The Mick shines on this colorful and condition-sensitive insert from the 1966 Topps baseball release, presented here in exceptional BVG MINT 9 condition.

The 1966 Topps Rub-Offs set comprises 120 transfers, with 100 players and 20 team pennants. Each measures roughly 2" by 3" and was inserted into wax packs of that year’s regular Topps baseball issue. The rub-offs are unnumbered and are cataloged alphabetically, which places Mantle at #57. Designed to be applied to notebooks, lunch pails and the like, many were put to use exactly as intended, so the surviving unused examples carry a strong appeal. These inserts are notorious for centering and registration problems, which makes truly high-grade copies difficult to find.

Mantle is the undisputed key to the set. In 1966 he was in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, a veteran leader on a Yankees club that would finish last in the American League for the first time in more than half a century. He played two more seasons before retiring in the spring of 1969.

This premium example is one of 23 to receive a MINT 9 grade from Beckett Vintage Grading, with only ten graded higher at 9.5.