Mickey Mantle’s Top Five Sales of 2025: Is Mantle Still the Baseball Card King?
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Mickey Mantle remains the king of the baseball card hobby, and 2025 proved it again. He continues to widen the gap between himself and the rest of his vintage peers. Even though most historians agree that players like Willie Mays and Hank Aaron had stronger overall careers, Mantle’s cards continue to sell for dramatically higher prices than anyone else from his era.
For example, a 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle in a PSA 5 last sold for $1,285. The Willie Mays in the same grade last sold for $350, and the Hank Aaron for $323. Even the 1958 Topps Roger Maris, which is his only rookie card, sells for significantly less than the Mantle at $550 in a PSA 5.
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A 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle in a PSA 7 last sold for $2,750. The next highest sale in that set for the same grade belongs to Sandy Koufax, and his card sold for more than 5 times less at $525.
Mantle's vintage card value is driven by much more than just statistics. His popularity, legend, and incredible peak create an aura unmatched by any player in history, except for Babe Ruth. There is something special about owning a Mickey Mantle card that is hard to explain, but it is easily understood.
The Mantle premium showed up again in 2025. The Mick continues to generate record six-figure and seven-figure sales across multiple grades. Below are the top five Mickey Mantle sales of 2025, based on confirmed auction results.
5. 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie SGC 9: $390,400
Sold By: Heritage Auctions on February 23rd, 2025
Market Context: This Mantle rookie card in an SGC 9 (population count: 4) actually sold for $690K in May of 2021. The sports card market exploded to ludicrous levels during the 2020–2022 COVID boom, and some of the record-high Mantle sales from this period may stand for a while, even within a currently strong Mantle market. The highest ever sale of a 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card happened in December of 2022 when a PSA 9 copy (population count: 9) sold for $3,192,000.
4. 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle #135 (Gray Back) PSA 9: $414,800
Sold By: Heritage Auctions on October 25th, 2025
Market Context: This sale in October became the record high sale for any 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle card. The previous high sale occurred all the way back in 2016, when a PSA 10 copy of the card (population count: 5) sold for $382,400. The Holy Grail of 1956 Topps Mickey Mantles would be a White Back version of the card in a PSA 10, but only two of these cards exist.
3. 1969 Topps Mickey Mantle #500 (Last Name in White) PSA 9: $915,000
Sold By: Heritage Auctions on August 23rd, 2025
Market Context: This card sold for $933,000 in December of 2022. Even though the 2025 sale is slightly less, it shows that the high-end Mickey Mantle market is still extremely strong. The ‘Last Name in White’ variation has a total population of 2,382, while 21,186 ‘Last Name in Yellow’ copies have been graded. One PSA 10 ‘Last Name in White’ copy exists, which means the card would easily sell for millions of dollars if it were ever made available.
2. Signed 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 PSA 5.5, Auto 8: $ 1.1 Million
Sold By: Heritage Auctions on August 25th, 2025
Market Context: This is the record high sale for any signed vintage baseball card. Once widely avoided by collectors, the rare market for vintage on-card autographs is now booming. These signed cards are extremely rare and experiencing a rapid surge in popularity.
A “period signed” 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 (PSA 1.5, Auto 8) recently sold for $945,000 on December 22nd, 2025. A "period signed" vintage baseball card refers to a card that was autographed by the player during their active playing career or during the time when the card was released. Mickey Mantle had a very different signature in 1952, which makes this autograph scarcer and more expensive.
1. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 PSA 8: $1,555,500
Sold By: Heritage Auctions on December 19th, 2025
Market Context: While this marks the highest Mantle sale of 2025, PSA 8 copies (with a population of only 35) have historically commanded even higher prices. A PSA 8 set a record at $2 million in October 2021 and multiple sales went over the $1.5 million threshold in 2022.
David is a collector based in Georgia and a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and New York Knicks. He is an avid sports card collector with a strong passion for vintage baseball cards and vintage on-card autographs. David enjoys obtaining autographs through the mail and loves connecting with other knowledgeable collectors to discuss the history and evolution of the hobby. He also previously wrote about the New York Giants for GMENHQ.com