Rare Mickey Mantle Baseball Card Sells for Record $5.2 Million

Georgia Slater
·2 min read
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A Mickey Mantle baseball card has broken the record for the highest-selling sports card ever, PWCC Marketplace announced on Thursday.

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, which was rated a 9/10 by the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), sold for $5.2 million to actor and entrepreneur Rob Gough, ESPN reported.

The rare rookie card shattered the previous record of $3.94 million for a signed Mike Trout card that sold in August. According to ESPN, it is believed that there are only six of the same PSA 9 Mantle cards left in existence.

"I've dreamt of owning a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle since I was a kid collecting cards," Gough said, according to USA Today. "It's the Mona Lisa of sports cards."

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"I've been searching for this high graded example talking to industry experts, dealers, auction houses, friends and I'm ecstatic that I'm now the proud owner of this iconic card," Gough added.

The Mantle card was included in the final Topps series of 1952 and was one of the only cards to survive after thousands were dumped into the Hudson River in 1960 due to overproduction.

"Based on our research, this is the nicest looking 1952 Topps Mantle PSA 9 in existence," Jesse Craig, director of business development at PWCC Marketplace, said in a press release, according to New York Post.

In July, a limited-edition card featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci became Topps Now's all-time best-selling baseball card.

The sports trading card manufacturer announced that their sale of the collectible featuring Fauci, 80, throwing the MLB's opening pitch sold out at more than 51,000 cards, making it the best-selling card in the history of Topps Now, the company's collection of limited-edition cards.

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The card featuring Fauci — who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House Coronavirus Taskforce — shows the medical professional mid-pitch in a Nationals jersey, hat and a mask that commemorates the team's 2019 World Series Championship.

Fauci's card sold for $9.99 and the back described him as an "ardent Washington Nationals fan" and that his pitch "signaled the official start of the 2020 MLB season," according to USA Today.