Wayne Gretzky
Another 1952 Mickey Mantle to test market in Heritage Sports Card Auction
When an iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card set the all-time sports card record last month, hobby experts immediately predicted the sale would raise the value of all ’52 Mantles.
The rare ’52 Mantle, graded SGC 9.5, shattered the all-time record at $12.6 million at Heritage Auctions. Heritage’s Derek Grady predicted the landmark sale would raise the value of other ’52 Mantles.
“The 3s, the 2s, everything, the 5s. Every ’52 Mantle is now, high tides raise all ships, and that’s what’s happening across the hobby now with ’52 Mantles,” said Grady, vice president of sports auctions at Heritage.
Grady is about to see if his prediction is indeed spot-on as Heritage has another 1952 Mantle in its Sept. 29-30 Sports Card Catalog Auction.
The auction, which includes more than 1,300 cards, includes a 1952 Mantle graded PSA EX-MT 6.
Only 118 PSA 6 examples exist and typically sell between $100,000-$166,000, according to PSA. The card already has a bid of $145,000.
The same theory may also apply to a 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky Rookie No. 18 graded PSA Mint 9. Heritage set a record just two weeks ago with a PSA 10 Gretzky Topps rookie card selling for $1.2 million. Only 91 PSA 9 examples exist, selling for $132,000-$150,000, according to PSA. The card has a current bid of $77,500.
Other highlights in the September auction include:
• A 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady (Championship Ticket) Rookie No. 144 BGS NM-MT+ 8.5, Auto 10, numbered 95/100. Of the 81 examples submitted to Beckett for grading, only seven have graded higher, all earning a Mint 9 grade.
• A 1941 Play Ball Ted Williams No. 14 PSA Mint 9. More than 1,150 have been submitted to PSA, but none have graded higher than this PSA Mint 9.
• A 2003 Panini Mega Craques Cristiano Ronaldo Rookie No. 137 PSA Gem Mint 10. One of soccer’s most value rookie cards.
• A 1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig Rookie SGC Good+ 2.5.
Only 60 Gehrig rookies appear in the combined PSA and SGC populations.
• A 2015 Panini National Treasures Nikola Jokic (Rookie Autograph-Emerald) #152 PSA Mint 9, Auto 9, Numbered 1/5. The No. 1 card of just five National Treasures Emerald Jokic rookies sports a PSA 9 autograph from the back-to-back NBA MVP.
• A 1935 Muratti Cigarettes Jesse Owens Rookie No. 49 PSA NM-MT 8. A rare card from one of the most influential figures in sports history. This 1935 rookie is the only Owens card issued before his legendary performance in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
• A 1981 Michael Jordan NCAA Debut UNC vs. Kansas Ticket Stub, PSA VG 3. The higher grade of just two known examples from MJ's collegiate debut, a win over Kansas on Nov. 28, 1981.
Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD.
