The Top 10 Mickey Mantle Baseball Cards of All Time

Mickey Mantle played all 18 of his seasons with the New York Yankees, won seven World Series titles and three AL MVP awards, captured the 1956 Triple Crown and hit 536 home runs. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF) in 1974. His cards are the backbone of vintage collecting, and these are the 10 we think every collector should know.

1. 1952 Topps #311

The most famous post-war baseball card. Mantle's #311 sits in the 1952 Topps high-number series, which sold poorly late in the season, and Topps famously dumped leftover high-number cases into the Atlantic years later. In August 2022 an SGC 9.5 sold at Heritage Auctions for $12.6 million, a record for any sports card at the time. It is not technically his rookie card (that is the 1951 Bowman), but it is the card that defines vintage collecting.

2. 1951 Bowman #253 Rookie Card

Mantle's true rookie card comes from Bowman's 1951 set, issued during his first season with the Yankees. The artwork-style portrait and small size set it apart from the Topps cards that followed, and it is a must-have for serious Mantle collectors. In December 2022 a PSA 9 sold for $3.19 million at Memory Lane.

3. 1952 Berk Ross

Berk Ross produced a small 1952 set of sports stars outside the big card companies. It is far less common than Mantle's mainstream issues and gives collectors an early-career Mantle that many people have never seen.

4. 1953 Topps #82

The 1953 Topps set used painted artwork, and Mantle's #82 is one of the most attractive cards of the 1950s. It is far more attainable than the 1952 Topps while still coming from his early Yankees years.

5. 1952 Bowman #101

Mantle's second-year Bowman card uses the same artwork style as his rookie. It is often overshadowed by the 1952 Topps from the same year, which makes it one of the better values among early Mantle cards.

6. 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos

Wheaties offered premium photos of star athletes, and Mantle's comes from his rookie season. As a premium rather than a pack card it is often left out of rookie discussions, but it is one of the few Mantle items from his first season.

7. 1957 Topps #95

The 1957 Topps set was the first to use real color photographs for every card, and Mantle's #95 followed his 1956 Triple Crown season. He won the AL MVP in both 1956 and 1957, making this a card from the peak of his career.

8. 1969 Topps #500 White Letter Variation

Mantle's final Topps card as a player comes in two versions. Most show his last name in yellow, while a scarcer variation prints "MANTLE" in white. The white-letter version carries a significant premium at every grade.

9. 1954 Dan-Dee Potato Chips

Dan-Dee packed its 29-card set directly in bags of potato chips as a regional issue. Grease stains and rough cuts are common, so clean, well-centered Mantles are very hard to find.

10. 1954 Red Heart Dog Food

Red Heart dog food's 1954 set features 33 players on bright red, green or blue backgrounds. Mantle appears on the blue background, and his card is the key to the set.

Shop Mickey Mantle and Vintage Cards

We currently have a 1969 Topps Mickey Mantle #500 PSA 7.5 (the standard yellow-letter version) in stock. Browse our Vintage and Baseball categories, or read the story behind the 1954 Topps Mantle that never was.