Long before bidding ended early Sunday morning, this 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card was already the world's most valuable sports card sold at auction. But at 12:28 a.m. CST Sunday, it became official when Heritage Auctions sold the 1952 Mantle, graded a Mint+ 9.5 by Sportscard Guaranty Corporation, for $12.6 million. Since Heritage first announced the card's auction in July, it has been the stuff of international headlines. Until the rookie Mantle came to Heritage Auctions earlier this year, its provenance was all that was known about it. The cardboard gem was among the 5,500 1952 Topps cards Alan “Mr. Mint” Rosen bought from a Massachusetts man in the mid-1980s. Heritage took the card to SGC, which resulted in the extraordinary grade. "It bears the finest qualities any 1952 Topps can possess: perfect centering, registration and four sharp corners," Ivy says. "That this Mantle rookie card remained in this condition for 70 years is a true miracle." To read about the full story (and you’re gonna to want to!), head to bit.ly/3CDltIV.⚾️