This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/19/2016
The 1964 Topps set marked the 11th time that Mickey Mantle appeared on a regular Topps card (not including the numerous All-Star, MVP, and other "honor" cards), but his popularity with collectors is so eternal that he still manages to be the key card of the series. It also marked the first time that Mantle might not actually be superhuman after all, coming off an injury plagued season that saw him appear in just 65 games. Even so, he still managed to smash 15 homers in just 172 at bats in 1963. Mantle rebounded in 1964 though, staying healthy enough to notch 35 homers and drive in 111 runs with a .303 batting average over 143 games. Presented is an elite MINT example of Mantle's '64 Topps card, and one cannot help but be impressed by corners and edges so keen that they clearly qualify for PSA's second highest grade and make their best case for GEM MINT status. Even when viewed from the reverse side, you really have to make a concerted effort to find any perfections along the orange perimeter. The centering appears nearly perfect and the image of Mantle in his right-handed batting stance is precise and well-pigmented. An extremely choice example, surpassed by just one out of over 5,500 PSA submissions.