This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/11/2020
In 1954, Topps released a baseball card set without Mickey Mantle for the first time since his grand introduction in the 1952 high-number series. "The Commerce Comet" was snapped up by Bowman for the 1954 and 1955 seasons, and die-hard Topps card collectors that wanted the latest version of the Mick had to turn to regional issues like Dan Dee and Red Heart, or bite the bullet and dive into the Bowman series. But even collectors loyal to Topps had to admit that Bowman's 1954 issue of Mickey Mantle is amongst the best looking of all Mantle cards. Captured in a stunning upper body pose with that "aw shucks" Oklahoman charm brimming from one edge of the pasteboard to the other. The featured collectible is graded PSA 8.5, one of 7 to earn the NM/MT+ grade from PSA with only 11 graded a half-point higher. Once you get past the unusually bold blue and green surface colors, your eye cannot help but notice both the very accurate centering in all directions and the intense whiteness of the border. Each corner appears to meet the standards of a MINT card while the reverse is clean and devoid of intrusion, but like the front, just seems bolder from the slate gray canvas to the vivid red and black printing. A true gem offered in alluring and terrific strong NM/MT+ condition!