As we know, the condition of a trading card is critical to collectors. But there are exceptions — cases where something graded 3 or 2 or 1 (or less!) can fetch five-figure prices.
Case in point: Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps card. SCD contributor Scott Pitoniak discussed this treasure in detail in the July 1, 2022 issue of SCD, and with good reason. It’s never out of style. Even examples that show creases, worn corners or chips — flaws inflicted upon them, in countless cases, by card-carrying, card-flipping kids of the 1950s —always have a ready audience.
Consider item No. 2 on our Top 10 chart here: a 1952 Mantle graded PSA 2.5. Despite dinged and rounded corners, scratches on the front that literally pull color off the image and nicks along the edges, the card sold for almost $50,000 on eBay in late June. It had dozens of suitors: Some 63 bids pushed it to a final
