In August 2024, I wrote about the collectible matchbooks from Mickey Mantle’s Holiday Inn in Joplin, Missouri. There’s a ton of other memorabilia from the motel that Mantle collectors have flocked to over the years, but while flipping through Mastro & Steinbach’s Fine Sports Auctions catalog from August 1997, I found a piece I hadn’t seen before: key fobs.
Here’s how Mastro described them:
Direct from the Micks old Holiday Inn in Joplin, Missouri, this lot consists of two room key plastic fobs with a large white printed ad on one side and room number on reverse. Who would think to save these? We’ve never seen any others. Nice for display, 1-5/8″ x 3-3/8″ Near Mint to Mint condition. Minimum Bid $180
Nearly a decade later, Lelands sold a single example for $624 in their Winter 2006 auction.
Their catalog stated:
Super rare key from “Mickey Mantle’s Holiday Inn,” which first opened its doors in 1957. Includes key and green tag which reads “Mickey Mantle’s Holiday Inn, 726, Joplin, MO.” on one side and Hertz Rent A Car, Phone MA3-6242, Joplin, MO.” on the other. Overall EXMT condition with some scratching throughout.
With only a few known examples and no signs of mass survival, these key tags have become a niche but highly desirable piece of Mantle collecting history.
Happy collecting!
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