A 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card graded PSA 9 sold for $3,192,000 , setting a new record price for the first trading card ever issued of the Mickey Mantle. The card was offered as part of a great selection of Mantle PSA graded cards and more in the Memory Lane’s Fall Rarities Auction which ended on December 3, 2022. In all, the auction generated over $10.1 million in sales.
The price achieved in Memory Lane’s Fall Rarities PREMIUM Auction more than quadrupled the old record of $750,000 set with the last sale of a MINT PSA graded Mantle in April of 2018.
The card was the highlight of a stunning group of 15 vintage Mantle cards consigned by an east coast collector who had spent the last ten years accumulating some of the highest quality examples he could find. The collection included 14 PSA 9s and a 1953 Topps card that rated 8.5.
A 1969 Topps PSA 9 Mantle “white letters” variation also generated tremendous interest from bidders who pushed the final price to a remarkable $933,484. The card is one of only three 9s, with one 10 on PSA’s Population Report. The last PSA 9 offered publicly sold in 2009 for $13,000.
Other Mantle cards from the collection included:
- 1955 Bowman PSA 9 $342,000
- 1953 Bowman PSA 9 4294,000
- 1954 Bowman PSA 9 $294,000
- 1952 Bowman PSA 9 $246,000
- 1953 Topps PSA 8.5 $228,608
- 1957 Topps PSA 9 $172,736
The auction also included a collection of 41 1933 Goudey Hall of Famers, 40 of which graded PSA 8. The group included all four Babe Ruth cards, which sold for a combined $1,854,608. One of the 14 PSA 8 copies of the #53 Ruth card led the way at $822,000 while the #149 netted $462,000.
One of nine PSA 9 copies of the rare 1933 Goudy Nap Lajoie was offered in the auction and bidders chased it to a realized price of $300,608.
A collection of 1934 Goudey cards was led by a #61 Lou Gehrig graded 8.5 that sold for $204,608 and a PSA 9 Hank Greenberg rookie netted $184,736.
Other ’34 Goudey sales included:
Jimmy Foxx PSA 8 – $36,128
Paul Waner PSA 9 – $33,373
Carl Hubbell PSA 9 – $44,405
Lefty Grove PSA 9 – $30,463
The number 1 ranked 1933 DeLong set with an 8.973 GPA was offered in an alternative selling format with bids determining whether it would be sold as a complete 24-card set or broken up into individual lots. In the end, the total value of the single card bids won out at $282,440, led by a PSA 8 Lou Gehrig that sold for $135,484.
For complete auction results visit https://memorylaneinc.com/. Memory Lane’s Winter Rarities Auction is live for bidding and closes Saturday, January 7, 2023.
