WASHINGTON — The passage of time — 63 years, actually — did little to dull the luster of a childhood idol.
Chris Rothe, who lives outside of Baltimore, paid $500 for whatever was the 19th card in a pack of 1955 Bowman baseball cards opened live on YouTube Friday. His turned out to be a card of New York Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle — and he’s already been offered $50,000 for the prized possession.
Rothe’s Mantle card was discovered in a live reveal at the National Sports Collectors Convention.
“There were 20 cards in the pack,” said Leighton Sheldon, owner of Vintage Breaks, the company that orchestrated the sale. “With only one card left in the pack, it was none other than Mickey Mantle.”
For Rothe, the reward wasn’t simply realizing he had a valuable collectible.
“My father’s favorite player, growing up, was Mickey Mantle,” Rothe told WTOP. “He instilled the love of ‘The Mick’ into me at a very young age.”
Sheldon said discovery of a 1955 Bowman Mantle card isn’t rare. “It’s rare in high-grade condition.”
At the show, a representative from Professional Sports Authenticator graded the Mantle card 9 out of 10.
“This is only the eighth card of the 1955 Bowman Mickey Mantle that’s ever graded a 9 out of 10,” Sheldon said. “They have not graded a 1955 Bowman card at 9 of 10 in over 20 years.”
Sheldon said “breaking the pack” is a popular way for sports collectors to take a chance on finding rare cards in unopened packs purchased from auction houses, collectors, dealers, investors or people who inherited them.
The cards are revealed in real time on YouTube.
“There’s a process in which you authenticate to make sure packs or boxes are still in their original condition,” Sheldon said.
Sheldon’s company is fielding offers for Rothe’s card.
“We currently have an offer of $50,000 for Chris’s Mickey Mantle,” said Sheldon. “It’s going to be worth more than that.”
Rothe, who has other Mantle cards in his collection, is open to selling his new card.
“I’m not committed, one way or the other, to keeping it — I certainly won’t be hiding it from the light of day in a box,” said Rothe. “Every collector should have the opportunity to see it, potentially own it, and pass it on to the next.”
Sheldon said he plans to speak Monday with several people who have expressed interest in Chris’s card.
“Really, only time will tell what the card is actually worth,” Sheldon said.
