This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/1/2008
The offered 1960 Mick Mantle is so excessively shiny and vibrant that it's a minor miracle it wasn't somehow mistaken for candy and consumed with the stick of bubble gum accompanying it out of the Topps factory. The centering is strong for the issue, if not subtly in favor of the southwest (from a horizontal perspective). The bottom edge and corners appear MINT and well within the bounds of the opined grade, while the remaining corners and edges appear significantly above grade, definitely verging on GEM MINT. The reverse is precisely centered and, frankly, unimprovable. In addition to its tremendous gloss, the slick front surface also displays impeccable registration, rendering The Mick's pinstripes as pixel-perfect meridians. Importantly, the red background of the player cut-out is free of the print defects that so commonly mar this susceptible area. At the very top of the image, however, an inauspicious roller mark can be observed at the conjuncture of the image and the sleek, white border, a concern that is more than counterbalanced by the various virtues of this truly ambrosial pasteboard. Graded PSA 9 MINT with well under 1% of all submissions attaining this unsurpassed tier.