This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/2/2022
With his 1951 Bowman rookie card and 1952 Topps high-number card completely out of reach to most collectors in any grade, the next best choice for future growth is the 1952 Bowman card that features Mickey Mantle. Mantle's 1951 rookie season didn't go as majestically as Yankees fans would have liked, but he did show signs of the superstardom that was about to come. In 1952, when this Bowman card was released, "The Commerce Comet" upped his home run total to 23 but also claimed a .311 batting average. The featured card projects the up-and-coming superstar at the dawn of his great career, seemingly staring and pondering the magnitude of the impact he would have on the sport and the baseball card hobby. Four strong upper-end NM/MT is paired with a smooth, blemish-free obverse with an extraordinary layer of original gloss that has protected the surface. 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.