Rare Mickey Mantle card sells for record $12.6 mln

Memorabilia from New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle is auctioned in
New York on December 8, 2003. REUTERS/Chip East CME/GAC

Aug 29 (Reuters) – A Mickey Mantle baseball card in mint situation offered for $12.6 million on Sunday, changing into probably the most worthwhile piece of sports activities memorabilia to be offered at an public sale.

The uncommon Mantle card, offered by Heritage Auctions, surpassed a document of $9.3 million set in Could for the shirt worn by Diego Maradona, when he scored the contentious ‘Hand of God’ objective on the 1986 World Cup.

“An eight-figure public sale end result within the sports activities market was the stuff of fantasy only a decade in the past,” Chris Ivy, director of sports activities auctions at Heritage, stated in an announcement.

“We at all times knew this card would shatter data and expectations. However that does not make it any much less of a thrill.”

The earlier document for a sports activities card was $7.25 million, set this month by a century-old ‘T206’ Honus Wagner card in a personal sale facilitated by collectibles market Goldin.

Mantle, the most effective switch-hitters in baseball historical past, performed his whole Main League Baseball profession with the New York Yankees from 1951-68 and was inducted into the Baseball Corridor of Fame in 1974.

The record-breaking card, which has develop into the primary sports activities merchandise auctioned for eight figures, is from his rookie season and was issued by the collectible firm Topps in 1952.

The cardboard was delivered to Heritage by Anthony Giordano, a waste administration entrepreneur from New Jersey, who purchased it for $50,000 in 1991.

Heritage stated the cardboard was graded a “Mint+ 9.5” out of 10 by Sportscard Warranty Company, which authenticates and grades buying and selling playing cards.

“It bears the best qualities any 1952 Topps can possess: good centering, registration and 4 sharp corners,” Ivy stated.

“That this Mantle rookie card remained on this situation for 70 years is a real miracle.”

Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Modifying by Clarence Fernandez

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