In April 2024, the $843,750 sale of a Mickey Mantle Type 1 photo, used in the production of his 1951 Bowman rookie card and 1953 Topps card, set the market ablaze with a new public auction record.
At the time it was one of four such original photos known to exist.
Now, it’s believed the total population has increased to five, as another example sold for $451,400 on Saturday night at Heritage.
To show how far the market has come, prior to the 2024 sale, one of the other copies fetched $71,700 in 2015. It is believed one of the copies has sold for more than $1 million in a private sale sometime in-between.
Type 1 photos, defined as a photograph developed from the original image within two years of its production, have seen their value rise significantly in the past few years. This classification system, which also includes Type 2 and Type 3 photos, was created by Henry Lee, Khyber Oser and Marshall Fogel in their seminal 2005 book "A Portrait of Baseball Photography.”
The Type 1 photo of Mantle, believed to be issued to media by the Yankees and likely taken by team photographer Bob Olen, features Mantle donning No. 6 on the back of his jersey, rather than his famous No. 7, dating the photo to the earliest days of his rookie season.
Type 1 photos which were later used in the production of iconic sports cards have proven to be among the most desirable, including in this instance.
Elsewhere, at Golden Age, bidding for a Type 1 photo used for the creation of Tiger Woods’ most iconic rookie card has surpassed six figures.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.