5 Mickey Mantle Cards For Cheaper Budgets

Any baseball card collector would be happy to add Mickey Mantle cards to their collection. Unfortunately, because he’s one of the most iconic athletes of the 20th century, most people think Mantle’s cards are often too expensive for budget-minded collectors. While it’s true, Mantle’s rookie cards (from both Bowman and Topps) might be out of touch, since they rank among the best rookie cards from Topps over the past 70-plus seasons, but there are some non-rookie cards worth checking out!

That’s where this article comes in! We tracked down some great Mickey Mantle cards that aren’t too expensive but can still upgrade our sports card collections.

As an individual, “The Mick,” as he was affectionately known as by Yankees fans, was a 20-time All-Star, a three-time American League MVP, and he won the hitting Triple Crown (led the league in batting average, HR and RBI) in 1956. He is just the fourth player to have won the Triple Crown since 1950! While Mantle is one of just 28 sluggers to hit 500 home runs, he was just the sixth player to accomplish the feat when he did it in 1967.

As the heart of the Yankees teams from the ‘50s and ‘60s, Mantle was a 7-time World Series champion, had his No. 7 retired, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1974.

Mickey Mantle Cards For Less Money

Disclaimer: This is not investment advice, as I am not a financial planner. These are my observations as a sports card collector. Please make your own decisions.

Raw cards will certainly come at a lower price, but ungraded Mickey Mantle cards are also susceptible to being trimmed or altered, so buyer beware.

Last Flagship Mickey Mantle Card: 1969 Topps Mickey Mantle #500 PSA 4 – $240

While it’s true that this card isn’t exactly cheap, we wanted to list at least one of Mantle’s flagship base cards. We chose the PSA 4 grade because cards of this grade have the fewest creases and the least scuffing or scratches among lower-graded cards. Centering might be really bad on the front or back, and the corners might be slightly rounded, but it’s still a very acceptable grade for Mickey Mantle cards.

5 More Budget-Friendly Mickey Mantle Cards

Sure, Mickey Mantle cards can be expensive, but here are some discount bin options for every card collector to make other collectors jealous!

1957 Topps Yankees’ Power Hitters #407 PSA 4 $60

• Getting one card with The Mick and Yogi Berra together!?! Berra, who ranks among the greatest catchers in baseball history, along with one of the most collectable players ever? Yes, please!

1958 Topps Mickey Mantle All-Stars #487 PSA 4 $175

• This card isn’t necessarily super-cheap or anything, but look at it! If you had $200 to spend on a Mantle card, it wouldn’t be possible to get a prettier one, and it’s from the ‘50s!

1960 Topps Rival All-Stars Mickey Mantle / Ken Boyer #160 PSA 5 $60

• If you’re a Cardinals fan, this is the perfect card for you, as you get one of the great Cardinals from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, along with Mickey Mantle, at a huge discount.

1961 Topps Mickey Mantle American League MVP 1956-‘57 #475 PSA 5 $100

• Again, like the All-Star cards, these are cheaper than Mantle’s standard base cards. However, it’s him alone on the card, with his name in bold capital letters, with “Most Valuable Player” across the top, and a gorgeous red background to make this card pop! Bargain!

1965 Topps Mantle’s Clutch HR #134 PSA 5 $75

• This might have more of an artist’s rendering look to it, but if that isn’t one of the sweetest action shots ever.

While Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge have also become huge Yankees fan favorites since Mattingly retired, “The Mick” is still in a class on its own. From a card-collecting perspective, having Mickey Mantle cards displayed on your wall upgrades your collection instantly.