The collectibles market remains strong in 2022 and the risk of armed conflict apparently isn’t deterring high-end card buyers. Trophy cards with high-end PSA/SGC grades and low graded populations keep showing incredibly strong auction results. Heritage Auctions just concluded a high-end auction loaded with scarce cards like this. While there were some great results in pre-War cards as well, the 1950’s high-grade examples of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron rookies was a total success. These realized prices stood out above and beyond their prior sales and most of them did handily better than the “guide value or estimate” that had been provided.
Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. It is now undeniable that the top cards are facing interest from collectors and from investors frequently both chasing the same exact assets. When prices are $100,000 and higher (or approaching or exceeding $1 million or higher, it is hard to argue that this capital could have otherwise been used to invest in stocks, bonds or real estate.
Another relic that sold was a game-used jersey of Mickey Mantle, and it was a unique item and then some for provenance.
So let’s take a look at these high-end rookie and other 1950s cards of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Images of each item included are from Heritage Auctions and conjecture or other external sales data have been provided if available inside or outside of Heritage’s own reporting. Prices represented below do include the standard 20% buyer’s premium.
MICKEY MANTLE HIGH-END
1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie #253 PSA NM-MT 8 sold for $432,000.00 on Feb, 26, 2022 versus a guide value/estimate of $400,000+. The entire graded PSA population of this 1951 Bowman Mantle is 2,442 cards, but only 1,846 of those graded do not include a “+” for a half-grade or a “Q” qualifier for MK, OC etc. In the PSA population reports there is only 1 perfect PSA 10, only 9 PSA 9 examples, and no 8.5 grades. The PSA 8 population is just 53 at the base grade and another 27 with the qualifier grades.
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Rookie #311 PSA NM-MT 8 sold for $1,560,000.00 after the buyer’s premium, versus a guide value/estimate of $1.5 million or higher. This same exact certification number sold for $885,000 just a year earlier on Feb. 27, 2021 also via Heritage. And the winning bidder, after 50 bids (and over 7,000 pageviews) is apparently already willing to sell as Heritage has the note “Make Offer to Owner $2,340,000 or more.” A different PSA certification example of a PSA 8 sold for $2,029,500.00 on Oct. 27, 2021 via Goldin Auctions and another PSA 8 with a different PSA certification number sold for $2,112,000.00 on June 11, 2021 via Memory Lane.
PSA 5.5 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 sold for $117,000 on Feb. 26, 2022 versus a $120,000+ guide value/estimate. This card has great edges and corners, but the centering is likely why the card did not beat estimates like many of the other examples. The last two PSA 5.5 sales in the PSA sales database were for $124,100.00 on Apr. 14, 2021 via PWCC (eBay) and for $168,798.00 on Apr. 3, 2021 via Love of the Game Auctions.
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 graded as SGC 5 sold for $204,000 on Feb. 26, 2022 versus a guide value/estimate of $80,000+. Whatever hurt the grade here is not visible in the primary image because the corners, edges and centering all present much better than a 5 on the surface. Heritage’s only notation about the grade versus appearance was “A particularly impressive example for the grade.” The last SGC 5 under the newer grading system at SGC that sold through Heritage Auctions was for $42,000.00 on Nov. 16, 2018.
1954 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle graded as a PSA 8 card sold for a sharp $210,000 versus a guide value/estimate of $60,000+. This bright yellow border card is incredibly difficult to find in high-grades because this card was a hot dog card, and the hot dogs in New York’s Yankee Stadium, Ebbets Field and Polo Grounds were the Stahl-Meyer brand. These cards had a waxy surface to prevent damage from making them too unpresentable from hot dog juices on the cards, and the rounded corners were made to prevent the cards from poking through the packaging which would have allowed the hit dogs to spoil much quicker. The total PSA population report has only 21 graded examples of this 1954 variation, and this PSA 8 was the highest of all population cards. Another interesting factoid about this card in particular is that the PSA certification number of 63212545 indicates that this is a very recently graded and encapsulated card.
1956 Topps Mickey Mantle #135 SGC 96 Mint 9 sold for $63,000.00 on Feb. 26, 2022 versus a guide value/estimate of $50,000+. While this is not Mantle’s most expensive card by any means, it was the first Topps Mantle post-Bowman merger and was the first Topps Mantle produced since the 1953 issuance. SGC has a total of 1,825 “gray back” and 265 “white back” examples in all grades. This is the older grading system used by SGC, but there are only of the gray backs with a SGC 9 grade and no examples that high in the white back variations.
Let’s not dare forget about that prized Mickey Mantle Jersey.
A 1968 Mickey Mantle’s Last New York Yankees Game Worn Jersey, MEARS A10–Signed and Photo Matched sold for $2,190,000.00 on Feb. 26, 2022 after 59 bids. The Heritage estimate had been listed at $1,000,000 on up, and Heritage noted in its release that this is the third time this exact same “elite relic” has come through the Heritage system. The first sale was for $486,000 in February 2017, but it was resold again for $850,000 in August 2020. According to Heritage on the rising price:
That rather substantial advancement in value was based upon nothing more than the steep incline the of elite sports collectibles market in general, with no further context added beyond the passage of time.
SAY HEY WILLIE MAYS!!!
An autographed 1952 Topps Willie Mays just sold for $45,600 with a guide value/estimate of $40,000+ listed. This specific signed mays is a unique card because it was the 2004 Topps Originals Signature Edition Buyback Willie Mays #261 SGC EX-MT 6, Auto 10 and designated on the card in ink as 1/1. This card was part of a new Topps program that acquired vintage trading cards, presented them to the players for signing, and then resealed and were sent off to hobby shops nationwide — “to inspire a Wonka-esque frenzy.” The card has a SGC 6 grade for card, and a 10 grade for the clarity of the autograph.
1952 Bowman Willie Mays #218 PSA Mint 9 sold for $444,000.00 on Feb. 26, 2022 versus a guide value/estimate of $200,000+. You need to look after the population data for the prior sales of this exact card down to the same PSA certification number. While this is not the rookie card it is listed as only 1 of 6 PSA 9 examples at the highest grades. PSA counts 1,352 base grades in all grades, and an additional 130 “+” grades and an additional 150 “Q” graded examples. Please note that this exact card with the same PSA certification number 21794569 sold for $51,600.00 on Apr. 6, 2019 via Memory Lane, Inc. and this same exact PSA certification number had sold even prior to that for $31,070.00 on Nov. 18, 2014 via Heritage Auctions.
A 1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie #305 SGC NM 7 sold for $27,600 on Feb. 26, 2022 versus a guide value/estimate of $30,000+.
HANK AARON ROOKIES, SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR…
1954 Topps Hank Aaron Rookie #128 SGC NM-MT+ 8.5 sold for $96,000.00 on Feb. 26, 2022 versus a guide value/estimate of $60,000+. According to the Heritage data on SGC’s grading scale, only 5 examples have a higher SGC grade than this card and this was also 1 of only 9 examples to earn the NM-MT+ 8.5 grade.
1954 Topps Hank Aaron Rookie #128 SGC NM-MT 8 sold for $42,331.20 on Feb. 26, 2022 versus a guide value/estimate of $40,000+. The centering on this card is pristine, but both of the edges are rough cuts when compared to the SGC 8.5 that sold for more than twice the amount.
