This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/27/2023
Produced during Mickey Mantle's third year in the big leagues, 1953 Topps has long been considered one of the most artistic and popular issues among collectors. Its pioneering design features large portrait illustrations of players against colorful backgrounds incorporating light and shadows in a delicate manner, making it very aesthetically-pleasing and instantly recognizable. Topps commissioned Gerry Dvorak to paint dozens of player portraits for the '53 checklist and his original artwork is now renowned throughout the hobby and pop culture. To this day, however, it remains a mystery which artist painted the original portrait for The Mick's #82 card.
Offered here is an exceptional PSA NM-MT 8 example with outstanding centering, clean surface and borders, sharp corners, strong colors and pinpoint image clarity. It lands within the top 2% of all '53 Mantles ever graded by PSA or SGC. Only 17 (one qualifier) out of 5,220 have ever been graded higher in the PSA pop report. An absolute stunner that would upgrade any serious '53 Topps set.