1961 Topps Dice Game Uncut Sheet Featuring Rarest Mickey Mantle Card on Auction

Player, sport, rarity, and time are friends to value but prove challenging to collectors. In the world of collectibles, the harder to find, the larger the price tag. At Collect Auctions, one of the rarest items in the sports card hobby is up for a bid that could top $1 million.

A failed test run on a tabletop dice game by Topps in the early 1960’s is now one of the hardest sports card collectibles to find. The timeframe for the release of the game is up for debate. Believed to have gone into development in 1960-61 with a release after the 1962 All-Star Game, some place the date on the set in 1963.

The 1961 Topps Dice Game was an uncut “sheet” of 18 cards featuring 18 different Major League Baseball players. The cards include All-Stars from the era: Brooks Robinson, Camilo Pascual, Don Drysdale, Del Crandall, Earl Battey, Tony Kubek, Al Kaline, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson, Bobby Richardson, Leon Wagner, Bill Mazeroski, Dick Groat, Norm Siebern, Jim Davenport, Bill White, Willie Mays, and Mickey Mantle.

Worth noting; the uncut sheet has eight Hall of Famers – Drysdale, Kaline, Mantle, Mays, Mazeroski, Musial, Brooks and Frank Robinson.

The individual cards measure 2-1/2” by 3-1/2” were in black and white with the player on the front. The back of the card is similar to the modern-day trading card games. The role of the dice, 2-12, determines the baseball game outcome.

For pitchers, a back of the card example: (2) Double, (3) Walk, (4) Foul Out, (5) Fly Out, (6) Ground Out, (7) Single, (8) Strike Out, (9) Pop Out, (10) Fly Out, (11) Ground Out, and (12) Double. The dice role corresponded to a Fastball, Curveball, Slider, and Changeup.

For hitters, an example of the outcomes: (2) Homer Run, (3) Double, (4) Single, (5) Single, (6) Fly Out, (7) Ground Out, (8) Fly Out, (9) Walk, (10) Strike Out, (11) Pop Out, and (12) Home Run. Yes, there were duplicate chances to hit a dinger, fly out, or walk depending on the player at bat.

When the cards and uncut sheets were brought into the collectible’s world years later, there was initial confusion on who released the game and the cards. Sharp eyes noted that eight of the cards were side pictures Topps used in their 1960 set: Crandall, Drysdale, Kaline, Mantle, Mays, Musial, Brooks Robinson, and Wagner.

The pop count for singles cut from the 1961 Topps Dice Game sheet are less than a handful of each player. Per the Beckett Price Guide, raw singles for players like Battey, Crandall, Davenport, Pascual, Siebern, and Wagner range from $500 to $1,000. A Brooks or Frank Robinson is $3,000 to $6,000. Want a Musial or Mays, be prepared to pay $20,000 to $40,000.

Mickey Mantle, that is a different story. A 1952 Topps #311 Mantle rookie is a grail card for most, but that card continues to be in circulation via card shows, auctions, and online sales; it can be purchased. The 1961 Topps Dice Game Mantle, no matter how much money one has, the card is not available because of scarcity.

Bidding for the uncut 1961 Topps Dice Game on collectauction.net began on Monday, March 17, with the auction closing on Thursday, April 3. The opening bid was $10,000. The final bid is expected to be somewhere between $500,000 to $1 million.