A decades-old, mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card could break a record at auction, and it will be on display in Atlantic City from Wednesday through Sunday.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A decades-old, mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card could break a record at auction. The collector’s item from 1952 features one of baseball’s most celebrated and charismatic legends, and is widely regarded as one of just a handful in near-perfect condition.
No matter the final price for the rare Mantle rookie card, it will be a hefty profit for the current owner, a New Jersey waste management entrepreneur who bought it for $50,000 at a New York City show in 1991. “I figured the pitcher already felt bad enough without me showing him up rounding the bases,” Mantle once said.“The quality of the card is the key,” said Derek Grady, the executive vice president of sports auctions for Heritage Auctions, which is running the bidding. “Four sharp corners, the gloss and the color jumps off the card.”