Bidding for the only PSA 8.5 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card is approaching $100,000 as Memory Lane Inc’s Summer Auction heads into its final weekend.
Of the other 10 ’52 Mantles graded higher by PSA, seven are 9s with just three 10s.
The card was once graded “8” but recently bumped to an 8.5 after the owner submitted it for re-examination when PSA added the half-grades to its 10-point grading scale.
“In my opinion, this card stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the cards that have been graded 9,” said Memory Lane’s J.P. Cohen. “The eye appeal of this one is just very, very nice and the opportunity to finally put a card like this into the marketplace is really exciting.”
Of all of the 1952 Topps Mantle cards submitted for review following the implementation of half-grades, the example now up for auction was the only one to receive the half-point bump from NM-MT 8.
All ten of the PSA 9 and 10 Mantle cards reside in private collections, so the 8.5 auction is a rare opportunity for investors and serious collectors to acquire one of the hobby’s ‘holy grails’. In 2007, Memory Lane sold two of the 9s for $375,000 each.
SMR value of the 8.5 is $135,000 although it’s not hard to suggest the card will realize a significantly higher price when the auction closes Saturday night.
Memory Lane is also offering a PSA 8 1952 Topps unopened pack in the auction. Is there another 1952 Mantle residing inside? That’s part of the mystery. The dark-colored wax wrapper makes it impossible to know who is inside or even what series the pack is from. It’s believed that six cards are inside.
Remarkable as it may seem, collectors and investors will be bidding on a virtually pristine 58-year-old pack of baseball cards. You could consider it the ultimate lottery ticket. It is the highest known graded 1952 Topps wax pack.
