Highly Sought-after 1951 Mickey Mantle Rookie Card Certified by CSG Sells for Over $8,000

Recently, a 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle baseball card graded by Certified Sports Guaranty® (CSG®) sold for $8,272 in an eBay listing that ended in early January 2023. The iconic 1951 Bowman #253 is the only recognized rookie card from Mickey Mantle’s debut season with the New York Yankees.

1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle graded CSG 1.5 Click images to enlarge.

While Mantle’s 1952 Topps card is arguably the single-greatest in the hobby, and the most expensive, his rookie card is also treasured by collectors. The #253 Mickey Mantle was part of the stellar 1951 Bowman set, which contained cards of 30 Hall of Famers, and is one of the most popular and valuable baseball card sets ever created.

The 324-card set utilized black-and-white photographs of the players that were then recreated with full color. The 1951 Bowman design gives the series its distinctive and colorful player graphics framed in a simple white border. The Bowman set also features the player’s name in white over a black text box.

It was no surprise that a buyer spent thousands of dollars to add the 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle graded CSG 1.5 to their collection. The 1951 Bowman set often suffers from poor centering, and this particular Mantle card is no different. Higher-graded versions of the card can reach tens of thousands of dollars at auction. This card is among nine in the CSG Population Report, with the highest grade being a CSG 5.

Mickey Mantle was a small-town kid from Oklahoma who took “The Big Apple” by storm not long after joining the New York Yankees. He became a bonified star in just his second MLB season in 1952, earning his first All-Star nod and helping the Yanks win another World Series. The Yankees legend retired in 1969 as the greatest switch-hitter to ever play the game. Mantle won the Triple Crown in 1956, won American League MVP three times and won the World Series seven times in his iconic MLB career.

Related Links:

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