Sports card trading has been a popular activity for years. In the 1860s, the first recorded sports card was released as a promotional item. The cards were given away free in cigarette packs and later in gum packs.
Now, they are part of a $13 billion sector projected to grow to more than $100 billion by 2027. A 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card, for example, cost Rob Gough $5.2 million.
One might wonder why the Mickey-Mantle card is so expensive since it is nothing more than printed information on small cardboard cards. Today we will answer this question.
Supply & Demand
Market forces of supply and demand affect the price of sports cards. Knowing that sports cards are trendy, the demand for sports cards becomes more understandable. As for baseball cards and their value, Mantle wasn’t the most successful hitter of all time, but he was the most popular player of his time, and that’s what counts.
His Winnings
Perhaps the most crucial factor in Mantle being the most popular player of his time is the fact that he played for the New York Yankees and appeared in the World Series 12 times (1951-53; 1954-55; 1956-57; 1958-60; 1961-62; 1963-64). He won seven of them (1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, and 1962). He has hit the most home runs (18), RBIs (40), runs scored (42), and total bases (123) in World Series history (43). Mantle has proven time and time again that he was a winner and delivered strong performances on the biggest stage.
Perfect Timing
The shining star of baseball’s golden age, when Mickey Mantle debuted on the scene in 1951, America desperately needed a new baseball hero, and Mantle delivered.
With the proliferation of television sets in homes across the country, fans could watch Mickey Mantle and the New York Yankees on Saturdays in the Game of the Week and nearly every October in the World Series. Baseball was the national pastime at the time, and Mantle arrived just in time to become the nation’s most beloved baseball star.
Final Word
Millions of people looked up to Mantle as a role model because of his incredible strength, his speed, and his kind and humble personality. He could have been a contender for the title GOAT had it not been for his numerous injuries. Mantle’s penchant for hitting into the stands, combined with his strong slugging, helped establish a pattern that superstar of subsequent generations followed.
Hobby legends never die. No one epitomized that better than The Mick. After Mickey Mantle hung up his baseball cleats for good, his legacy lived in the sport’s Hall of Fame. So, it’s no surprise that his cards are so valuable.
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