The true "rookie card" of the Yankee Hall of Famer this is a lovely collector-grade example that has retained much of its original color and clarity. Accurately graded FAIR 20 by SGC the card does suffer some surface wear a corner crease and pronounced corner and edge wear and yet still maintains strong eye appeal for the grade. A card with significant collector demand in all grades the true Mantle rookie is highly sought after among collectors of all types.Many collectors give Mantle credit for the popularity of the hobby with the Baby Boom generation actively seeking out nostalgic reminders of their childhoods. It would be hard to argue. Mantle cards continue to increase in value with his earliest cards continuing to fetch thousands of dollars even in lower grades. Like his popular 1952 version the "51 Bowman Mantle is part of the tougher-to-find second series. The card image is even today one of the most attractive Mantle images on a baseball card (much like the rest of the "51 Bowman set).A fantastic collector-grade example of one of the postwar hobby"s most iconic cards.Population DataSGC Population: 360 total graded 22 at this level 287 higherPSA Population: 1 433 total graded 8 at this level 1 278 higher