In 1952, a Mickey Mantle baseball card could be bought as part of a wax-wrapped packet for only a penny or a nickel. Seventy years later, one of those cards sold for $12.6 million at auction, setting a new record for sports memorabilia. The 1952 Topps card had already attracted collectors before the record sale. In 1991, Anthony Giordano bought one for $50,000 at a baseball card show at Madison Square Garden. According to The New York Times, the card was eventually graded Mint+ 9.5 out of 10, with its condition described as exceptional. Its value then rose far beyond its original price.
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