Do you mean the 52 Topps card?
I can't answer for anything pre 1980s... that's when I was a kid and I started collecting. It was THE card back then, just as it is now. I do know Mantle was the most popular player in the 50s, and that the hobby grew considerably throughout both the 50s and the 60s. His rookie card coinciding with the first Topps set was just a match made in heaven.
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