The 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card broke the record as the most expensive collectible ever sold. The rookie card was sold on the last Sunday of August 2022 at an unimaginable price of $12.6 million. Its owner bought it in 1991 at only $50,000 or $110,000 according to today’s dollar value. The sale gave him a staggering profit of 125,200%. This was $3.3 million more compared to the Hand of God jersey that was sold by Diego Maradona at $9.3 million.
Importance of baseball in American culture
Baseball has played a significant role in shaping America’s culture. It supports diverse aspects of American culture, starting from civil rights to civil war movements, economics, and technological advancements. Baseball has also had a big impact on New Jersey sportsbooks and the betting culture in the entire country. Since the legalization of sports betting in the country, baseball has attracted large numbers of bettors, and the figures are growing daily.
The price was double the Honus Wagner card
Last year, the record was broken by the Honus Wagner baseball card that sold for $6.6 million. The Mickey Mantle card surpassed this price by double, which made it the most priced collectible ever sold. The sale was made nearly 7 months before the MLB 2023 regular season begins in March. The opening game will feature a 15 games contest which will include 3 interleague contests and 9 divisional matchups.
Mantle played for the New York Yankees
Mantle played for the New York Yankees from 1951 to1968. He didn’t change teams in his entire baseball career as a right fielder, center fielder, and first baseman. Six years after retiring, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. He played in 12 World Series, among them 7 championships. According to his MLB statistics, he recorded a batting average of 298,536 home runs, 2,415 hits, and 1,509 runs batted in. Mantle died in 1995 after he lost a battle with liver cancer.
The mantle card was bought in 1991
The mantle card was bought in 1991 by Anthony Giordano at $50,000, which was a record-breaking price at that time. It is safer to sell and transfer money from collectibles sales today due to enhanced online security in the collectible market. Giordano kept it for the next 30 years until he brought it to Heritage Auctions.
According to the firm, the rookie card has remained in perfect condition for the last 70 years. It received a mint+ 9.5 rating by the Sportscard Guaranty Corporation. According to CNN Business, sports collectibles are gaining popularity and becoming highly lucrative. This is the most lucrative baseball card ever sold in the collectibles market in recent history.
