Mickey Mantle's first true rookie is a symbol of hobby royalty. Card number 253 from Bowman's 1951 series, picturing the heralded young Yankees centerfielder in a majestic right-handed batting pose, has captivated collectors for generations, firmly establishing itself as one of the most valuable and desirable baseball cards ever produced. Advanced collectors are well-aware of the production variables associated with this "high number" rookie, including difficulties with print, registration, and centering.

Owning an authentic, as-issued ’51 Bowman Mantle is commendable in its own right. Procuring an autographed example puts your collecting status at a whole other level. The Mick’s ideal placement and immaculate execution of his signature in bold blue marker across his body on this offered card shows his own appreciation for the artistic efforts and lovely aesthetics put into the design of his one true rookie. While Mantle’s image is quite off-center – slightly more vertically than horizontally – the card presents in an overall low-grade state commonly found among unsigned copies. No paper loss or creasing combined with evenly rounded corners and relatively smooth edges, along with a very clean back, give this card several positive attributes. Any visible card blemishes get completely overshadowed by one of the sharpest and most beautiful Mickey Mantle autographs we’ve ever come across on a piece of cardboard. Simply put, it’s stunning.

PSA/DNA has rated the signature a perfect 10, but if the scale went up to 12 this gem would deserve a baker’s dozen. There are over 2,500 ’51 Bowman Mantles in PSA’s pop report, but only 27 are signed, leaving this one in rare company. Only five dual-grade copies have a superior card grade than GD 2, the best being EX 5. A comparable example to this one, also PSA dual-authenticated with a 10 auto-grade, recently sold for $126,000 even with a slightly smudged ‘y in “Mickey.” Our offered card’s autograph is far crisper, and its back is much cleaner. (Although to be fair, the other has slightly better centering and a cleaner left border.)