Here’s a cool early-1960s Mickey Mantle Rawlings advertising poster I ran across while perusing Mastro’s April 2002 Sports & Americana Premier Catalog.
Here’s the lots catalog description:
This majestic store advertising poster features Mickey Mantle in promotion of Rawlings baseball gloves. Mantle’s facsimile signature appears in the upper left corner, and the large colorful Rawlings trademark logo is pictured at the lower right. Mantle was the “heavy hitter” in Rawlings star-studded lineup of major league endorsers during the period, and this particular promotional piece is among the rarest and most desirable of all Mantle photographic advertising displays. The almost life-sized black-and-white pose of Mantle, presented here, captures his poised and confident, yet friendly, expression. The piece exhibits minor chipping along the lower left and right border areas as well as a few light creases (primarily in the corner and border areas.) These condition flaws, most of which are not even noticeable when framed, are extremely minor in nature and do not detract from the piece’s overall strong Excellent to Mint appearance. A spectacular example of this most elusive and desirable Mickey Mantle advertising display. The poster is housed in a quality frame, to 22″ by 27-1/2″ dimensions.
In April 2011, Heritage sold an example for $508.
But lately, things have gotten a little hotter. In the spring of 2022, REA sold this one for $3,240.
They added these details:
Large retail advertising poster measuring 21.5 x 29.75 inches (visible size) featuring Mickey Mantle in promotion of Rawlings baseball gloves. This is an extremely impressive and classic vintage Mantle advertising piece that is ideal for display. Mantle’s facsimile signature appears in the upper-left corner, and the large, colorful Rawlings trademark logo is pictured in the lower right. Given Mantle’s star status at the time, this was probably a powerful promotional piece for Rawlings and no doubt helped sway the minds of more than a few indecisive Little Leaguers as they shopped for a new glove. Its visual appeal is no less impressive today, and it remains one of the more desirable of all Mantle photographic advertising displays. The poster, which is printed on thin paper stock, displays light rippling (primarily along the left edge), which is mentioned strictly for the sake of accuracy and does not in the least detract from its overall strong Excellent to Mint appearance. Because of its fragile nature, few of these posters have survived. An outstanding example of this majestic Mantle advertising piece and one that would be perfect for display in either home or office. Matted and framed to total dimensions of 32.75 x 41.25 inches. The substantial size/weight of this item requires that there will be an additional shipping charge for this lot.
But be careful if you’re interested in one of these; there are a TON of fakes and reprints.
Happy collecting!
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