Mickey Mantle jersey [est. $700,000+], other legendary items up for auction

Feb. 22 (UPI) — One collector will leave Heritage Auction’s Platinum Night as the envy of them all after winning an autographed Mickey Mantle jersey.

The New York Yankees jersey from 1968 is one of several high-priced items up for auction this weekend in Dallas. Mantle’s grey jersey is estimated to be worth at least $700,000. He wore the shirt while he hit the 535th home run of his career, his second to last long ball.

“Beginnings and endings have always carried special intrigue in the collecting community, and this is a particularly nostalgic relic for the millions of Baby Boomers who consider Mickey Mantle a childhood hero,” Heritage Sports Auctions Director Chris Ivy said in a release. “The McLain ‘gift’ so perfectly illustrates the enormous respect and adoration that ‘The Mick’ enjoyed at the end of his career. It’s also entirely possible that this was the jersey he wore as the fans at (Boston’s) Fenway Park sent him into retirement with a standing ovation Sept. 28, 1968, a week after that historic Detroit home run.”

The auction also includes: a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle No. 311 PSA NM-MT 8 card, worth at least $500,000; Babe Ruth’s 1930-1941 signed New York Yankees player’s contract, valued at $500,000-plus; a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle No. 311 PSA NM+ 7.5 card, worth at least $300,000; a 1933 Goudey Joe DiMaggio No. 274 PSA Mint 9 card, valued at $300,000-plus, a Babe Ruth signed baseball, PSA/DNA NM-MT+, valued at an estimated $80,000+; and a 1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig Rookie PSA EX-MT 6 [MK] card, estimated at $50,000-plus.

The current bid for the jersey is $340,000. Mantle’s rookie card is currently set at $550,000. Ruth’s contract has a current bid of $280,000.

Mantle hit his historic home run on Sept. 19, 1968 off of Detroit Tigers ace Denny McLain. That season, McLain had a 31-6 record, the last time any pitcher won at lease 30 games. He held a 1.96 ERA. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and museum in 1974.