Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and The Duke ruled 1950s baseball, cards

You’ve seen countless tributes to Willie Mays since his passing on June 18. Yet there’s so much more to say about The Say Hey Kid. 

One particularly enticing aspect of his career involves the stretch of time—the 1950s—when he was central to an argument that kept fans of the day engaged: Which New York center fielder reigned supreme? Was it Mays? Mickey Mantle? Or Duke Snider?

Amazingly, the three superstars accounted for eight of the 10 World Series championships in the 1950s. Mantle led his Yankees to five titles, winning championships in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956 and 1958. Snider and his Brooklyn Dodgers won World Series titles in 1955 and 1959. And Mays’ New York Giants won in 1954.

Also See: 1933 Lou Gehrig pendant, historic baseball artifacts highlight MLB All-Star Live Auction 

That leaves 1950 and 1957. The 1950 season saw the Yankees win it all—but it was a year before Mantle arrived. The 1957 campaign saw Hank Aaron and his Milwaukee Braves fight to a championship, topping (who else?) the Yankees.

Individually, Mickey, Willie and The Duke terrorized opposing pitchers throughout the 1950s.

• Snider hit 326 homers—including five straight seasons of 40 or more—in the ’50s. He also had six seasons of 100-plus RBI in that span.

• Mantle hit 280 homers in the ’50s, including a high of 52 in 1956, when he won the Triple Crown by also batting .353 and driving in 130 runs.

• Mays missed one full season and two-thirds of another because of military service, but he still hit 250 home runs to go with 179 stolen bases in the ’50s.

Not surprisingly, our June Top 10 chart of eBay auctions (see below) includes a Mays classic card, while our “On the Outside Looking In” chart features a memorable Mantle card. In both cases, a PSA 9 grade helped propel bidding.

The Mays entry is a 1956 Topps, on which we get a close-up head shot along with an action photo of Willie sliding into home. It sold for $33,100. The 1956 season was an important one for Mays: It was the first of two straight 30/30 seasons—a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 1922. In 1956, Mays blasted 36 homers and swiped 40 bags; he followed up with a 35/38 season in 1957.

The Mantle entry on our chart is a 1964 Topps. This one gives us a hero pose of The Magnificent Yankee batting right-handed. By then, Mantle was feeling the effects of career-long knee and leg injuries, but he still hit .303 with 35 homers and 111 RBI in ’64.

Also See: Billy Martin Jr. remembers his colorful dad, the player and Yankees manager

To round things out, we’ll report on a PSA 7-grade 1955 Duke Snider card that drew 41 bids and fetched $1,551 on eBay in early June. Three months earlier, a PSA 8 example of the Topps card sold for nearly four times that price: $5,400. Typically, The Duke is a steal compared to Willie and Mickey, making him a favorite target among Dodgers collectors.

Speaking of bargains, here’s an item that celebrates our trio of New York center fielders: a Perez-Steele postcard signed by Willie, Mickey and The Duke. Just after Mays died, a seller listed a clean example of the postcard. It carried PSA/DNA authentication and a 10 grade for the autographs. The card’s reverse side is dated 1993 and stamped #3,104 in a production run of 5,000. After 57 bids, the auction ended at $1,536. 

1. $68,000 on 82 bids: 2009-10 Topps Chrome Stephen Curry Refractor, #136/500 (PSA 10)

2. $46,100 on 146 bids: 2018 Topps Definitive Shohei Ohtani Red, #1/1, auto (PSA 10)

3. $42,801 on 43 bids: 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Kobe Bryant, #34/75, auto patch (PSA 7)

4. $41,100 on 55 bids: 1976 Topps Walter Payton (PSA 10)

5. $35,101 on 90 bids: 1997-98 Fleer Ultra Stars Michael Jordan Gold (BGS 9.5)

6. $33,100 on 75 bids: 1956 Topps Willie Mays (PSA 9)

7. $27,032 on 29 bids: 1997 Skybox E-X2000 Ken Griffey Jr. Essential Credentials, #31/99 (PSA 10)

8. $26,187 on 68 bids: 2004 Donruss Timeless Treasures Babe Ruth HOF Materials, #1/1, auto patch (PSA 9)

9. $26,100 on 50 bids: 2023-24 Panini Crown Royale Kaboom! Stephen Curry Gold, #4/10 (PSA 8)

10. $25,800 on 48 bids: 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan (BGS 8)

Here’s a look at our full “next 10” list:

• $25,520 on 55 bids: 2018-19 Panini National Treasures Luka Doncic, #1/1, auto (BGS 9, auto 10)

• $25,100 on 36 bids: Emmitt Smith signed game-used football, rushing TD No. 7 (1990, authenticated by Prova Group)

• $25,100 on 68 bids: 2015-16 Panini Ultimate Collection Connor McDavid Autographed Debut Threads, #3/10, auto patch (PSA 10)

• $24,988 on 46 bids: 2021-22 Panini Prizm Chet Holmgren Gold Refractor, #4/10 (PSA 10)

• $23,655 on 62 bids: 1964 Topps Mickey Mantle (PSA 9)

• $22,000 on 1 bid: 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan (PSA 6)

• $20,600 on 14 bids: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (ungraded; lower-left-corner damage)

• $20,138 on 43 bids: 2015 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Connor McDavid Autographed Rookie Patch, #39/97, auto patch (ungraded)

• $20,100 on 74 bids: 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan (PSA 9)

• $20,999 on 1 bid: 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan (PSA 6)