In August last year, Heritage Auctions made headlines when they broke the record for any sports cards ever sold at auction. A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle graded 9.5 by SGC sold for $12.6 million. The record-setting price did not only beat all other sports cards ever sold, but also all sports memorabilia items, including Diego Maradona’s 'Hand of God' jersey from 1986, and Michael Jordan’s 'Last Dance' jersey from 1998, both of which sold for approximately $10 million each.
See also: The Baseball Card Boom: A History of Trading Cards
Mickey Mantle’s 1958 New York Yankees Jersey
Besides the Maradona and Jordan jerseys, the third most expensive jersey (all sports included) ever sold at auction is Babe Ruth’s game-worn 1928-1930 New York Yankees jersey, which sold for $5.64 million in 2019. Heritage Auctions offered a jersey that perhaps could beat that amount.
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The jersey in question is the important game-worn Mickey Mantle jersey from 1958. The multiple photo-matched jersey showed Mantle wearing the jersey during interviews and on the field while playing for the New York Yankees. With an estimate of $5 million, the selling price ended at $4.6 million, making it the second most expensive baseball jersey ever sold.
Other Mickey Mantle items
Besides the 1958 jersey, the auction featured many impressive Mickey Mantle items, such as a 1966-1967 game-used bat and a 1964 game-worn jersey. Included were also high-quality sports cards: for example, a 1951 Bowman rookie card, graded PSA 8, went for $300,000. But the crown jewel was, of course, the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card with a SGC 9 grade. While the 9.5 sold for $12.6 million last year, this 9-graded card sold for $4.5 million. The total amount of all the Mickey Mantle items sold for more than $10 million.
