This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/21/2023
The current high bid for the complete set, $1,150,000.00, is greater than the aggregate total of the bids on the single cards that comprise this set, $1,082,956.00 (this lot is currently losing)
Some collectors would have you believe that 1968 Topps cards are more likely to score PSA 10 GEM MINT grades than cards from other years in the time period, but they've obviously never tried to get a '68 Mantle at PSA's top grade. Over 13,000 examples have made their way to PSA headquarters and just 10 have emerged at the top of the mountain, and if you're a set-builder looking to make a move upward on the PSA Set Registry, it's unquestionably one of the best ways to get there. It also happens to be the last card that features "The Mick" as an active player. Of course, Mantle is included in the 1969 Topps set but he was officially retired by the time the card was released, having decided in spring training that his health wasn't up to the task of another season. And when your career is as long and accomplished as someone like Mickey Mantle, Topps is forced to forego the usual paragraph bio to adequately display the full body of work, in this case opting for a simple "Mickey holds a World Series mark of 18 homers", which aptly sums up his "Big Apple" heroics. Understandably, PSA is very discerning about granting PSA 10 grades, and even more judicious when it comes to a high-brow issue like Mickey Mantle, but this one probably wasn't a difficult decision as it comes in virtually flawless in every regard, right down to the stunning image of "The Commerce Comet" showing his left-handed batting stance. Whether it's to catapult a collection to the top of the ranks or an acquisition that gives a world-class collection that much more swagger, it's a museum-quality piece that will serve as the cornerstone of either.