1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle #253 SGC 88 NM/MT 8....

Description

1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle #253 SGC 88 NM/MT 8. Argue all you'd like that the 1952 Topps card is Mickey's true rookie - our calendar tells us that the '51 Bowman was actually the first. We'll also take issue with anybody who claims the Topps rookie is a prettier card, as we're of the opinion that Bowman's designs of the early 1950's represent one of the high water marks in cardboard aesthetics. It surely shows on the flawlessly registered image of the nineteen-year old legend in the making, who stands at batting attention before a cloud-dappled sky on this high-grade rarity. Educated collectors will understand the difficulty in achieving a grade of SGC 88 NM/MT 8 on any 1951 Bowman, particularly those from the high-number series, which is led off by the Mick. Centering problems abound in this issue, as do gum and wax stains. Our offering is spared the brunt of such ailments, and takes it a step further by sporting four sharp corners and vibrant color. The lone "flaw" if we must call it that is the print registration. In short, this one's a real blazer. Of the over 250 such cards graded by SGC at the time of this writing, the population report tells us that collectors must chase down one of just five cards (less if one or more is a resubmission) on earth if they wish to upgrade from an SGC 88 NM/MT 8. Suffice it to say that finding one of the five cards that top this one will be a difficult ordeal. A tremendous NM/MT example of one of the most popular players to ever cross the white base lines.


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