Not many players' professional careers in the MLB last for over two decades, but pitcher Nolan Ryan did it while playing for ...

While the 1952 Topps card is more popular—and often cited as the most valuable baseball or even sports card ever—the 1951 Bowman #253 holds unique value as Mantle’s actual rookie.

It surpassed the record for the most expensive baseball card of all time by over $5 million and blew past the game-worn Diego Maradona jersey from his “Hand of God” goal ($9.3 million) to ...