“NFT is so crazy”: Mickey Mantle baseball card auctioned at colossal $12.6M, was found accidentally in the attic
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Mickey Mantle baseball card
Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for $12.6 million Sunday, blasting into the record books as the most ever paid for sports memorabilia in a market that has grown exponentially more lucrative in recent years. In 1952, Mickey Mantle earned his first career All-Star berth, when he hit .311 with 23 home runs and had 87 RBIs to go with a league-leading 111 walks and an OPS+ of 162 on a World Series champion Yankees squad.
The previous record of £7.1m was held by the shirt worn by footballer Diego Maradona when he scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup. Just last month, the heavyweight boxing belt reclaimed by Muhammad Ali during 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle” sold for nearly $6.2 million.
“This card is arguably the finest-condition example of the most iconic post-war card in the world,” Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports auctions, said in a statement regarding the Mickey Mantle card. “That grade, plus the fact it has documented provenance from the most storied find in hobby history, puts this card in a category of its own.”
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Mickey Mantle baseball cards breaks all the sports memorabilia records
It was said that the Mickey Mantle baseball card was sold because of its near-perfect condition and its legendary subject, the card was destined to be a top seller, said Chris Ivy, the director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions, which ran the bidding.
“There are only so much Netflix and ‘Tiger King’ people could watch (during the pandemic). So, you know, they were getting back into hobbies, and clearly sports collecting was a part of that,” said Ivy, who noted an uptick in calls among potential sellers.
“We’ve kind of started seeing some growth and some rise in the prices that led to some media coverage. And I think it all it all just kind of built upon itself,” he said. “I would say the beginning of the pandemic really added gasoline to that fire.”
Mickey Mantle was considered to be one of the best switch-hitters – a batter who regularly bats both right and left-handed in baseball history. The record-breaking card is from his rookie season and was issued by the collectible company Topps in 1952.
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Yagya Bhargava
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