Easily the most popular and significant postwar baseball card the 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle goes beyond the now-overused term "iconic" and into the stuff of legend. Atop the want list of thousands of collectors experienced and novice alike it is often stated that this along with the T206 Honus Wagner are the best-recognized in the hobby transcending the hobby itself to the point where non-collectors can identify the card on sight. Certainly owning any '52 Mantle is a badge of collecting honor but one of this quality is a true rarity - a well-centered crease-free example with vibrant color and clarity of image something to bring the gap between the more common lower-grade examples and the high-grade ultra-expensive ones. This card is truly a spectacular example; a card that so often appears with severe centering issues is centered here nearly perfectly. The corners exhibit even honest wear that reduces the technical grade of the card but despite that it remains a wonderful example - vivid colors crisp registration and again - the centering! This is a card that should be desired not for its grade but for its appearance within the grade. Typically a card in this condition will exhibit a noticeable flaw and corners aside there is no such issue with this example. This is as wonderful a card as you will find in this type of condition. Still one of baseball's most widely-recognized names Mickey Mantle remains one of the most revered figures in sports and despite not being his official "rookie" card the 1952 card is certainly his most popular and sought after. Completing the 1952 Topps set remains a monumental collecting achievement partially due to the difficulty of obtaining the more difficult high-number cards but mostly due to this - postwar collecting's most treasured card.