Signed vintage cards have been on the rise in the past few years, with autographed 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards leading the way.
One signed card from the Mick notched a new record in December, selling for $793,000.
Heritage will sell another one of the 21 graded by PSA this August, carrying a pre-sale estimate of $600,000.
The card does not appear in public sales records and, in a PSA 5.5/Auto 8 slab, is one of the two highest in terms of condition grade.
The record-setting $793,000 card was graded PSA 3/Auto 10.
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Signed vintage collectors, often attracted to the category due to the rarity of the cards — for years it was considered near sacrilege to have an athlete besmirch one of their cards with a pen — might value various components differently.
In addition to the technical grades of condition and the autograph, many prefer ballpoint pen over Sharpie (the record-breaker was ballpoint; the upcoming card is Sharpie).
Others value the story behind it, such as Matt Cirulnick, who acquired what he believes to be the only example signed during Mantle's playing days.
Due to the myriad value-drivers, it’s difficult to predict where this card will land when it sells this summer. What is abundantly clear, however, is the surging popularity of the niche.
Looking once again at the PSA 3/Auto 10 record-breaker for comparison, the escalating values come into focus: The same exact card sold for $22,325 in 2011, then for $422,400 in 2023 before selling just a year later for nearly double.
The last PSA 5.5 example to sell publicly, sans auto, fetched $138,000. It’s a near-certainty this copy will fetch multiples of that number.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.