1952 Topps Mickey Mantle gains value over the years
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When Topps entered the baseball card market, it created the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. Mantle became the most influential player of his generation. It didn’t seem like it, but Topps created a masterpiece. In 2022, a ‘52 Topps Mantle in an SGC 9.5 grade sold for a then-record $12.6 million. It remains the most expensive baseball card sold and could be worth more if sold today.
The sales price in 2022 made national headlines. It obliterated the previous record of $7.25 million for a T206 Honus Wagner. The sale brought to light "alternative investments" and the dichotomy between "collectors" and "sellers" in the baseball card business.
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👀 FIRST LOOK 👀
— Fanatics Collect (@FanaticsCollect) September 12, 2025
One of the finest surviving examples of the hobby’s most iconic card.
A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, graded PSA 8 NM-MT.
High-grades rarely surface, and this one is now live in the Premier Auction with a current bid of $550,000. pic.twitter.com/a4MfNbHvSs
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But, it showed how much collectors value baseball cards. A Mickey Mantle PSA 7 has increased in value by 1,247% since 2005. By comparison, gold has increased in value by 660% in the same time. This is not investment advice, but an illustration that owning a high-grade Mickey Mantle was even better than holding gold.
Now, a PSA 8 copy is on sale at the Fanatics September Premier Auction. There have been 19 PSA 8 sales since 2015, making the card's sale in a PSA 8 grade a semi-rare event. However, most of the 19 sales have taken place since 2020. There have been 16 sales of the '52 Topps Mantle since 2020, and with good reason.
The rise in card prices, along with the rising premiums of high-grade cards, has made selling an easy decision. PSA 8s reached a crescendo in July 2021 when a copy sold for $2.11 million. The most recent sale was on Aug. 24, when a PSA 8 sold for $1.38 million at Heritage Auctions. When compared to the 2021 sale, it's down big, but looking at the bigger picture, it's clear that the card continues doing what it has always done over time - go up.
The Fanatics card up for auction is at $600,000 with ten days to go. Each of the last two sales cleared $1 million, and this one should as well. But the big question is if this one will surpass the $1.38 million mark, which would confirm the card’s upward trajectory.
PSA 7 copies are up 1,247% since 2005. Consider that in 2005, a PSA 7 1952 Topps Mantle sold for $25,000. The most recent sale was for $347,000. It's a card that's better than gold.
Horacio is an avid sports card collector and writes about trending card auctions and news across several major hobby sites, including Sports Collectors Daily and Collectibles on SI.
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