1955 Mickey Mantle's Signed & Executed New York Yankees Uniform Players Contract (Mantle Family LOA)

1955 Mickey Mantle's Signed & Executed New York Yankees Uniform Players Contract (Mantle Family LOA)

While his first four seasons in New York were nothing short of prodigious, 1955 was the year Mickey Mantle truly came into his own. Since he was a teen, Mantle had been regarded as one of the greatest young stars in the game, an expectation so daunting that most could never begin to live up to. Yet in 1955 the Yankees star did just that. He hit American League pitching at a .306 clip and his 37 home runs, 11 triples, .611 slugging and .431 on-base percentage all led the league. All this was just a precursor the following year, what Mantle joyously called his “favorite summer,” in which he won the Triple Crown. This 1955 contract derives from the Mantle family and accompanied by their letter of authenticity. Listing his home as "Commerce, Oklahoma," the February 14, 1955 dated standard four-page “Uniform Players Contract American League of Professional Baseball Clubs” designates a salary of $25,000, and is signed on page three by Mantle and general manager Bill DeWitt. This Mantle signature is a sharp blue inked version of his highly desirable early career signature. The contract shows the expected horizontal folds from mailing and storage and overall toning to the surfaces from age. The signatures remain untouched and bright. A significant piece from the very first season Mickey Mantle became MICKEY MANTLE.