$12.6 Million 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Shatters Sports Card Record

Sometimes pre-auction estimates can be aggressive and miss the actual mark. But even with a $10 million estimate on a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, Heritage Auctions came in well under the actual price. The card, graded a Mint+ 9.5 by SGC, sold for $12.6 million when bidding finally came to a close in the early hours of Sunday, August 28.

The last time this particular copy sold? $50,000 back in 1991.

The sale just didn’t beat the record price for a) a baseball card, b) a sports card and c) any piece of sports memorabilia, it shattered them.

The previous sports card high was set earlier in August when Goldin closed a $7.25 million private sale for a T206 Honus Wagner. The record for any piece of sports memorabilia was $9.3 million for a jersey Diego Maradona wore at the 1986 World Cup to score his iconic “Hand of God” goal. It sold this past May through Sotheby’s.

The Makings of the Most Valuable Baseball Card

It’s not just the condition that’s a part of this particular 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle’s history. The card was part of one of the hobby’s most significant finds.

Al Rosen, better known as Mr. Mint and one of the biggest personalities the industry has ever seen, bought it originally in 1985. He was contacted by someone who claimed to have a case of the 1952 Topps Baseball High Numbers that Mantle is a part of. They had been sitting in a basement for more than three decades. Rosen claims there were 75 top-condition Mantles.

This copy is considered to be the best of “The Rosen Find.” It was sold for $1,000 not long after.

Rosen ended up buying the card back in 1991, this time for $40,000. But it was a quick flip with Mr. Mint cashing in a short time later, this time selling the Mantle for $50,000. At the time it was the second most ever paid for a baseball card. Only a $75,000 T206 Honus Wagner was ahead of it.

After changing hands multiple times in 1991, the card went to a more permanent home. This particular copy of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle hadn’t come up for sale since.

Now, its story continues. The card will forever be known as the first baseball card to sell publicly for over $10 million.