The husky, blond, switch-hitting 19-year-old with blacksmith arms, sprinter speed and an unassuming, home-spun charm arrived in 1951 as their heir apparent to center fielder Joe DiMaggio, a New York idol who was playing his final season. In the Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig-DiMaggio tradition that had helped the Yankees achieve baseball superiority for three decades, Mantle, 200 pounds of unprecedented power from both sides of the plate, eventually won over fans with his tape-measure home runs and an almost-mystical aura that would transcend his 18-year major league career. Mantle, who played in 16 All-Star games, was plagued by a series of knee problems that compromised his triggered a decline, but his power hitting feats remain legendary. Fans still talk about the myriad moon shot homers that cleared the most distant confines of American League ballparks. Of Mantle's power, Casey Stengel once marveled, "That kid can hit balls over buildings". And not only were his home runs long, they were frequent. Two times Mantle topped the 50 plateau-in 1956 when he won a Triple Crown (.353,52 homers, 130 RBI's) and in 1961 when he hit 54 while joining teammate Roger Maris in the chase of Ruth's single-season record- en route to a career total of 536. And 10 times he complemented that power with .300-plus averages that helped him earn three MVP awards. But Mantle's greatest legacy was written in the 12 World Series in which he set numerous fall classic records, including home runs (18), RBIs (40), runs (42), extra- base hits (26) and total bases (123).
Manufactured by Spalding, this Yankees home pinstriped jersey was issued to Mantle for the 1955 season. Tagged exclusively for Mantle, it features blue chain stitching on the front tail that reads "Mantle, 55-7" referencing the player, year of issue and uniform number. Every technical aspect of this uniform is as it was when Mantle wore it in 1955 with the exception of the number "7" on back having been professionally restored. The jersey retains superb visual appeal, demonstrating substantial, but not excessive usage wear. Mantle has signed the front of the jersey below the front tail tagging. In addition to the jersey's outstanding physical traits, it is supported by no less than five different "photo matches". Every Yankee pinstriped flannel garment of this era is as unique as a snowflake due to the variance of the pinstripe patterns each uniform featured. The alignment of the pinstripes on this jersey (most readily apparent at the seams of the shoulders, collar, and 'NY' logo on front) provide exact matches to numerous photos of Mantle from 1955, some of which are shown here (others included). The most significant of these photo matches is an image of Mantle in the Yankee Stadium locker room after a game in which he is presenting a fan with a signed baseball in exchange for a ball he had hit for a 486-foot home run that day (shown). This photo, catalogued by Corbis, was captured by legendary photographer Herb Scharfman, and confirms this to be the only documented Mantle "home run jersey" we are aware of. LOA from MEARS (Grade A-7). Full LOA from PSA/DNA (auto.).