It’s been over nine months since the $2.88 million sale of a PSA 9 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle generated national headlines. While some had pegged the card as a potential $3 million-plus piece, the price did seem to have a positive 
impact on the market for high-end Mantle market.
After a drop in auction prices early in 2018, the last two sales of NM/MT PSA 8 examples showed a bit of a rebound. Now, we’re about to see where it stands in the first part of 2019.
Heritage Auctions has taken the consignment of a PSA 8 ’52 Mantle for the newly launched Platinum Night Auction and if early bidding is any indication, last year’s prices may seem like a bargain. In the first few days of bidding, the well-centered example has shot up to $340,000 ($408,000 with the 20 percent buyer’s premium factored in). The auction still has more than three weeks to run.
The card is one of just 35 rated 8 by PSA (14 higher).
The last two PSA 8 ’52 Mantles also sold through Heritage. One netted $420,000 in August of last year; a second one reached $430,200 in November.
NM/MT copies of Mantle’s first Topps cards sold for as much as $660,000 before the market dialed back in mid-2017. Unless buyers attempted to flip in a narrow time frame, the card has been a terrific investment. As recently as 2012, the going rate for one at auction was generally $70,000-$80,000.
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