The most valuable Topps baseball card, a high-number 1952 Mickey Mantle, will be among the hobby treasures offered for sale at a Saturday, May 30, auction at the Gateway Gallery Auction, 643 Kriner Road, Chambersburg, Pa. The rest of the 1952 Topps set will be sold as well, along with 348 other lots of sports cards and baseball memorabilia.
The iconic Topps rookie card of Mantle, traditionally regarded as baseball's most popular post-war player, is the one that serious collectors crave most of all. It is from Topps' first major set, and Mantle was the star of the New York Yankees at the time, baseball's most celebrated team. Demand is strong for Mantle's first Topps card, particularly ones graded by sports card professionals. In the past five years, similar Mantle cards have sold at auction for between $10,000 and $20,000.
The card being auctioned is graded a 6 out of 10 by PSA Sports Authenticator, the hobby's top evaluator of sports cards. The Mantle grade 6 card is considered to be in excellent to near-mint condition. Just 11 Mantle Topps rookies have ever been graded at 8.5 or higher by the company, and most are graded below a 6.
In addition to the 1952 Topps set, Gateway will auction cards featuring many of the game's legends, including the late Nellie Fox, a native of St. Thomas and a former Chambersburg resident. Fox's rookie card will be sold, along with other rare Fox cards. Rookie cards of Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Al Kaline, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, Carl Yaztrzemski and Cal Ripken Jr. will be sold, either by themselves or as part of sets and partial sets. Partial Bowman Gum Company sets will include those from 1952-54 and partial Topps sets from 1953-55. Some of the sets are missing just a few cards.
The sale will begin at 10 a.m. and include single cards of baseball legends, sets, partial sets, autographed cards and baseballs, and thousands of collectible cards primarily from the 1950s and 1960s. The items are from a private collection, with another sale planned for later in the year. More recent cards will be available too, including about 75 uncataloged lots. Items will be available at every price range. Bidding will occur live in-person and online via Proxibid.
For a complete listing, call 717-263-6512 or 800-315-3265 or visit www.GatewayAuction.com.