Goldin Offers High-grade 1959 Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams Sport Magazine Certified by CGC
Posted on 2/22/2024
When a vintage collectible has two MLB legends and is in unparalleled condition for its age, serious collectors will vie to add it to their collection. That's why an example of a 1959 Sport magazine featuring both Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams already has bidding at $1,000 more than a week before an upcoming Goldin Auctions sale. The magazine is among the sports collectibles graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) in Goldin's 2024 February Elite Auction, which will be held on March 2, 2024.
One of the top CGC-certified lots is a Sport v27 #6, June 1959, graded CGC 9.8 (lot 1251). This example stands alone as the highest graded of nine examples of this particular 1959 issue in the CGC Census. This issue from the pioneering sports-based magazine, which pre-dated Sports Illustrated's first issue by eight years, contains feature stories on Mantle, Williams and world heavyweight champion boxer Floyd Patterson, making it a significant collectible due to its superb preservation and historical significance.
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As the preeminent sports magazine of the late 1940s and 1950s, New York-based Sport was an innovator of the medium, utilizing color photography generously throughout its monthly issues starting with its debut magazine in 1946. Beginning in 1948, the magazine created the annual Sport Magazine Award, which was awarded to the best player each season in 11 major sports. The magazine also implemented an award in 1955 that was given to the most outstanding player in the World Series each year, and then later expanded it as a postseason award for three other major sports leagues.
Mickey Mantle
Mantle is a New York Yankees icon and one of the MLB's all-time greatest players. He is arguably the greatest switch-hitter in the history of the game. The small-town boy from Oklahoma burst onto the scene in his second year, becoming a bona fide star in the Big Apple after taking over in center field for Joe DiMaggio following his retirement. Mantle would spend his entire 18-year MLB career in New York, winning the Triple Crown in 1956, the American League MVP three times and the World Series seven times. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Ted Williams
During his 19-year career MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, Williams earned the distinction of being arguably the greatest hitter in MLB history. In only his third season, the left fielder posted a .406 batting average, making him the last player to ever finish a season with an average above .400. Williams is a 19-time All-Star, two-time AL MVP, two-time Triple Crown winner and six-time AL batting champion. The baseball icon still holds the MLB record for career on-base percentage (.482) and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. A few decades later, in 1991, President George H.W. Bush presented Williams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Other CGC-certified collectibles in the auction include:
- a 1915 World Series Souvenir Score Book #nn, 1915 (Red Sox vs. Philadelphia cover) graded CGC 5.5 (lot 1243)
- a Street & Smith's Basketball #nn, 1986-87 (Michael Jordan cover) graded CGC 9.6 (lot 1247)
- a Sports Illustrated v88 #19, May 11, 1998 (Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen cover) graded CGC 9.8 (lot 1259)
- a The Ring v65 #1, February 1986 (Mike Tyson cover) graded CGC 9.4 (lot 1255)
- a Sports Illustrated for Kids v8 #12, December 1996 (Larry Johnson, Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny cover) graded CGC 9.0 (lot 1252)
- a Prince Williams Cannons Information Guide #nn, 1994 (Michael Jordan - Birmingham Barons cover) graded CGC 9.8 (lot 1248)
- an AutoWeek v48 #48, November 23, 1998 (Lewis Hamilton cover) graded CGC 6.5 (lot 1264)
- a Sports Illustrated v76 #20, May 25, 1992 (Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing cover) graded CGC 9.0 (lot 1262)
- a SLAM #78, May 2004 (LeBron James cover) graded CGC 9.2 (lot 1261)
- a Sports Illustrated v76 #18, May 11, 1992 (Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler cover) graded CGC 9.0 (lot 1258)
About CGC
Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for many other types of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media.
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