What are the most expensive baseball cards ever sold? Souvenirs worth over $2,000,000 in auction starring Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle was a name that defined his team, the New York Yankees, for close to a generation. The electric center fielder spent his entire 18-year career playing in the pinstripes.

During that time, Mantle won no fewer than three MVP Awards, seven World Series rings, and 20 All-Star appearances playing in the Bronx from 1951 to 1968. Additionally, Mickey Mantle was known for being one of the most successful switch-hitters ever.

In 2022, a 1952 Mickey Mantle Topps baseball card sold for a record-setting $12.6 million. The card was given a rating of 9.5/10 by rating group SGC and dealt through Heritage Auctions.

"This mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card from 1952 just sold for $12.6 million — the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia ever sold at auction." - New York Times

Mantle's 1952 card beat out the previously held-record for the most expensive baseball card. That title belonged to a T206 card of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Honus Wagner. Wagner's card sold for $7.25 million, set just a month before Mickey Mantle's card set the new record.

In 2009, a National Treasures card featuring Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry sold for $5.9 million. Six years later, an Upper Deck Lebron James rookie card was auctioned off for about $5.88 million.

After Dallas Maverick Luca Doncic, Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout comes in at number five on the list. Trout's 2009 Chrome Draft Prospects card sold for about $4.4 million before Trout had played in an MLB game.

"So you get your pick - Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Supervector rookie card that sold for $3.9 million in 2020 or a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth that sold for $4.2 million in 2021. The only catch is you have to hold for 20 years before you sell. Which do you take? Why?" - Repacked Wax

Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, and Wayne Gretzky rank as other players who have seen sports cards of theirs auctioned off for more than $2 million. Which baseball card would you most like to get your hands on?

Mickey Mantle card shows that trading game is alive and well

Evidently, baseball card trading has continued on past the schoolyard. Big-money individuals dropping serious cash to obtain these rare objects proves that the industry is alive and well. Hopefully, we will continue to see the prevalence of rare baseball cards emerge, and long may the league give us superstars to adorn on the cards of the future.