A Novato, California business owner, Michael “Mike” Melville manages Bauers Intelligent Transportation and offers a full range of services, from group events to city tours. A fan of the New York Yankees, Mike Melville has a memorabilia collection that includes many pieces associated with Hall of Fame legend, Mickey Mantle.
Known as the “Holy Grail” of baseball cards, the famous 1952 Topps issue is not the rookie card of Mickey Mantle. That distinction goes to a 1951 Bowman issue that features a sliver of the number six on Mantle’s jersey back.
Mantle wore the number up until midyear 1951 when he was sent back to the minors by manager Casey Stengel. When he returned in August, Mantle wore a seven and retained the number for the rest of his career. One collectible aspect of the Bowman is that high number cards in the set were characterized by poor centering, print lines, and wax stains that make finding a mint condition example rare.
For most players, the true rookie card will be the most sought after, but this is not true for Mickey Mantle. This has to do with the 1952 Topps set being one of the most iconic post World War Two sets. In addition, lower than expected demand from collectors in 1952 meant that many returned cases of the issue were dropped by Topps from a barge into the Hudson River. The result is a scarce card that is valued above $10 million in pristine condition.
Known as the “Holy Grail” of baseball cards, the famous 1952 Topps issue is not the rookie card of Mickey Mantle. That distinction goes to a 1951 Bowman issue that features a sliver of the number six on Mantle’s jersey back.
Mantle wore the number up until midyear 1951 when he was sent back to the minors by manager Casey Stengel. When he returned in August, Mantle wore a seven and retained the number for the rest of his career. One collectible aspect of the Bowman is that high number cards in the set were characterized by poor centering, print lines, and wax stains that make finding a mint condition example rare.
For most players, the true rookie card will be the most sought after, but this is not true for Mickey Mantle. This has to do with the 1952 Topps set being one of the most iconic post World War Two sets. In addition, lower than expected demand from collectors in 1952 meant that many returned cases of the issue were dropped by Topps from a barge into the Hudson River. The result is a scarce card that is valued above $10 million in pristine condition.
