The Aporia · Mickey Mantle photo that became record-setting card goes for eye-popping $3 million

Mickey Mantle photo that became record-setting card goes for eye-popping $3 million

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Richter, E. (2026, September 16). Mickey Mantle photo that became record-setting card goes for eye-popping $3 million. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/16/sports/mickey-mantle-photo-that-became-record-setting-card-goes-for-eye-popping-3-million/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

A photograph of Mickey Mantle taken during spring training in Phoenix on March 5, 1951, was sold for $3 million in a private sale brokered by Hunt Auctions. The image, authenticated as a first-generation photo by PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), predates the famous 1952 Topps baseball card featuring Mantle and has become highly sought after due to its rarity and historical significance. This reflects a growing market for premium original sports photographs, with Henry Yee of PSA noting that such items often sell privately without reaching public auctions.

Written by AI on 2026-09-16, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A photograph of Mickey Mantle taken on March 5, 1951, during Yankees spring training in Phoenix by an unknown International News Service photographer, has been sold for a record-breaking $3 million. Ron Firman from Rye, New York, purchased the image at a private sale brokered by Hunt Auctions. The photo is classified as a PSA Type 1, meaning it was developed directly from the original negative within two years of being taken and is considered one of the highest-quality images available. With Mantle's career including 536 home runs, this iconic photograph represents a significant piece of baseball history. According to PSA photo authenticator Henry Yee, there is currently high demand for such rare Type 1 photographs among new collectors and investors, but supply remains extremely limited.

Written for “Mickey Mantle Card Sale” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 18% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

A garage sale book hid a rare Mickey Mantle photo that sold for $20,740 Different event

Times of India

Hedges 1 of 43 claims Outlet record 59/100

“The articles describe two different sales of rare Mickey Mantle photographs at different times and locations.”

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

18%

2 of 11 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Sports

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Erich Richter

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 90 articles by Erich Richter →

Claims (11 extracted, 2 hedged)

The most iconic Mickey Mantle image fetched an insane price. asserted

image → fetch → price

Ron Firman of Rye, N.Y., purchased for $3 million the first edition of the non-autographed, PSA-authenticated photo of the iconic Yankees center fielder that later became Mantle’s legendary 1952 Topps card. asserted

that → purchase → fielder

The picture of Mantle was sold at a private sale brokered by Hunt Auctions. asserted

picture → sell → Auctions

It is a PSA Type 1 photo, meaning it is a “first-generation photograph, developed from the original negative, during the period (within approximately two years of when the picture was taken),” according to psacard.com. uncertain

picture → mean → psacard.com

That picture was taken by an unknown International News Service photographer at Yankees spring training in Phoenix on March 5, 1951, though the photographer carried no credit so it’s unclear if the individual was a company staffer or a freelancer. uncertain

individual → take → credit

“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. asserted

Yee → come → high

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.” asserted

it → offer → case

Highly graded copies of Mantle’s iconic 1952 Topps card have fetched obscene prices at auction, including a record $12.6 million in August 2022. asserted

copies → grade → August

Mantle’s rookie card is from Bowman’s 1951 set, which has sold for as much as $843,750, though that card is not a real picture but a painted image. asserted

card → sell → 843,750

Mantle played for the Yankees from 1951-66 and authored one of baseball’s most legendary careers, primarily manning center field as a left-handed-swinging power hitter from Oklahoma. asserted

Mantle → play → Oklahoma

He tallied 536 homers, but his body began to fall apart after the 1961 home run chase with Roger Maris, when Mantle hit 54 home runs and drove in 128 runs, while Maris hit a then-record 61 homers and drove in 141. asserted

Maris → tally → 141

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Articles to 5 Nov 2026

Mickey Mantle photo that became record-setting card goes for eye-popping $3 million

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Claims (11 extracted, 2 hedged)