He hadn't played in 30 years but when Ty Cobb spoke, ballplayers tended to listen. In 1958, the man whose name was still atop the all-time hits list paid a visit to Yankee Stadium for Old Timer's Day. He struck up a conversation with two-time reigning MVP Mickey Mantle and the cameras began to click. While images of that historic chat session … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Young Mick and Teammates Celebrate Key Rookie Year Homer
He looks about 13. Truth is, Mickey Mantle was a pretty young guy during his first season with the Yankees but next to a couple of guys who had made their big league debuts in the midst of World War II, he seems more like a kid brother than a home run hitting teammate. The well-worn, but perhaps one of a kind original photo dating to the icon’s rookie season, was … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Mantle, Mays and Mark at Home Run Derby
“Home Run Derby” kicked off with a battle of the titans. Filmed at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles in December of 1959, the TV show paired sluggers against each other in competition for cold hard cash just before Christmas and the first episode, which aired several months later, pitted Mickey Mantle against Willie Mays. A newly discovered studio photograph taken … [Read more...]
Mantle Wire Service Photo Identical to 1952 Topps Image Sells for Record Price
An original photograph of Mickey Mantle featuring the iconic image which was utilized for his 1952 Topps baseball card has been sold privately through Hunt Auctions for a record-setting $375,000. It’s the most ever paid for a PSA/DNA authenticated Type I unsigned post-War baseball image. The photo is one of only three Type I examples known to exist. It had previously … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Yankees’ New Star Celebrates 1952 Title
It could be argued that the legend of Mickey Mantle was born on October 7, 1952. Locked in a tight World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the three-time defending champion New York Yankees needed a new hero they could count on to keep the dynasty rolling through the next decade. In the last half of Game 7, the soon-to-be 21-year-old Oklahoma native proved … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Mick’s 522nd Homer Passes Ted
Like the ball that landed in the hands of young Sal Durante after being crushed by Roger Maris to set a new single-season record, it was a Bronx teenager who landed one of Mickey Mantle's last home run milestones. Playing in what would be his last season, Mantle took Sam McDowell deep in the first inning of a May 6, 1968 game against Cleveland at Yankee … [Read more...]
1951 Mantle Contact Proof Photo Tops Huggins & Scott Auction
He would become synonymous with the number 7, but for the first three months of Mickey Mantle's career, he wore a different digit on the back of his Yankee uniform. A one-of-a-kind contact proof image of the teenage star and his earliest big league uniform from the files of noted photographer Bill Jacobellis has sold at auction for $20,912. The 4x5 image carrying … [Read more...]
Evers Autograph Collection; Mantle Rookie Photo in Huggins & Scott Sale
A collection of signed items from a long-time autograph collector and a rare rookie contact photo of Mickey Mantle—wearing number 6— highlight Huggins and Scott’s 2018 Spring Auction, which is set to run through May 10. The 186-page catalog features the collection of Charles Evers, a New York native who hunted autographs from the 1940s through the early … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Mickey Mantle Card Show Appearance, 1989
The sports collecting hobby went through seismic changes in the 1980s. From one major trading card manufacturer to three…then four…then five. Rookie cards became a thing. The National Sports Collectors Convention was born. And autographs became a major drawing card for shows. By the middle of the decade, big names from the past were showing up at autograph signings … [Read more...]
Mickey Mantle 1951 Spring Training Photo at Auction
"He's the greatest prospect I've seen in my time, and I go back quite a ways. I'll swear I expect to see that boy just take off and fly any time." —Bill Dickey on Mickey Mantle He was only 19 years old, still very much a country kid from Commerce, OK when he arrived at the New York Yankees’ 1951 spring training camp. Mickey Mantle was a great name for a ballplayer but … [Read more...]