First up in our series of iconic baseball cards is the Mickey Mantle Bowman #253 rookie card from 1951.
Despite some considering his 1952 Topps card to be his rookie card (it was his first appearance with Topps, but his second year playing), this is Mantle's true rookie card. His 1952 Topps card might be more popular, more expensive and more sought after, but his 1951 Bowman card is a thing of beauty. But don't get us wrong though, it's still extremely desirable and incredibly expensive.
The early 1950s were a time of change in the baseball card scene, with the previously dominant Bowman losing ground to the new Topps product. Bowman had a monopoly of the baseball card market in 1950 and perhaps by taking their eye off the ball, they allowed Topps to quickly close the gap in 1952.
Bowman only continued to exist as it's own company until 1955 when Topps bought out the Bowman brand. Topps shelved the Bowman brand name until they revived it again in 1989. This is just one possible reason why Mantle's 1952 Topps card is more well known than this 1951 Bowman card.
While the 1952 Topps design might be more colourful and have more information on the back, the 1951 Bowman offers a simple elegance.
The colour artwork is taken directly from black & white photographs and the simple design - just a black border and nameplate - allows the artwork to stand out and helped this set become iconic.
This was also one of the last years when baseball cards measured 2 1/16" x 3 1/8# as Topps moved to the now standard 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" in 1957.
Mantle made his debut with the Yankees aged 19 and spent 18 years in the Bronx. Even with the double All Star games between 1959-1962, his colossal 20 total All Star appearances rank 4th all time.
He won the World Series with the Yankees 7 times, won 3 MVP awards, won the Triple Crown in 1956 and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1974 (when he inexplicably received *only* 88.2% of votes).
His 1951 Bowman card sells from anywhere between £1,500 - £750,000 depending on condition, which is still significantly less than his 1952 Topps card goes for! But with only 1,740 having been graded with PSA as of today, they aren't going to be easy - or cheap - to come across.
Mantle's incredible career, this being his true rookie card & the stylish design all combine to make his 1951 Bowman a truly iconic card.
Do you have a card that you think should be featured next time?
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