(LOT 34)
1954 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle PSA 8 NM-MT
RARE MICK!!!...
One of the rarest 1950s baseball card issues are the Stahl-Meyer Franks subjects distributed in packages of hot dogs by a New York-based meat company from 1953 through 1955, with the 1954/1955 issues including yellow borders (as opposed to the 1953 issues that sported white borders). The 1953 set included nine subjects, while the 1954-55 sets were increased to 12 ballplayers. As is the case with almost all post-WWII cardboard issues, the most popular and valuable of the twelve subjects is the iconic Mickey Mantle, with his 1954 yellow-border issue presented here in an incredible high-grade 8 NM-MT holder from PSA. Substantiating the notion that the 1954 yellow border Stahl-Meyer-Franks Mantles qualify as a significantly scarcer issue is PSA's Pop Chart, indicating only 22 encapsulated 1954 Mantle examples versus 50 encapsulated, non-qualified 1953 Mantles. Due to inserting the cards within hot dog packages, Stahl-Meyer subjects are ultra-condition-sensitive, with most surviving examples exhibiting low technical assessments, staining and oily blemishes.

Because of his iconic 1952 Topps subject, Mantle personified the acceleration of the cardboard industry in the 1980s, and his cardboard issues are held in the utmost esteem. In 2022, Mickey Mantle's 1952 Topps issue, graded 9.5 from SGC, crowned The Mick king of the hobby, dethroning Honus Wagner's T206 White Border and the industry's most expensive cardboard keepsake. This ultra-scarce, highest graded 1954 Stahl Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle holdered PSA 8 NM-MT displays a vibrant yellow border with a superb portrait image of the Commerce Comet against a studio background as if it was captured today. Mickey's good-natured boyish grin helped popularize the Oklahoman in the Big Apple and across the nation, as did his mammoth home runs, unrelenting playing style (to his detriment) and the fact that he was better than nearly every ballplayer on earth at the time. There are only 22 non-qualified examples assessed by PSA with this one standing atop the heap. Much like The Mick himself, this is a one-of-a-kind piece of work that may likely never be eclipsed due to the condition-sensitive nature of the Stahl-Meyer Franks issues.

MIN BID $25,000
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