Rare 1952 Mickey Mantle Now Available in a 2026 Topps Series 1 Pack
In this story:
The surprises don't stop with Topps and Fanatics. A day after they announced that Jerry Seinfeld would have packed-pulled autos in the upcoming Series 1 product, they announced that one lucky collector will have a chance to receive an actual 1952 Mickey Mantle card.
RELATED: PSA Increasing Card Grading Prices and Turnaround Times
JUST IN: An actual 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card will be inserted into a random pack of 2026 Topps Series 1 🤯
— Topps (@Topps) February 10, 2026
Before anyone panics, the literal card will not be placed in a pack. To preserve its condition, one lucky collector will find a redemption card that can be redeemed for… pic.twitter.com/mld4vrjo6x
As the post states, the lucky recipient won't actually find the card in a pack. The person will receive a Topps redemption card where they can go online and it can be redeemed for an actual 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle.
Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle
The lore of the famous 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card is known far and wide amongst card collecting enthusiasts. Legend has it that Topps believed they overproduced cards that year. And unable to sell them, the excess cards were brought out to the water and dumped overboard, though that story remains unsubstantiated.
Never-the-less it is a rarity, and one of obscenely high value. Just this past October, a PSA Near-Mint to Mint 8 1952 Mickey Mantle was sold privately for north of $1.1 million.
The highest recorded sale of a graded copy occurred in August 2022. One of the highest known graded versions as a SGC 9.5, it sold for $12.6 million. It broke the previous record sale that occurred in January 2021. That card was graded a PSA Mint 9 and sold for $5.2 million.
Life Changing Value
The person who finds the rare redemption is going to be holding something that could turn out to be life changing money. If they get the card and decide to put it on the open market the collector can look to get a return of at least five figures.
Although Topps has not released an image of the actual card up for grabs, even a low grad '52 Mantle can fetch a year's salary worth of value. According to Card Ladder, a PSA 1 PR (Poor Condition) sold for $37,800 on January 31, 2026.
It's another exciting chase following the Jerry Seinfeld announcement. While the odds of pulling this card is extremely slim, the percentage is not zero. By including this rare card in their flagship product, Topps and Fanatics continues to show their creativity within their products and within the hobby.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz