Fall 2015 - Item detail
1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle SGC EX+ 70
- Sold For:
- $48,000
- Year:
- 1952
- Auction:
- 2015 Fall
- Lot #:
- 398
- Category:
- Postwar Baseball - 1950s Cards
Graded EX+ 70 by SGC. Absolutely stunning, extraordinarily crisp, flawlessly clean, ultra high-grade example of 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle. This card is a BLAZER! This is a magnificent pack-fresh example with brilliant colors. The deep blue background, which is so prone to wear, is exceptionally strong. The corners are extremely strong displaying only tiny touches of wear to the tips visible under close inspection (slightly more in the bottom left). Centered almost perfectly all around, which is virtually unheard of for 1952 Topps Mantles as they are often found off center side to side or with a severe tilt to the image. The reverse is entirely clean and boldly printed with crisp red and black colors.
The 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle has long been universally recognized as one of most iconic "blue chips" of all vintage baseball cards, and even at a glance of the marketplace it is easily seen that over the years it has consistently risen in value in all grades. This long-standing trend has been especially evident during the past several years. Recent REA auction results include a PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 example which sold for a record $272,550 in REA's May 2013 auction and an SGC EX/NM 80 which sold for a record $54,000 in REA's April 2015 auction. (In July 2015, PSA NM-MT 8 examples sold at two other public auctions, realizing $400,950 and $382,400, respectively, besting the prior record of $268,664 realized in December 2014, right on the heels of a then-record July 2014 sale for $179,250.) Collectors would normally not think it was possible to purchase a 1952 Topps Mantle of this quality without spending far more than what this card lists for in this grade. Of course, every card is different and the market for 1952 Topps #311 Mantles in general, as noted, appears be on an upward swing. This 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle presents a particularly rare collecting opportunity as it is such a strong and attractive example, especially for the grade. One of card collecting's greatest classics, Mantle's Topps rookie card is the key to the 1952 Topps set, one of the most famous of all cards, and the single most popular and valuable postwar baseball card. This is a spectacularly bright, fresh, clean, world-class example of Mickey Mantle's most celebrated card, in an extremely desirable grade. Reserve $10,000. Estimate $20,000++.
The 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle has long been universally recognized as one of most iconic "blue chips" of all vintage baseball cards, and even at a glance of the marketplace it is easily seen that over the years it has consistently risen in value in all grades. This long-standing trend has been especially evident during the past several years. Recent REA auction results include a PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 example which sold for a record $272,550 in REA's May 2013 auction and an SGC EX/NM 80 which sold for a record $54,000 in REA's April 2015 auction. (In July 2015, PSA NM-MT 8 examples sold at two other public auctions, realizing $400,950 and $382,400, respectively, besting the prior record of $268,664 realized in December 2014, right on the heels of a then-record July 2014 sale for $179,250.) Collectors would normally not think it was possible to purchase a 1952 Topps Mantle of this quality without spending far more than what this card lists for in this grade. Of course, every card is different and the market for 1952 Topps #311 Mantles in general, as noted, appears be on an upward swing. This 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle presents a particularly rare collecting opportunity as it is such a strong and attractive example, especially for the grade. One of card collecting's greatest classics, Mantle's Topps rookie card is the key to the 1952 Topps set, one of the most famous of all cards, and the single most popular and valuable postwar baseball card. This is a spectacularly bright, fresh, clean, world-class example of Mickey Mantle's most celebrated card, in an extremely desirable grade. Reserve $10,000. Estimate $20,000++.