Topps and Willie Mays are a match made in vintage baseball card heaven. But it wasn't always that way. Much like fellow legend Mickey Mantle, Topps didn't have the license to print Mays' cards until 1952. So, just like Mantle, Mays' first widely available rookie issue came in the 1951 Bowman set. Luckily for fans, this beautiful issue was worth the extra year's wait. Licensing snafus aren't the only collecting quirk surrounding this 1952 Topps Mays beauty. Much of the unsold stock of that year's Topps release was dumped into the ocean, making the herculean modern-day task of tracking down these now-beloved cards in quality condition even tougher.
Learn more about the Say Hey Kid's life and cards in our Guide to Willie Mays Baseball Cards: https://www.fanaticscollect.com/definitive-guides/a-guide-to-willie-mays-baseball-cards
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 03/31/2026.
