This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/12/2024
Mickey Mantle made his major league debut in 1951, touted as "next in line" to lead the Yankees' dynasty into a new generation as Joe DiMaggio would play his final season. Gehrig following Ruth and DiMaggio following Gehrig were tough enough, but "The Mick" had to replace a legend that won 9 World Series championships in 10 appearances over a 13-year career. It didn't go well initially with Mick being returned to the minors. Still, Mantle joined his predecessors in immortality with 7 more World Series Championships. The featured pasteboard presents a young Mickey Mantle at the dawn of his great career, seemingly in a moment of thought almost as if he can peer into the greatness he will encounter. Four strong upper-end NM/MT corners project outward as if they have repelled the collectible from any unwarranted wear for the measure of its existence. The colors of blue and a pinstriped white project outward when set against the slate gray of the Yankee Stadium stands. The narrow cards from this series are often woefully off-center but this one only shows a mild shift toward the upper left, well within the tolerances of the impressive PSA 8 grade. The reverse is a completing ensemble with a stain-free appearance acting as a perfect backdrop to the biography of the young phenom.