The American firm that produces Bazooka chewing gum, candy, and collectibles, Topps has announced the company is planning to auction one of the rarest baseball cards on earth in NFT form — Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle card. The Topps 1 of 1 “Timeless Collectible” will be issued as a non-fungible token (NFT) and sold on the NFT marketplace Opensea on March 1, 2022.
Topps Announces 1952 Mickey Mantle NFT Card Auction Via Opensea, Physical Card With PSA Score 9 Is Worth $5.2 Million
Topps announced the minting of one of the world’s rarest baseball cards as the company revealed plans to auction the digital collectible from March 1-4, next month. According to the Topps website, the company is auctioning off the Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle card which is a highly sought-after real-world collectible. The physical card has an estimated value of around $5.2 million as the card was bought at that price by entrepreneur and actor Rob Gough last year.
According to Beckett’s sources, the card Gough purchased is one of six cards that have a grade of Mint PSA 9. Topps says the “Timeless Collectible” sale is backed by Major League Baseball (MLB) and Mickey Mantle’s estate. “Deep within the annals of just a few prized collections comes a coveted vintage relic transformed for the Digital Age,” Topps says. The candy and collectibles company further added:
As the Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle Card continues to be one of the rarest collectibles in the world, fans will now have the opportunity to cement Mantle’s legacy on the Ethereum blockchain. In partnership with the Mantle Estate and Major League Baseball, Topps Timeless is honored to bring you the first ever licensed MLB NFT to be auctioned on Opensea.
Fanatics Acquires Topps for $500 Million, Mickey Mantle NFT Card Owner Will Be Given the Opportunity to Meet Mantle’s Sons
Topps has been dropping a lot of non-fungible technology (NFT)-based products during the last year. The company has worked with the Wax Blockchain, Avalanche (AVAX), and a myriad of different collections. In February 2021, people could acquire Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) cards at select Target and Walmart stores and get NFTs in the physical packs. Topps has released MLB collections and NFTs featuring the science-fiction themed Mars Attacks cards. During the first week of January, the sports retail giant Fanatics announced it acquired Topps for $500 million.
According to Topps, there will only be one 1952 Mickey Mantle NFT card made and it will be minted on the Ethereum blockchain to be auctioned on Opensea. “Be the one to bring home this rare NFT by bidding on OpenSea and add this monumental piece of sports history to your collection,” details the Topps website. Additionally, Topps reveals that the winner of the auction will be able to have a 30-minute interview with Mickey Mantle’s sons, Danny and David Mantle.
