Accessible way to get one of the very best cards from postwar baseball! This painting used a 1951 photo, also seen on Bowman's horizontal rookie card, and zoomed in to show Mantle's youthful intensity. The 20-year old Mick notched his first of an almost unbroken series of All-Star appearances in 1952, and its reverse shows his young signature before it became the swooping "M" that collectors know even better today.

The SGC PR 1 grade is almost incidental to Mantle's appeal, as the portrait image shines through corner wear, an upper left crease, and surface line that passes through his cap. Whether this is a collector's first or 100th Mantle, it'll make a pleasing addition.