Rare Mantle rookie card sells for $2.8 million

A mint condition Mickey Mantle rookie card sold for a near-record $2.88 million on Thursday night, Dallas-based Heritage Auctions announced.

It is the highest price ever for a Mantle card and the second-highest price ever paid for an American baseball card, coming in under the $3.12 million paid in 2016 for a 1909 Honus Wagner card.

The 1952 pristine rookie card made by Topps is the first mint condition Mantle card sold publicly in 12 years. Other not so well preserved cards have sold in the past few years at auction.

The Mantle card was sold by former National Football League player Evan Mathis.

A Hall of Fame slugger for the New York Yankees from 1951-1968, Mantle hit 536 home runs and batted .300 or better more than 10 times in his career.  /kga