The Five Most Expensive Mickey Mantle Baseball Cards Ever

There’s no question about it, Mickey Mantle was easily one of the most popular baseball players in the history of the game. He had an amazing level of skill that allowed him to outplay most of the other players that he ever went up against, but it wasn’t only his level of skill that endeared him to baseball fans. It was also his ability to face adversity that made him so popular. Throughout the overwhelming majority of his career, he set records right and left, all while suffering from a bone disease that would have sideline most other individuals. Instead, he chose to rise above it all and prove that even when facing difficult circumstances, it is indeed possible to achieve great things. Mantle played his entire career, from 1951 until 1968, for the New York Yankees. During that time, he played three positions- center field, right field and first base. Despite batting a painful and other mobility-limiting disease called osteomyelitis, his batting average was .298. He also had 2,145 hits, 536 home runs and 1,509 runs batted in. Mantle was an All-Star player 16 times during his career and was named the Most Valuable Player on three separate occasions. He was voted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1974. As a result, he remains one of the most popular individuals to ever play the game and baseball cards featuring him are highly sought-after. Below are five of the most expensive baseball cards featuring Mickey Mantle that have ever been sold.

5. 1952 Bowman #101 Mickey Mantle PSA 8 ($27,500)

When you consider the fact that you’re starting a top five list with a card that sells for more than $27,000, you know you’re onto something special. There’s no doubt that a lot of cards featuring Mickey Mantle are likely to sell for more money than your average baseball card. This particular example is certainly no exception. It may not make you a millionaire, but imagine being able to sell a single baseball card for enough to go pay for a brand new car in cash. That’s exactly how much this particular card is worth.

4. 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle PSA 8 ($148,000)

Here you have another 1951 card that’s worth a significant amount of money, at least according to most people. There are a few things that make this particular card worth more or less money, depending on the one that you actually have in your possession. In this particular case, you’re talking about a card that has received a score of 8 out of 10, meaning that it’s in quite good condition. What if you have one of these, but it’s not anywhere near this well preserved? There’s still a relatively decent chance that you can get some good money for it, although it won’t be at this level. Some other examples of the same card that have been in far worse condition have sold for somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,000. Find one that’s autographed by Mantle himself, and of course, it’s worth even more. In fact, there was an example of this same card that sold fairly recently for $800. It only received a PSA score of 6, but was autographed. It’s a good reminder not to judge your older cards too harshly, as they may be worth more money than you think.

3. 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle PSA 8 ($485,000)

Granted, this particular card may not bring you more than $1 million, but who wouldn’t take the opportunity to make more than $400,000 if they had the chance to do so? This is one of the top Mickey Mantle cards in circulation, especially when you’re able to find one that is a grade 8 out of 10 or higher. As a matter of fact, the value of this particular card is rapidly changing. It wasn’t that long ago that it was available for sale for approximately $400,000. As you can see, that price has now increased to $485,000.

2. 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie Card ($1.4 million)

When you consider the fact that one of these cards sold for more than $5 million, it really shouldn’t come as any surprise that there’s at least one more in the group that sells for more than $1 million. While this card definitely sells for significantly less than some, $1.4 million isn’t exactly anything to sneeze at, either. As a matter of fact, most people would be as happy as could be in order to find even a single baseball card that they could sell for that much money. One thing about it is true, it definitely makes you stop and think whether or not you have any of these old baseball cards lying around. If you do, you’re probably scrambling to go through them right about now. As far as the card itself is concerned, it was quite obvious that Mantle was going places in baseball even when he was a rookie. These days, the card is worth a great deal of money because it’s something that commemorates his abilities and talent at a time when he was still considered relatively new to the sport.

1. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 9 ($5.2 million)

You might recognize the name of the person who bought this card for $5.2 million. Actor and entrepreneur Rob Gough, who starred in the 2018 film “Billionaire Boys Club,” says that he had always dreamed of owning this very card. It’s interesting to note that this card might not have ever been discovered, had it not been for two brothers living in New Jersey who just happened to see a news broadcast about someone finding an old football card and selling it for a great deal of money. They vaguely remembered having old baseball cards as children, so they went to the attic in order to unearth them. As it turns out, they had not only this card, but four more that were also in high demand. The reason this particular card brought so much is because of the popularity of player Mickey Mantle and because the card itself is extremely rare. Finding one in any condition is almost impossible. Locating one that is in this kind of shape is something that most people think they can only dream of. For at least one person, that dream came true.