1951 Mickey Mantle Original News Photograph Used for 1951 Bowman Rookie Card, PSA/DNA Type 1....

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Sold on Aug 23, 2025 for:

Sign-in or Join (free & quick)

Get one of these:

Share this lot

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Sell One of These

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

One of the hobby's most iconic images!

1951 Mickey Mantle Original News Photograph Used for 1951 Bowman Rookie Card, PSA/DNA Type 1. It's often said that the devil is in the details, but you'll sometimes find angels there as well. Note the rolled sleeve--the Mick would be able to dictate tailoring modifications in future seasons, but not as an untested rookie at Arizona spring training. The bat he cocks over his right shoulder belongs to first baseman Joe Collins, as the future Triple Crown winner had yet to sign a deal with Hillerich & Bradsby for his own. And we can see just enough of the number on the back of the Mick's back to identify it as a six rather than a seven, a digit he'd wear only during the unsteady start to his rookie campaign.

These fascinating idiosyncrasies are lost in the applications that establish this as one of the most recognizable Mantle images ever rendered, a fact that makes this exceedingly rare original photo all the more desirable. The essential 1951 Bowman rookie card files down some of the subtleties to create its classic "posterized" aesthetic, and the 1953 Topps opts for a tight focus on the youngster's boyish features. Only here is the full story told.

Leading sports photography expert Henry Yee is aware of only five Type 1 examples of this image, issued to the media by the New York Yankees and almost certainly shot by team photographer Bob Olen. The image is expertly rendered, supplying crisp detail and a fine balance of light and dark. Scattered light wrinkling throughout must be noted, but the effect is only particularly noticeable in raking light and is heaviest at and near the borders. Size is 8x10". Verso bears stamping from "New York Yankees" and "Culver Pictures," with a couple of handwritten identifiers.

Our last offering of a Type 1 example of this image commanded over $840,000 in April 2024. Encapsulated by PSA/DNA, Type 1.