DENVER - One of the rarest and most desirable baseball cards in history – a gem mint PSA 10 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card will be on display for three days next month at Denver’s History Colorado Center.
It's one of only three ‘52 Topps Mantle cards in the world with this top rating, making it one of the most valuable baseball cards in existence. It will be at History Colorado July 16 through July 18.
This particular Mickey Mantle baseball card is the only “perfect 10” of the three PSA 10-rated cards (in academic terms, a “perfect 10” is an A+, as opposed to the other two A’s). PSA grading standards rate authenticity for sports trading cards across all eras.
The card is part of the Marshall Fogel Collection of classic baseball artifacts currently on view in the Play Ball! A Celebration of America’s Game exhibition. In addition to the display, Fogel will host two lectures about collecting on the inaugural day, July 16; separate tickets are required to attend the lectures.
During its very rare public appearance, the card will be transported to the museum via armored car where it will be displayed in a case with UV-lens protection and is both temperature- and humidity-controlled for safekeeping during the three-day exhibit.
Growing up in Denver, Fogel collected baseball cards, and Mickey Mantle was always his idol. Unfortunately, distribution problems for the Topps card company meant the 1952 set was never fully released in Colorado. Later, as s collector, Fogel sought out the card; and, in 1996 he was finally able to acquire it.
Interesting facts about the Mickey Mantle card:
PSA (a professional card-grading company) graded this Mickey Mantle card a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.
- When the Topps Company printed baseball cards, they did so in sheets – and stacked and cut the sheets. Many of the sheets would slip during the process and the resulting cards would be imperfect. So to have a card that’s perfectly centered, with correct color, is very rare.
- The card is one of only three Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle cards in the world known to be rated a PSA 10.
- The card has been called the “the Holy Grail of baseball cards -- and perhaps the most desirable of all baseball cards in general.”
- The card was displayed only one other time, at a national sports convention, more than 20 years ago.
To purchase tickets for the baseball card viewing, visit www.historycolorado.org. Tickets are $14 for adults; kids ages 5-15 are free, if they wear a baseball jersey; kids 4 & under and members of History Colorado are always free.
History Colorado Center will extend its hours until 9 p.m. on those dates, accommodating attendees of all ages with varying schedules: July 16 (noon to 9 p.m.); July 17 (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.); and July 18 (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.). In addition, Fogel’s lectures will take place on July 16 at 1 and 7 p.m., and separate tickets can be purchased at the History Colorado Center’s website.
