Despite ranking as one of the most valuable cards in the world, the famed Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps card is not actually that rare.
PSA has graded more than 2,000 examples of the card. However, just 20 signed examples appear in PSA’s census.
This Mantle signed 1952 Topps was in the same collection for decades and came to us raw a few weeks ago
— Heritage Auctions Sports (@Heritage_Sport) November 5, 2024
Now it’s one of just 20 Mantle autographed ‘52 Topps in the PSA population and it has a 10 auto from The Mick!
It will find a new home in our Winter Auction pic.twitter.com/gs8d2TpH5F
One of those cards, graded PSA Authentic/Auto 10, was graded for the first time in the past few weeks, after it was consigned to Heritage for an upcoming auction.
Though the popularity of signed vintage cards has risen in recent years, along with values, the notion one would allow a pen to besmirch a card was considered sacrilege for decades. Those who owned coveted cards such as the 1952 Topps Mantle were unlikely to have Mantle sign the card, despite his availability at conventions and autograph signings.
Mantle died in 1995, long before signed vintage cards began to gain steam.
The top price paid for a Mantle-signed 1952 Topps card was $288,000 for a PSA 2/Auto 10 example in January 2023.
Heritage has placed an estimate of $200,000 and up on the newly graded autographed Mantle card, a price which would represent a significant premium to recent comparable sales of unsigned examples graded PSA Authentic, which most recently sold for less than $40,000 this month.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.