1953 Topps Mickey Mantle SHORT PRINT #82 PSA 7 NRMT

Not since Babe Ruth had a player captured fan’s imaginations like Mickey Mantle. He finished with 536 home runs, but perhaps none more celebrated than a shot he hit in 1953 against the Washington Senators. Batting righty against Chuck Stobbs in the fifth inning, the Mick took a 1-0 count before hammering a “chest-high fastball” with enough force to break the sound barrier. The ball rocketed 391 feet from home plate over the left-center-field wall and cleared the 55-foot bleachers, a feat never accomplished since their construction in 1924. After clipping a beer advertisement 15 feet above the bleachers, the ball finally exited Griffith Stadium, with Yankees press secretary Red Patterson immediately sprinting from his box to chase it down. Patterson found the ball in the hands of 10-year-old Donald Dunaway, who claimed to have found it in the yard of nearby 434 Oakdale Place. Walking 105 feet back to the edge of the stadium, Patterson declared that Mantle’s homer had traveled a whopping 565 feet, sending the entire sports world into a frenzy. Since that April afternoon, countless debates have unfolded over the true distance of Mickey’s legendary shot, with historians, analysts, and even physicists offering their estimates. This home run exceeded statistical analysis, though. It attracted nationwide attention and catapulted the 21-year-old Mantle into a larger-than-life figure. While the debate over Mantle’s home run will likely never end, no debate exists about his ‘53 Topps card—only his second from the Topps company and one of his most magnificent. Mantle was one of many stars whose cards saw a single print run, while other portions of the checklist saw double that amount. This short-printed nature adds extra appeal to the card, which touts Mantle as the best prospect ever to take the field. And a deep lineup of vintage baseball bidders will likely view this card as the best prospect in this month's Premier Auction. Learn more about this issue and others of the Mick in our Guide to Mickey Mantle Baseball Cards: https://www.fanaticscollect.com/definitive-guides/a-guide-to-mickey-mantles-baseball-cards The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 06/09/2025.