Mickey Mantle was known for having a bawdy sense of humor and not being afraid to write down his crudest thoughts on baseballs and other items he signed after his playing days. One notorious Yankee alumni questionnaire featuring some lewd content handwritten by the Hall of Famer sold for $242,789 as Lelands closed out its 2022 Fall Classic Auction.
The buyer’s name wasn’t revealed.
When asked by the Yankees to share in writing his favorite Yankee Stadium memory in advance of the stadium’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1973, Mantle sent a graphic story to team exec Bob Fishel.
“Mick’s response is indeed his, in his handwriting, but it was meant to shock the very straight-laced Bob Fishel on whom he was always playing practical jokes,” former Yankees PR man Marty Appel told the New York Post. “The item is authentic, but the intent was bawdy humor, not depiction of a real event. I called Mick when I received it and said, ‘We’re going with the Barney Schultz home run in 1964’ and he laughed and said ‘Of course.’ I held the letter for decades (never showed Bob Fishel), finally gave it to Barry Halper, and from there it slipped off to others over time.”
Among the other top selling items in the auction was a “Mean” Joe Greene Pittsburgh Steelers game-worn jersey from the team’s 1975 Super Bowl-winning season. The black and gold durene shirt garnered $60,043.
The auction also featured a 1957-58 Yankees game-used helmet tied to use by Mantle ($51,868), a Frank Robinson 1966 Orioles game-worn jersey from his MVP, Triple Crown and World Championship season ($50,400) and one of only five graded copies of the 1959 Yoo-Hoo Mantle card (a PSA 4 that sold for $49,398.
Additional highlights included a Phil Rizzuto 1955 World Series game-used, signed bat PSA 10 ($32,497), a Babe Ruth single-signed baseball ($32,497), a signed 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson ($30,168), and a 1930s Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig dual-signed baseball ($23,432).
Complete results can be found here.
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