(New York) A decades-old Mickey Mantle baseball card could break records when it comes up for auction.
Posted at 10:36 a.m.
The 1952 collector’s item features one of baseball’s most famous and charismatic legends, and is widely considered one of the few in mint condition.
It is estimated that the card could top $10 million when the two-day auction begins on August 27. The record is 6.6 million for a 1909 Honus Wagner card, which sold at auction a year ago, months after another 70-year-old Mantle card fetched 5.2 million.
Interest was already very high on Monday when the online auction started, which was already bidding up to at least 4.2 million.
Whatever the final price of this rare Mantle Rookie of the Year card, it will be a big profit for the current owner, a New Jersey waste management contractor who bought it for $50,000 at a trade show. in New York in 1991.
PHOTO ARCHIVES PRESS
Mickey Mantle, in May 1955
“Every time he showed up at home plate, the crowd would go crazy, the screams would be heard. And he never let you down… He had that aura around him, card owner Anthony Giordano said of Mantle, who spent his entire career with the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968. That you be from the New York area or not, or a Yankees fan, it was always Mickey Mantle who was in evidence. »
An ambidextrous hitter, “the Mick” won the Triple Crown in 1956, was named the American League MVP three times and a seven-time World Series champion. The Hall of Famer, who died in 1995, always had a humble attitude on the court. When he hit a home run, he would often run around the bases with his head down.
“I felt the pitcher felt bad enough without me showing it running around the base,” Mantle previously explained.
As for the baseball card, its rarity lives up to the mythical reputation of its subject.
PHOTO LM OTERO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vice President of Sports Auctions for Heritage Auctions, Derek Grady
“The quality of the card is key,” said Derek Grady, vice president of sports auctions for Heritage Auctions, which runs the auction. Four sharp angles, the shine and the color are obvious. »
Grady added that the collectibles market is experiencing a renaissance, noting that cards that are “the creme de la creme, the best of the best, are still selling despite the current economy” and that Mantle, “the king” of baseball cards, “has always done well.” »
Giordano, 75, said it was time to give the Mantle card a new home.
“It’s the right thing to do,” he said. My boys and I have had the cards for over 30 years and have enjoyed it. We enjoyed showing it to everyone close to me — friends and relatives — and I think it’s time for someone else. »
Prior to the start of the auction, the card will be on display in Atlantic City Wednesday through Sunday during the National Sports Collectors Convention and at the New York office of Heritage Auctions the following week.
