Of course, TedZ is right that the card was a big deal even in 1952. Mantle was a prized rookie and a NY Yankee, so his first Topps card, in Topps first colorized, supersized set, made it an even bigger deal. About thirty years later, when millions of 1950's kids began to recollect as the hobby exploded in the early '80's, that card again became the focus of most wantlists, whether it was warranted or not. I can recall getting back into collecting at that time and seeing the card offered in SCD in nice condition for a few hundred bucks. Just a couple of years later, it abruptly jumped into the thousands and then into the tens of thousands. So, to me, its current valuation is just a reflection of the number of collectors who surged into the hobby enmass in the 80's. Maybe the card will gradually decline in importance - and value - as those folks slowly fade away, especially since, unlike the Wagner card, there should be plentiful numbers of the Mantle card well into the future.
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