1956 Topps Mickey Mantle

When it comes to pure beauty in a baseball card, not many can match the 1956 Mickey Mantle card. Mantle would really break through in that summer of 1956, and with no 1954 or 1955 Mantle card from Topps, the Mick's 1956 card would become one of his most popular with kids of the era and with modern day collectors.

As with many of the 1956 cards, the 1956 Mickey Mantle #135 has two versions--a gray back and a white back version. The white back version is a little tougher to find and commands a bit of a premium when it comes to pricing. Printing equipment had advanced some from the early 50's, but many 1956 cards still suffer from poor centering and print quality.

What did Mr. Mantle do in the summer of '56? Well, for starters he hit .353 with 52 home runs, 132 runs scored, 130 RBI and had a slugging percentage of .705. All of those stats were good enough to lead the league, thus giving Mickey the triple crown for leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBI. The 1956 American League MVP award was also given to Mickey. He continued to hit in the World Series, knocking out three more home runs against the Dodgers in the World Series, helping the Yankees avenge their 1955 World Series defeat to Brooklyn.