Mickey Mantle Game-Used 1962 All-Star Game Bat - PSA/DNA GU 9

Sold For:

$45,000

Year:

1962

Auction:

2017 Spring

Lot #:

2032

Category:

Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Mickey Mantle H&B signature-model ("B220") bat issued to Mickey Mantle for use in the second All-Star Game played in 1962 at Chicago's Wrigley Field. (From 1959 to 1962 two All-Star Games were played each summer, each at a different venue.) Graded GU 9 by PSA/DNA. The special block-letter stamping on the barrel reads "1962 ALL STAR GAME" and "CHICAGO", respectively, above and below Mante's stamped facsimile signature. The bat, which is not cracked, displays evidence of use, including several ball marks and stitch impressions on the right, left, and back barrel. It should be noted that although Mantle was on the 1962 American League roster for the second All-Star Game, he did not appear in the game. Therefore, the use displayed on this bat obviously occurred after the game. According to the LOA from PSA/DNA, the oral history that accompanied this bat confirms that fact. As related in the LOA, the original owner stated that he obtained the bat in Chicago after the All-Star Game had been played. The Yankees played a three-game series with White Sox in Chicago right after the All-Star Game, so it was probably during that series that the bat was used and subsequently obtained by the original owner. Mantle was practically a fixture on the American League All-Star team during his career, having been selected to the club in sixteen of his eighteen seasons. All-Star Game bats have long been highly prized by collectors both for their rarity (only two were issued to each player) and the fact that each can be dated to a very specific year. Those issued to players of Mantle's stature are all the more significant. Length: 35 inches. Weight: 30.8 ounces. LOA from John Taube of PSA/DNA. Reserve $10,000. Estimate $30,000++.