Arguably the finest signed Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps card in existence is set to sell in a single-lot auction at Goldin Auctions this month.
Graded a PSA 3/Auto 10, Goldin’s copy is signed in ballpoint pen and is one of only 20 such examples graded by PSA (compared to more than 2,000 unsigned graded by PSA).
As the popularity of signed vintage cards has grown in recent years, punctuated by a record $588,000 sale for a signed 1988 Leaf Jackie Robinson rookie card in August 2023, the demand for high-quality signatures on iconic cards has increased.
In the case of the Mantle 1952 Topps card, the top price paid for a signed example came for the same card back in April 2023 when it sold for $422,400 at Love of the Game Auctions.
Most recently, a PSA 1/Auto 8 sold for $264,000 in August 2024.
With many of the signed Mantle cards featuring a less-desirable Sharpie signature, as opposed to ballpoint pen, the Goldin copy is set to fetch a massive premium, with bidding already reaching $396,500 (including buyer’s premium) and two weeks remaining.
It’s already a record for a signed Mantle, and, when compared to an unsigned PSA 3 (last sale: $51,600), provides a salient example for the value of signed vintage cards.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.