More than 50 years after he played his last game, legendary New York Yankee Mickey Mantle is back on top — of the collectibles market.
On Sunday, a 1952 Topps Mantle rookie card sold for $12.6 million, setting a new record for sports collectibles as the most valuable sports card ever sold at auction.
“An eight-figure auction result in the sports market was the stuff of fantasy just a decade ago,” said Chris Ivy, Heritage Auctions’ Director of Sports Auctions. “We always knew this card would shatter records and expectations.”
- Sold by Heritage, the card was graded a Mint+ 9.5 by Sportscard Guaranty Corporation.
- Its price surpassed a T206 Honus Wagner card sold for $7.25 million earlier this month.
- The card also beat the $9.3 million sale of a jersey worn by soccer player Diego Maradona.
The prized Mantle card was brought to market by Anthony Giordano, who purchased the coveted collectible for $50,000 in 1991 — at the time a record for a sports trading card.
Lucrative Opportunity
Ken Goldin, founder of collectibles marketplace Goldin, told Front Office Sports in January that he expected to host at least $500 million in transactions on his platform this year, up from $330 million in 2021 and $100 million the year prior.
Meanwhile, eBay plans to take advantage of the booming market with its acquisition of TCGplayer — an online marketplace for sports cards — in a deal that could fetch up to $295 million.
