Topps’ “Timeless Series” NFT featuring Mickey Mantle Sells for $471,000

The opening of the upcoming Major League Baseball (MLB) season remains uncertain, but Topps Trading Cards is forging ahead with its baseball-themed non-fungible token (NFT) sales.

The first edition of Topps’ “Timeless Series,” an NFT of the historic 1952 baseball card of Mickey Mantle, the New York Yankees slugger, sold for 175 ETH (about $471,000) in an OpenSea auction that ended Friday around 19:00 UTC.

The auction tops NBA Top Shot’s record sales of $230,000 and $210,00 for limited edition LeBron James collectibles, making it one of the largest-ever in the sports.

In July, Gemini co-founder Tyler Winklevoss purchased an NFT of Yankees legend Lou Gehrig’s famed “luckiest man” address for $70,000, making it the highest baseball-related NFT purchase to date.

The winning bidder will also be allowed a 30-minute interview with Mickey Mantle’s two sons, Danny and David Mantle, as part of the “The Mick” collectible, which is officially licensed by MLB and offered in partnership with the Mantle Estate.

The Mantle brothers expressed their gratitude and excitement by stating:

“This card has been part of my father’s legacy for 70 years, and it is amazing to see its continued impact with collectors and baseball fans around the world. We are very pleased to share this piece of history with Topps in a new and exciting way through NFTs.”

Topps’ expansion in the NFT world

The actual cards on which the NFT is based are still some of the most searched in the baseball card business, with current prices sitting between $30,000 and $250,000 based on graded conditions.

Since April 2021, when it introduced its first series of digital baseball collectibles on WAX, Topps has been a player in the NFT game. In August, the trading card company migrated its NFT marketplace to the Avalanche blockchain, which coincided with the release of its first MLB World Series collection.