This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 6/22/2017.
During his 18-year career with the New York Yankees, Mickey Mantle became arguably the best hitting outfielder in Major League Baseball history and did it from both sides of the plate. A 20-time All-Star, Mantle won seven World Series championships, was a three-time American League MVP, led the AL in home runs four times and earned the Triple Crown in 1956. Mantle has his No. 7 retired by the Yankees franchise, was named to the MLB All-Century Team and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 on the first ballot. Mantle earned one of those 20 All-Stars in 1953, hitting .295 with 21 home runs and 92 RBI. In the Yankees victory over the Dodgers in the 1953 World Series, Mantle first established his reputation for dominance in the Fall Classic, clouting two homers (including a grand slam) and posting seven RBI in the six game series. On the inside rear collar fold is an, “A.G. Spalding & Bros” manufacturer’s tag with a size “44” flag tag attached below. On the front left tail reads, “MMantle 53X” in navy blue chain-stitching. Supplemental "Dry Clean Only” tagging for the laundry instructions is located on the inner left front tail. Across the chest reads, “NEW YORK” and the player number “7” appears on the back. These are done in navy blue felt lettering sewn directly onto the grey flannel jersey. Mantle signed the left chest area in blue pen and in our opinion, rates a 7 overall. The top button is missing and the remaining buttons have been reinforced. There is some felt loss on the original "N" in the New York and a tiny piece missing on the “W”. There is a number change on the back and the number "7" has been professionally restored. The "X" in "MMantle 53X" likely denotes a set made specifically for use in 1953 MLB All-Star Game. Typically an “X” may indicate an additional or extra jersey but this is not the case for '53 Spalding manufactured jerseys. It was common for a minor league call up or mid-season acquisition player's shirt to have the full word "EXTRA" sewn in the tail as opposed to just the “X”. Pee Wee Reese and Phil Rizzuto are two documented ASG examples marked with “X” in their respectively correct home/road issue jerseys for the 1953 ASG. The National League hosted the MLB All-Star Game at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, OH which validates why Reese (playing for the NL Dodgers) had the “X” tagged on only his home white jersey and why Rizzuto and Mantle (playing for the AL Yankees) have the “X” tagged only on their road greys. Conclusively Photo-Matched to Mantle in the Spring of 1955 and progressively matched to the 1953 MLB All-Star game by the configuration and orientation of how high the "NEW" sits in relation to "YORK". The Photo-Match in spring of '55 validates that much of the use seen on this shirt can be positively attributed to Mantle himself, staying within the organization for multiple season at the pro level. A far cry from the superstars of today who are issued multiple sets per homestand. This jersey is properly tagged, was presented to us as game-used and in our opinion shows outstanding extended organizational use. Accompanied by a full JSA & PSA/DNA LOA, a letter from MEARS, and a letter from PM&G grading it a 6. First entering the hobby from the gentleman who received it from a former major league scout during a Yankees tryout in the 1950s. He did not make the team, but held onto this historic piece treasuring it for 50+ years before finally letting it go. This museum level piece is being offered for only the second time publicly, standing as the hobby's earliest known road Photo-Matched jersey of Yankee great Mickey Mantle.
Please note that the photo-matching and grading authentication work on this jersey was performed by a new hobby service for game-used material PM&G. More information can be found at Photo-Match.com