Rare Mickey Mantle Photo from 1951 Sells for $3M, More Than Doubles Record

A rare photo of New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle sold for a historic price on Tuesday.

Per The Athletic's Larry Holder, a photo of the Hall of Famer from 1951 sold for a record-breaking price of $3 million in a private sale brokered by Hunt Auctions.

The unsigned photo of Mantle was used for his iconic 1952 Topps baseball card and is PSA Type I authenticated. The sale shattered the record for an autographed sports photo, which was previously held by a Shoeless Joe Jackson signed image sold by Christie's and Hunt Auctions in 2021 for $1.47 million.

Holder noted that a PSA Type I photo is "a first generation photograph, developed from the original negative, during the period (within approximately two years of when the picture was taken)."

Hunt Auctions said that the photo sold of Mantle was initially used by the International News Service in a local news release and was not used for national distribution.

"The demand for high-end original Type I photographs from new collectors and investors coming into the space is at an all-time high," said PSA photo authenticator Henry Yee, per Holder. "The supply however for this material is extremely scarce. When an item of this caliber is offered for sale, often it is sold privately and does not even make it to public auction — such as in this case."

Mantle was a 20-time All-Star and three-time MVP who won seven World Series with the New York Yankees during his 18-year career. He retired in 1968 and died in 1995.