The 1954 Topps Mickey Mantle: The Card That Never Was (Kind Of)

Picture a Mickey Mantle collection that has almost everything: the 1951 Bowman rookie, the famous 1952 Topps #311, and nearly every Bowman and Topps issue through his final 1969 Topps card. Even with every oddball like the 1954 Red Heart and Dan-Dee cards, two Topps cards will always be missing: 1954 and 1955. That is because they were never made.

Why There Is No 1954 or 1955 Topps Mantle

In the 1950s, Topps and Bowman fought hard for control of the baseball card market, and both companies signed players to exclusive contracts. Mantle was under an exclusive deal with Bowman for 1954 and 1955, so his only mainstream cards from those years are the 1954 Bowman #65 and the 1955 Bowman #202. Topps did not picture him again until 1956, after it had bought out Bowman.

The Sports Illustrated "Cards"

There is one interesting near miss. Sports Illustrated launched in August 1954, and its first two issues (August 16 and August 23, 1954) each included a fold-out sheet of 27 cards in the 1954 Topps design. The second issue was devoted to the New York Yankees. Some of its cards, such as Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and Phil Rizzuto, were printed in color to match their real 1954 Topps cards. Mantle, who had no Topps card that year, was printed in black and white with a large headshot and a smaller action photo.

So why not cut the Mantle out of the magazine and call it a 1954 Topps? The sheet is thin magazine paper, not card stock, the Mantle is black and white, and it was printed by Sports Illustrated, not Topps. It is a fun piece of Mantle history, but it is not a Topps card, and most collectors keep the magazine intact.

The Closest You Can Get

For collectors who want the full run, the options are the 1954 and 1955 Bowman cards, an intact copy of Sports Illustrated #2, or one of the many "cards that never were" designs, like the concept at the top of this page by the late hobby writer and designer Bob Lemke. For the real Topps and Bowman Mantles, see our Top 10 Mickey Mantle Cards.

Shop Mickey Mantle and Vintage Cards

We currently have a 1969 Topps Mickey Mantle #500 PSA 7.5 in stock. Browse our Vintage category for more graded cards from the 1950s and 1960s.