CGC x JSA Authenticate and Grade Iconic 1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr. Autograph Card

More and more collectors are entrusting their most prized cards to CGC Cards and JSA's newly combined autograph authentication and card grading services. Recently, one of the most iconic modern cards in the hobby passed through the grading room, which features two of the greatest center fielders in MLB history: Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr. The card is a 1994 Upper Deck Autographs Mickey Mantle / Ken Griffey Jr. that received a grade of CGC 9, with autographs graded CGC 9, as well.

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The front of the card shows a vibrant artistic rendering of side-by-side portraits of Mantle and Griffey, Mantle in his white pinstripe Yankees jersey and Griffey in his white Mariners jersey, with a blue and green watercolor-style background. The two Hall of Famers signed their names in bold black ink below at the bottom of the card over each of their respective jerseys.

Meanwhile, the back of the card is divided into two columns that each contain a short bio about the two players. Below their bios is a short statistical chart that compares Mantle and Griffey's first five seasons in the big leagues, showing how impressive both of their pro careers were from early on.

Today, finding autographs in packs of sports cards is commonplace, but in the early 1990s, it had just started to catch on. Upper Deck had just begun to insert hand-signed cards into packs, and the 1994 flagship baseball set featured one of the most iconic and valuable cards of the decade.

There are technically three versions of the same unnumbered card, each containing the exact same front and back. The only difference was in the signatures: 1,000 signed by Mantle, 1,000 signed by Griffey and 1,000 signed by both Mantle and Griffey, for a total of only 3,000 cards ever released.

Less than a year later, in August 1995, Mantle passed away at the age of 63 years old, making his signature even rarer. Although Mantle couldn't lend his autograph to any more of these highly sought-after cards, Griffey has continued to sign some of the Mantle-only versions of the card, increasing the number of dual-signed cards to more than 1,000. While an exact number is not known now as to how many of these Upper Deck cards include both of the iconic center fielders' signatures, each version is highly sought-after and can easily top five figures if in mint condition.