In very few areas of the hobby can one call a five-figure card "underrated " but in the case of a midgrade 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle the description is appropriate. Despite its status as the "true" rookie card of postwar baseball's most revered and popular player the 1951 Bowman Mantle has long been overshadowed by the legend of the 1952 Topps card which many even refer to as his rookie card. Indeed even the grading label utilized by SGC for the 1952 Topps Mantle refers to the card as his "rookie." Still nothing can change facts: the 1951 Bowman #253 Mantle is his rookie card and it is a beautiful desirable card depicting the Yankee outfielder from the waist up in his batting stance blue sky and puffy clouds in the distance. Despite being underrated the card has always been extremely desirable and as the 1952 Mantle has escalated into the stratosphere the 1951 issue has begun picking up steam. Indeed even off-centered midgrade examples now routinely eclipse $10 000 with well-centered specimens reaching even higher. In fact an example graded VG-EX 4 by PSA topped $10 000 just a week before the writing of this description. The offered example is quite clean and sharp the EX 5 grade assessed by PSA due to its eye appeal and centering. Notoriously poorly-centered many to the top-right this example is close to perfect just a shade high on the canvas but overall quite appealing. An exquisite midgrade specimen one of the finest we have offered.