MICKEY MANTLE 1st GAME IN NY TICKET - PSA AUTH

[EYECOLLECTVINTAGE]

$2200 DLVD





Up for your consideration is one of the most exceptional Mickey Mantle items we have ever had the pleasure of offering to the public.

Saturday, April 14, 1951: the forthcoming baseball season is just around the corner, and it's time for the annual exhibition games between the Dodgers and the Yankees. Fresh off a red-eye flight from Kansas City, a young Yankees rookie takes his position in right field, alongside the legendary Joe DiMaggio. That rookie: Mickey Mantle.

The April 14 exhibition game was Mantle's first ballgame in a major league stadium, and given the number of Yankees/Dodgers World Series in which Mantle would play, Ebbets Field was a fitting place to start his career. While records for the game are not readily available, a quick glance at the blog of Keith Olbermann yields a 2012 entry that does note that the game was broadcast on WMGM, with young second-year announcer Vin Scully behind the mic.

The stub itself has been graded AUTHENTIC by PSA, one of just three stubs from this game that they have assessed (all graded the same). The eye appeal is strong, some paper loss at the bottom-right perforated edge, and a bit of extra paper at the bottom-left.

The handwriting on the reverse indicates the score of 11-5 in favor of the Yankees, along with the pitching matchup of Spec Shea vs. Carl Erskine.

Such notations are common on vintage tickets, and in this case being on the reverse, do not interfere with the item's aesthetic appeal.
Note that the numbering of this ticket seems counter-intuitive, since "Game 1" is printed on the stub.

"Game 1," to most of us, would imply Opening Day, however in this case it does appear that the Ebbets Field Pavilion seats, which were not dated, were numbered beginning with the first exhibition game.

Since there were two Dodgers/Yankees exhibitions at Ebbets Field prior to Opening Day, the Opening Day pavilion seats should be numbered "Game 3." The bright orange color of the stub, coupled with the Walter O'Malley facsimile signature, enables us to date the stub to 1951.

An outstanding and seldom-seen ticket, the first major league stadium appearance of Mickey Mantle, and his first game in the city that would soon fall in love with him.

Own this exceptionally rare Mickey Mantle artifact today!