The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card has seen its value increase dramatically over decades.
Initially, in the 1950s and 1960s, it was worth just a few cents to dollars. Kids traded these cards freely and even attached them to bike spokes for the rattling sound, blissfully unaware of their future worth.
By the 1970s, as baseball card collecting began to organize, the card's value started to appreciate. One in good condition could fetch $25–$50, and by the early 1980s, prices climbed to $100–$150. By the mid-1980s, high-grade cards were offered for around $3,500, though actual sales were typically lower.
The 1990s saw continued growth in the hobby, with prices for high-grade cards increasing steadily, bolstered by the advent of grading companies like PSA, which began to standardize card conditions and attempt to enhance market trust. Specific auction data from this period is sparse, but some '52 Mantle's were selling for over $10,000.
The card's value surged in later years, with notable auctions including a PSA 9 selling for $282,587 in 2007, a PSA 8 for $112,800 in 2008, and a PSA 8.5 for $272,550 in 2013. More recently, a PSA 9 sold for $2.88 million in 2018, another for $5.2 million in 2021, and an SGC 9.5 card set a record at $12.6 million in 2022 (ESPN).
The card's value is highly dependent on its condition, with grades from PSA, SGC, and others significantly impacting price. High-grade cards (PSA 9, SGC 9.5) command millions, while lower grades (PSA 1) recently sold for around $25,000.
| Year | Grade | Price | Auction House/Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | PSA 9 | $282,587 | Memory Lane |
| 2008 | PSA 8 | $96,000 | Memory Lane |
| 2013 | PSA 8.5 | $272,550 | Robert Edward Auctions |
| 2018 | PSA 9 | $2,880,000 | Heritage Auctions |
| 2021 | PSA 9 | $5,200,000 | PWCC Marketplace |
| 2022 | SGC 9.5 | $12,600,000 | Heritage Auctions (ESPN) |
Record Sales
Rob Gough, an entrepreneur and actor, set a new record for the highest trading card purchase by acquiring a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card graded PSA Mint 9 for $5.2 million through PWCC Marketplace.
Gough, who returned to card collecting in 2020 after a childhood passion, described the Mantle card as "the Mona Lisa of sports cards" due to its iconic status. The card, one of only six PSA 9 examples known, had previously sold for $2.88 million in 2018.
In 2022 the most expensive 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle sold for a record-breaking $12.6 million through Heritage Auctions.
The Mantle card’s journey began in 1986 when dealer Alan "Mr. Mint" Rosen purchased it among 5,000 vintage Topps cards for over $125,000 from a Massachusetts man whose father had driven for Topps in the 1950s.
Rosen sold it in 1991 for $50,000 to Anthony Giordano, who held it for 31 years until his sons convinced him to have it graded and auctioned.
Dumping of Inventory
In the early 1950s, Topps reportedly dumped thousands of unsold 1952 high-number series cards, including Mickey Mantle's, into the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey due to poor sales and excess inventory.
This incident, orchestrated by Topps executive Sy Berger, drastically reduced the number of surviving cards, enhancing their scarcity over time.
FBI Investigation
In January 2019, a controversy erupted within the sports card collecting community when evidence emerged that PSA, a leading grading company, had authenticated a trimmed 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card as a PSA 8 (Near Mint-Mint).
The scandal began when a user on the Blowout Cards Forums purchased this card from PWCC Marketplace for $112,800 in 2018, believing it to be a legitimate high-grade example. However, discrepancies in the card’s dimensions were noticed—it measured smaller than the standard 2.625" x 3.75" for 1952 Topps cards, suggesting it had been intentionally trimmed to improve its appearance and grade.
The forum thread detailed how the card’s slab (PSA holder) matched a flip from a known trimmed card population, raising suspicions of foul play. This revelation led to broader scrutiny of PSA’s grading practices, with collectors uncovering a network of altered cards, some linked to specific submitters.
Federal authorities launched an investigation and issued several subpoenas at The National Sports Collectors Convention in 2019.
The scandal implicated PWCC, as they had auctioned many of the altered cards, and sparked outrage over PSA’s failure to detect the trimming, damaging trust in the grading industry.
The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, already a high-profile collectible, became the flashpoint for exposing systemic issues with card authentication, leading to calls for accountability and reform in the hobby throughout 2019.
PWCC's Brent Huigens
Counterfeiting and Authentication Challenges
The card’s immense value has made it a prime target for counterfeiters.
In 2024, PSA reported grading 80 genuine 1952 Topps Mantle cards but received more fakes than real ones, ranking it as the fifth most counterfeited card submitted that year.
Even authentic versions can spark controversy. A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card graded SGC 6.5, sold for $192,000 in October 2024 at Fanatics Collect, bore a label claiming it was "once owned by Mantle." Allegedly displayed at Mickey Mantle’s Restaurant & Sports Bar in New York from 1988 until his death in 1995, it was gifted to Larry Meli, who submitted it for grading in 2020 with an affidavit.
However, skepticism persists within the collecting community about cards like the Meli one, as there is no definitive proof that ties the card to Mantle beyond anecdotal evidence.
Grading Discrepancies and Market Manipulation
The card’s value heavily depends on condition, with PSA 10 examples estimated at $10 million+ and even PSA 1 cards fetching $25,000–$35,000.
Yet, controversies arise from perceived inconsistencies in grading. For instance, the 2022 $12.6 million SGC 9.5 sale contrasted with a PSA 9 selling for $5.2 million in 2021, sparking debates over grading standards between PSA and SGC. Additionally, the 2019 scandal revealed cases where trimmed cards were resubmitted for higher grades, hinting at potential market manipulation by insiders.
Collectors have long speculated about "grade inflation" or favoritism in the grading process, especially for high-stakes cards like the Mantle, though no definitive proof has surfaced beyond the 2019 incidents.
The Future
The history of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card illustrates the evolution of the sports card market from a niche kids hobby to a multimillion-dollar industry.
Its value has grown from modest beginnings to record-breaking sales, driven by condition, rarity and cultural significance. It is and will continue to be one of the most important baseball cards of all time.
