It’s the most popular sports card ever. While the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card #311 is not his rookie card (that would be his 1951 Bowman card), it is his first Topps card and quite frankly the most iconic sports card in history.
If you’re curious as to why Mickey Mantle cards continue to command the highest prices then read this article next.
But for this post we’re going to answer 2 of the most common questions regarding Mickey Mantle cards:
How Many 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Cards Exist?
According to the CardLadder Population Report there are currently (as of 5/14/24) 2,786 total 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards that have been graded by PSA, SGC, Beckett and CGC combined.
It’s also important to note that the 2,786 number is very likely inflated a bit due to cards that were counted multiple times with multiple grading companies. For example, a card is submitted to SGC and grades a 1. The owner decides to crack the slab and submit the same card to PSA. Now that card is counted twice on the population report. Let’s be conservative and say 10% of the population is duplicate. That would mean about 2,500 graded Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps cards exist.
There are of course more that exist that have not been graded. Let’s take a guess and say for every graded 52 Topps Mantle there’s also 1 out there that’s not graded. That would mean there are approximately 5,000 total. Not NEARLY enough to satisfy the tremendous demand for the most iconic sports card of all time.
How Valuable Are 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Cards?
That answer is largely dependent on the condition and eye appeal of the card, but regardless it’s an extremely expensive card. In fact, this card holds the all-time record for the highest sports card sale. This SGC 9.5 grade below sold for 12.6 million dollars at Heritage Auctions on August 27, 2022!
This was the highest grade 1952 Topps Mantle to ever sell publicly, but there are however 3 examples that have graded a 10. Those 3 have never sold publicly but some estimate that one would sell for 20 million dollars or more.
The leading card grading companies like PSA & SGC use a 1-10 numerical scale and on the low end a PSA 1 recently sold for $32,940. The lowest entry point on any authentic 1952 Topps Mantle is currently about $25,000.
To think these came in 5 cent packs back in 1952, and the gum inside was more desired by kids than the cards!
I have 52 topps mantle in very good condition.