Current market trends for this card have exhibited really strong premiums for well centered cards and even more for those with great clarity of the image and strong registration. While the technical grade might suggest a lesser card, the overall presentation of this card, due in part to fantastic centering, a clear, crisp image, vivid colors and magnificent registration, will warrant a strong premium and this will certainly satisfy even the most discerning collector. You could spend six figures on another example and still not get a card that will have this much eye appeal.
In solid EX/MT condition, the Mantle card is consistently selling in excess of $100,000.00 and in Near Mint, the next highest grade, an example recently sold in Heritage Auctions (November, 2015) for over $250,000.00.
Mickey, bat resting on his shoulder, gazes to the heavens in front of the deep, baby blue background – the colors as bold and vivid as any example we've seen. Nearly flawless registration and image focus yields to the strong, white borders. Centering nearly 50/50 top to bottom and about 45/55 left to right the borders highlight the framing of the incredible obverse. The reverse is equally as impressive sans the small section of paper loss impacting the first "P" in "TOPPS BASEBALL" at the bottom of the reverse of the card. Significant to the technical grade of the card, this flaw, smaller than an eraser head, has no impact of the frontal appearance and affords the savvy collector an incredible value.
Mickey Mantle is a baseball icon and may be the most popular and well known baseball player after Babe Ruth. Mickey's popularity spans across generations and even collectors that NEVER saw him play have the desire and want to add his cards to their collections. Mantle's popularity is so enormous that it transcends sports and is a name that many outside of the sports and hobby world recognize immediately.