MICKEY Mantle fans can now own a unique piece of sports memorabilia – the baseball legend’s childhood home.
Collectibles company Rally is offering up to 47,000 shares in the New York Yankees icon’s house in Commerce, Oklahoma, for just $7 each.
It is a far cry from the Mantle 1952 Topps baseball card which sold for an incredible $12.6million last year, or a game-worn jersey which was bought for $4.68million this summer.
The tiny two-bedroom, one bath property house holds huge historical and sentimental value as the place where one of baseball’s greatest stars learnt how to play the sport.
There are still baseball markings on the rusty metal barn that Mantle used as a backstop.
Mantle won an incredible seven World Series with the Yankees and was a three-time American League MVP.
Purchased by the Mantle family in 1934, the house is also a time capsule due the Mantle family’s requests to keep it in its original condition.
“Mickle Mantle is this impactful, really monumental figure from the sport,” Rob Petrozzo, Rally’s co-founder and chief product officer, tells The U.S. Sun.
“He’s one of the first real superstars of the sport that had this huge personality which followed him after the game.
“You look back at what happened on that property and this barn that’s there literally still has the ball marks from when Mickey Mantle took swings and practiced with his father and grandfather.
“In Commerce, everything looks and feels like it did when Mantle was there. The main street has this nostalgic look and feel, which haven’t really changed in 70, 80 years.
“All those things make it a really interesting place and a really interesting house but also a real collectible when it comes to Americana and baseball.”
The offering opens to the public on October 27, with the property valued at $329,000.
It was purchased by Rally for $175,000 in 2022.
Rally is purchasing five per cent of the shares in the house, while 2,200 shares will be distributed for free to local residents in Commerce.
Baseball fans and sports collectors alike are expected to take part in the investment.
“Mickey Mantle is one of the most collectible names in all of sports,” Petrozzo added.
“We think of it as much as a collectible as it is real estate.
“The only reason you know it’s Mickey Mantle’s childhood home is that there’s a small plaque in the front porch when you walk in.
“The story that goes with it makes it a collectible.”
In the future, the property could be turned into a museum, with a baseball field in the garden.
Airbnb-style short-term rentals are also being considered, with investors having a say in future plans.
“It’s a huge attraction, we believe it hasn’t been promoted as such,” Petrozzo said.
