A Mickey Mantle AutographA Mickey Mantle autograph is essential to a collection of 20th century greats.There are a few baseball players whose names are familiar even to those who don’t care for the game. Mickey Mantle was such a player. Even though decades have passed since he played for the New York Yankees, he still holds some of the records that he set, and is still regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. From the day that he was born on October 20, 1931, his dad had big plans for him. Naming him after Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane, Mantle’s dad, Mutt, always wanted him to aspire to a career in professional baseball.
Shortly after Mantle’s birth, the family moved to Commerce, Oklahoma. There Mutt labored in the mines to support his family. At the end of each long day, he returned home and spent time practicing baseball with his young son. This dedication soon paid off and by age 10, Mantle started to play on his Peewee baseball team, and impressed all who saw him play. At Commerce High School, he not only played baseball, but was an asset to the basketball and football teams as well. A football injury nearly resulted in one of his legs being amputated, but doctors were able to save his leg, and what would be an incredible career. A Yankees scout came through Commerce in 1948. The day that the scout, Tom Greenwade, watched Mantle play, he was having a very good day. So impressed was Greenwade with the 17 year old Mantle that he returned the very day that Mantle graduated from high school to sign him. It took Mantle just three years to rise through the minor leagues and land a spot on the New York Yankees. He was sent back to the minors only briefly to work on his hitting, but returned the same year. It was upon his return that Mantle, nickname “The Mick”, was assigned the number 7, and that is the number that would be associated with him for the rest of his career. Over the next several years, he continued to excel and grow as a player. Many consider 1956 to be his most incredible year as a player. He won several major awards including the Triple Crown Male Athlete of the Year, American League MVP and Player of the Year. He went on to win the MVP award two more times, in 1957 and 1962. For many players, the biggest honor is induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mantle was inducted in 1974. To make the occasion even more special, his best friend, Whitey Ford, was inducted on the same day. Mantle and his wife, Merlyn, had three sons Mickey Jr., Danny and Billy. He passed away in August of 1995 after a battle with liver cancer. As mentioned above, many of the records that he set during his 18 year career still stand. He played in an amazing 12 World Series and holds the record for the most home runs during World Series games with 18. His name and life will always be associated with the New York Yankees and the game that he loved. Mickey Mantle was a 20th Century American icon. He was bigger than baseball. A Mickey Mantle autograph would fit nicely in any collection of American greats. If there are any baseball memorabilia collectors who wouldn't care to have a Mickey Mantle autograph in their collection, I would be surprised. Only Babe Ruth comes close to matching Mantle's appeal to baseball memorabilia collectors. Mantle signed thousands of autographs during his career, but he signed many more after his career ended, largely due to his popularity at card shows. No other player attracted as many fans to shows. At his first signings in the early 80s he charged $15 for an autograph. That sounds like small change now, but in those days it was a lot to pay for a living player. Fans happily paid it, and they continued to pay even when his fees rose to the $100 mark. Mantle made more signing his name at card shows and for Upper Deck Authenticated than he did during his entire career as a player. He took great pride in all of his "paid" signatures, making sure that everyone got a good one. I have never seen a Mickey Mantle autograph than was signed at a card show that didn't look great. His signed baseballs are actually beautiful; anyone who has ever seen one is likely to remember what it looks like. Very few autographs of any celebrity fit that profile. Today a Mickey Mantle signed ball is worth about $750. Inscriptions with career stats will bump the price up to close to $1,000. Upper Deck Authenticated signed baseballs list for as much as $2000, though, with the current state of the economy, a shopper could find one at a several hundred dollar discount. This might be a good time to pick one up because Mantle signed balls will always be desirable, and as more and more find their way to permanent collections, prices will rise. Mickey Mantle autograph values: Signature: $250
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