Mickey Mantle doesn't really have two rookie cards. While the 1952 Topps has taken on legendary status because of it being the first Topps-issued Mantle card and the fascinating old stories of hundreds of them likely being dumped in the ocean as unsold inventory, the 1951 Bowman is The Mick’s true rookie card. Both cards are expensive—and for good reason. Mantle remains ultra popular. There are way more people looking for vintage Mantle cards than sellers who have them. Finding unknown examples in high grade at this point is virtually impossible. This week, we've got the best of both worlds: a true 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card in a grade that’s high enough to present very well but low enough that speculators and investors aren't likely to outbid collectors. It features brilliant color, excellent registration, is well centered (sometimes a rarity on this card) and what we’d say is relatively minor corner wear. It displays far better than the technical grade. In short, we think it’ll sell at a reasonable level and make someone very happy! Mantle was so new to the majors and so young he was still wearing #6 rather than #7 when this image was created on canvas. He was a fresh-faced kid with a world of promise; a crazy good talent Yankee fans hoped would be a star but at this point no one could have foretold what a baseball hero he would become to a generation of fans. Bowman wasted no time putting another young phenom, Willie Mays, in this set, too. Together they form quite the duo. Of course, we could be wrong but recent history shows us that this #1 key to the set that gave us so many great cards is likely to increase in value. Perhaps it won’t happen quite as fast as it has with the near mint to mint early Mantle cards over the last couple of decades, but it’s really a can’t miss card. We have buyers waiting for your Mantle cards too—and they don’t have to be rookies. If you have quality vintage Mantle cards you’d like to turn into cash, please give us a call.
