NEW YORK (AP) – A decades-old, mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card could break a record at auction.
The collector’s item from 1952 features one of baseball’s most celebrated and charismatic legends, and is widely regarded as one of just a handful in near-perfect condition.
It’s estimated the final cost of the card could exceed $10 million when the auction ends Aug. 27. The record is $6.6 million for a 1909 Honus Wagner card that was sold at auction a year ago, months after another 70-year-old Mantle card fetched $5.2 million.
Interest was already heavy Monday when the auction debuted online, with bidding already up to at least $4.2 million.
No matter the final price for the rare Mantle rookie card, it will be a hefty profit for the current owner, a New Jersey waste management entrepreneur who bought it for $50,000 at a New York City show in 1991.