1952 was a breakthrough season for New York Yankees favorite Mickey Mantle on the field and for his cardboard hero status. On the diamond it was Mickey’s first full season in the big leagues. He responded by blasting 23 home runs, knocking in 87 runs and batting a mighty .311. An impressive start for the youngster from Oklahoma, as he was an American League All-Star for the first time and helped lead The Bronx Bombers to the World Series crown.
While Mantle’s acclaimed 1952 Topps card is one of the jewels of the hobby, his 1952 Bowman issue is an underrated gem. In card #101 from this classic Bowman set, Mickey is looking regal in Yankee pinstripes, perhaps pondering the high expectations ahead for him as the successor to the just retired Joe DiMaggio as the face of the storied franchise. We all know Mickey delivered, and then some, on those expectations, just as this card delivers.
Proudly presented here is a superb dualgraded PSA encapsulated edition of the 1952 Bowman. This highly desired Mantle card gets a strong VG-EX 4, plus Mickey’s special penmanship is rated a lofty 9, his bold blue ballpoint autograph appearing in a sweet spot on the card. The 1952 Bowman has one of the lowest pop numbers for all the signed Mantles, this specimen is one of only 18 total in the PSA consensus report. With this being the second and sole highest graded with a high grade signature we believe this is one of the finest signed Mantle cards that exist. For sake of market value, as early as last year in February 2021 another signed 1952 Mantle Bowman example graded 2.5 sold for $69,000 at auction.