Mickey Mantle is still considered by many to be the last true baseball hero. The young outfielder accepted the Yankee torch passed by the great Joe DiMaggio, who had similarly followed Lou Gehrig. The 1951 season was Mantle's first in pinstripes and, despite being sent down to the minors for more seasoning, Bowman issued this card in that year's final key series. Bowman's colorized visage of future greatness was adapted from an image taken in spring training before the 1951 season. This is one of the earliest images of Mickey Mantle in a Yankee uniform. If you look closely it is even evident that he is sporting #6 on his back. Only in the most carefully preserved specimens, as here, does the design's true magnificence reveal itself.

This exquisite PSA EX 5 example has a beautiful image of The Mick. Apart from its centering, the card has strong eye appeal with bold colors, evenly soft corners and fairly smooth edges. The back is nicer than most with very little wax staining. A wonderful true rookie card of the Commerce Comet available for a serious collector or smart investor.