When Mickey Mantle made his debut with the Yankees writer Leonard Schecter said of him He has a face as open as the part of America that he came from. So there he was a kid of nineteen already heralded as the second coming of Babe Ruth or at the very least the legitimate successor to Joe DiMaggio. When he hits the ball it even sounds different they said about him. He got it in his body to be great added grizzled manager Casey Stengel who had been around long enough to qualify as an expert. Such expectations are hard to measure up to but Mantle did and then some. He started slow with the Yankees even finding himself farmed out to Kansas City for fine-tuning at one point in his rookie year. However by the 1953 when Mantle donned this grey flannel road jersey for the Yankees Mantle destiny had begun to take shape. In the Yankees victory over the Dodgers in the 1953 World Series Mantle also his established his reputation for dominance in the Fall Classic clouting two homers (including a grand slam) and posting seven RBI in the six game series. The offered jersey has never before been offered publicly and has been consigned by a gentleman who received it from a former major league scout during a tryout in the 1950. When his big league aspirations went unfulfilled our consignor opted for the restaurant business. This keepsake remained in the sole possession of our consignor for nearly half a century and was even displayed on the wall of his Southern California eatery for many years. Manufactured by Spalding this Yankees road jersey was issued to Mantle for the 1953 season. Tagged exclusively for Mantle it features blue chain stitching on the front tail that reads ""M.Mantle 53X. An ""A.G. Spalding & Bros."" manufacturer's label in the collar is accompanied by a tag denoting size ""44"" and the requisite Dry Clean Only tag appears stitched on the inside of the front tail. This gray flannel button-down garment boasts ""NEW YORK"" arched across the chest in original navy-blue felt characters. Some deterioration of the felt is evident on the N as well as a very small spot on the first arm of the W. There are four holes (as made) under each arm to facilitate ventilation. The top button is absent however the remaining six buttons are original. Every other technical aspect of this uniform is as it was when Mantle wore it in 1953 with the exception of the number ""7"" on back having been professionally restored. Faint vestiges of a number 66 are visible behind the restored 7. The jersey was presented to SCP with the number 66 on back and the number restoration was conducted at our direction. The jersey retains superb visual appeal demonstrating substantial but not excessive usage wear. Our consignor had the opportunity to meet Mickey Mantle during an appearance at a golf tournament in the 1980s and had Mantle sign the front of the jersey on the upper left breast (8/10). He recalls Mantle upon signing the jersey and recognizing it as the real deal advising him to lock this sucker up in a vault somewhere. Sound advice from the Mick. It survives as one of the earliest Mantle gamers to surface in the hobby and a baseball treasure of the highest order. Includes a full LOA from PSA/DNA (auto.).