DALLAS, TX.- It has been said that baseball has more of a sense of history than any other sport. One of the gold-standard players is iconic New York Yankee slugger and outfielder Mickey Mantle, a Hall of Famer who played with a passion and aggressiveness that endeared him to millions of fans across the country and whose record-setting career made any piece of his memorabilia a must-have item for fans and collectors alike.

Shrewd collectors will have the opportunity to acquire several such items later this month at Heritage Auctions' Platinum Night Sports Auction, including: the 1968 jersey New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle wore (est. $700,000+) when he hit the 535th – and next-to-last – home run of his career.

"Beginnings and endings have always carried special intrigue in the collecting community, and this is a particularly nostalgic relic for the millions of Baby Boomers who consider Mickey Mantle a childhood hero," Heritage Sports Auctions Director Chris Ivy said. "The McLain 'gift' so perfectly illustrates the enormous respect and adoration that 'The Mick' enjoyed at the end of his career. It's also entirely possible that this was the jersey he wore as the fans at (Boston's) Fenway Park sent him into retirement with a standing ovation Sept. 28, 1968, a week after that historic Detroit home run."

That sense of history was on display Sept. 19, 1968. Detroit Tigers ace Denny McLain was putting the finishing touches on one of the finest seasons ever authored by a Major League pitcher, a year in which he would post a gaudy 31-6 record – still the most recent season in which a pitcher has won 30 or more games – and a microscopic earned run average of just 1.96. The Tigers had a comfortable lead against the New York Yankees when Mantle headed toward the plate.

With Detroit several runs ahead, and knowing that the plate appearance would be Mantle's last in Detroit, McLain acknowledged the Yankee legend. He approached catcher Bill Freehan – within earshot of Mantle, who was standing near home plate – and said he wanted Mantle to hit a home run.

"He was about five, six feet out in front of the plate and he says, 'oh, let's let him hit one – this is probably his last time (to hit) in Detroit,'" Mantle said. "Well I heard him, I heard him say that, but you never know whether to believe him or not, so when Freehan comes back by (the plate), I said, 'did I hear what he said? He wants me to hit one?' Freehan says 'yeah. He's not going to work on you – he's just going to throw you fastballs.'"

Mantle still wasn't sure the plan could be believed and watched McLain's first pitch sail down the middle of the plate. The second looked just like the first, and Mantle "swung too hard" and fouled it off. But the third time was the charm for the Yankee legend, who sent McLain's offering into the upper deck for what turned out to be the next-to-last home run of his career that culminated with him being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1974.

Other Yankees-related items in the auction will include, but are not limited to:

· A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 PSA NM-MT 8 card: est. $500,000+

· The 1930-31 Babe Ruth-Signed New York Yankees Player's Contract – the richest of his career: est. $500,000+

· A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 PSA NM+ 7.5 card: est. $300,000+

· A 1938 Goudey Joe DiMaggio #274 PSA Mint 9 card: est. $300,000+

· A 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #149 PSA NM-MT 8 card: est. $120,000+

· A Babe Ruth Single-Signed Baseball, PSA/DNA NM-MT+ 8.5: est. $80,000+

· A 1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig Rookie PSA EX-MT 6 (MK) card: est. $50,000+