flaws evident on either side. Over the past several years, at least nine PSA 8s have fetched in excess of six figures, with Memory Lane realizing a staggering $118K for one particular example in September 2022 and another superb specimen fetching $114K in April 2023. History has surely proven that as the 1952 Topps Mantle card skyrockets in value, the remaining Mickey issues follow suit, especially his second-year '53 Topps card which proudly boasts unlimited investment potential!

MIN BID $25,000
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