Lot # 2382: Circa 1951 Mickey Mantle Original Don Wingfield Original Photograph PSA/DNA Type I - Image Used for 1951 Wheaties Card

Remarkable original Mickey Mantle photograph, taken by noted photographer Don Wingfield and used in the production of Mantle's 1951 Wheaties card. This photograph, taken at a 1951 preseason exhibition game at Ebbets Field, is an extremely early Mantle image, dating prior to his official Major League debut on April 17. This very image was later used in the production of Mantle's 1951 Wheaties card. The 1951 Wheaties set, which consisted of eight cards, was a "test" issue and was offered only in very limited quantities within a small market area. The set was never issued nationally because both Mantle and Al Rosen, who was also featured in the set, were unable to come to financial terms with General Mills (the maker of Wheaties) over the use of their likenesses. As a result, Mantle's Wheaties card, which can also lay claim to being his true rookie card, is rare today. The photograph (8 x 10 inches) remains in exceptional condition. A number of production-related markings are on the reverse, including stamps from Don Wingfield as well as Hillerich & Bradsby. We have seen only a few of these original images, and in our opinion, this is the finest example in existence. Encapsulated and certified as an original Type I Don Wingfield photograph by PSA/DNA.