A 1958 game-worn Mickey Mantle jersey just smashed a record when it was sold at auction last weekend, part of a nearly $10 million sale of Mantle memorabilia.
A fan purchased the Yankees home jersey for $4.68 million on Saturday through Heritage Auctions, more than double the previous record for a Mantle jersey. A 1952 Topps Mantle card in near-perfect condition was also sold at auction for $4.5 million — which made it the most a sports card has sold for this year and the fourth-highest price for a card ever. That brings the total price for the two sales to nearly $9.2 million.
The Mantle jersey was worn primarily during the Yankees’ 1958 season. Photo matching links the jersey to nine different dates in 1958 and 1959. Mantle wore it during their season-opener in 1958, and again in an All-Stars exhibition at Yankee Stadium after the season ended.
The jersey was graded 9.5 out of 10, and is just one button short of being the original, unaltered jersey.
“It’s rare to see an all-original Yankees jersey from that era,” Heritage Auctions sports auctions director Chris Ivy . ” … To have a 1950s era all-original Mickey Mantle pinstripes jersey that is photo-matched to several games is very scarce.”
Mantle held a .304 batting average during the 1958 season with 42 home runs, 94 RBI and 127 runs. He picked up his seventh straight All-Star appearance that season, and led the Yankees to a World Series win — which was his fifth with the franchise. Mantle, who played all 18 seasons with the Yankees before he retired in 1968, ended his career with seven World Series titles, 20 All-Star nods and three MVP awards. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.
The jersey and card are the latest major baseball items to be sold at auction this year. A was sold for a record $1.85 million in April. The bat was graded a perfect 10. Ruth hit 59 home runs during the 1921 season, which set the single-season record at the time. A sold for $15,600 in April, too. Yankees star from last season sold at auction for $1.5 million in December.
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