Mickey's "F" Bomb Hits The Media

Mickey Mantle's "F-Bomb" Ball For Sale

Posted By:Darren Rovell

Monday, 23 Feb 2009

I was surfing auction sites last night and I stumbled across a pretty unique item.

It's a ball signed by New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle, but instead of the normal inscription like "536 HR's," it says "Fuck Yogi."

It's of course referencing the Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, who Mantle played with for so many years.

Mantle and Yogi got along just fine.

But some collectors have said that when Mantle wasn't in his best form, you could get him to write almost anything.

This apparently was a good test.

The item is currently being sold by the folks at Grey Flannel Auctions for $2,750.

If it doesn't sell by this Friday, you'll have to wait until the company's April auction, where the reserve will be about $1,000.

Rich Russek, president of Grey Flannel, said he bought the ball from another dealer, so he doesn't have a particularly great story about obtaining the ball.

He said he recently got the signature authenticated by noted autograph expert James Spence, who said it was a legit Mantle signature.

The ball does have another signature on it.

It's strangely signed by Deron Johnson, who had four hits in 23 plate appearances with the Yankees during the 1960 and 1961 season.

Mickey Mantle Was A Lovable, Profane Scamp When It Came To Autograph

By Daulerio

February 23, 2009

There's something both amusing and sad about this autographed Mickey Mantle baseball, which is now being sold at a collector's auction.

There isn't a specific, funny story behind it, although CNBC's Darren Rovell suggested that, according to some collectible dealers, Mantle would be willing to write almost anything on a ball when he "wasn't in his best form", otherwise known as "I-was-out-with-Whitey-all-night-chasing-skirts shit-faced".

Right now, it's being sold by Grey Flannel Auctions for $2,750. Yankee geeks and Mantle fans should hurry and snatch this up before that dude who wrote Spawn or Charlie Sheen decides to swoop in and take it.

Mantle Family Brings Mickey's Fuck Yogi Ball Home

In a kind of stunning development in the "Fuck Yogi" ball auction, it appears the Mantle family swooped in and paid the $2,750 to buy the ball from Grey Flannel Auctions.

The auction house refused to comment to Darren Rovell, but he has a source that told him the Mantles purchased the ball to "keep it out of the hands of the collector."

The assumption is that if, as rumored, Mickey was a little tuned-up when he signed the ball, that the family wants to own it so it's not publicly displayed, further damaging The Mick's baseball legacy.

It's an interesting move by the family, considering Mantle wasn't bashful about his drinking exploits.

Who hasn't woken up on a porch swing on a random farm?

Mantle Family Buys Mantle "F-Bomb" Ball

February 26, 2009

Posted By: Darren Rovell

On Monday, we told you the story of the Mickey Mantle baseball that was signed 'Fuck Yogi'

Before putting it in their upcoming auction, the folks at Grey Flannel Auctions tried to sell it first for $2,750.

And sell it they did.

Although Richard Russek, president of Grey Flannel, declined to comment, a source told us that the Mantle family purchased the ball, presumably in order to make sure it didn't get into the hands of a collector.

Had it not sold by Friday, the ball would have entered the auction with a $1,000 reserve price.

It's not like the Mantle family needed it for their collection.

The Mantles sold about 300 items from the career of Mickey... who died in 1995... in an auction that raised $3.25 million in Dec. 2003.

In the auction, Mantle's 1957 MVP trophy was purchased for $319,250 and his 1962 World Series ring sold for $165,200.

The $2,750 the family paid for the ball might seem like a small amount, but it's a steep price when you consider that Mantle earned just $5,000 in his rookie season with the Yankees in 1951.