Mickey Mantle: Rally Offers a Share of his Childhood House for $7 Each

Rally, a collectibles investment company, recently unveiled a unique opportunity for investors to acquire shares of Mickey Mantle’s childhood home at a cost of $7 per share. This move marks Rally’s inaugural venture into fractional ownership of real estate. The investors participating in this endeavor will play an active role in shaping the property’s future, with possibilities including transforming it into a museum, designating it as a national landmark, or adding a baseball diamond to the backyard for local youth leagues.

The former residence of the renowned New York Yankees legend, who famously wore the number 7 during his illustrious career, is situated along Route 66 in Commerce, Oklahoma. Notably, a 1952 Topps rookie card of this Hall of Famer fetched an astonishing $12.6 million at auction in August.

Mickey Mantle: One one Yankee Legends

Rally’s initial public offering is scheduled to open on October 27 at 12 p.m. ET, offering a total of 47,000 shares at $7 each, amounting to a collective offering value of $329,000.

As for my take on this offering, I’ve never used platforms like Rally or Collectable for fractional ownership, but I’ve recently signed up in anticipation of this unique sale. Just a few weeks ago, Topps’ Bob Ross-themed set experienced a quick sellout on the site, and I expect shares of Mantle’s house to follow a similar path. While I’m tempted to buy shares, I suspect the demand will be high, given Mantle’s enduring popularity. However, owning a piece of his childhood home feels deeply personal and limited in nature. Rally’s underlying idea of potentially Airbnb-ing or reselling it at a higher price is at the core of this endeavor. For me, it’s reminiscent of the mid-90s “own a star” trend—a cool experience that I’d cherish with a framed certificate. And, of course, it would be a personal keepsake rather than an attempt to impress anyone. For others, the aim may be to turn that $7 investment into $21-25.

The primary concern here is that Rally has been somewhat vague when asked about the tax responsibilities for fractional owners. Nevertheless, my instinct is that by the time the estimated three- to five-year duration has elapsed, the house will likely have changed hands and generated a profit.

In the words of Rob Petrozzo, Rally’s co-founder and chief product officer, “From day one, we recognized that our first real estate offering on Rally needed to have major historical significance. When sourcing potential assets, we always look closely at each property’s backstory and provenance. Mickey Mantle ’s childhood home immediately stood out as the perfect option, aligning with the personal passions of our investor community.”

Photo Credit Rally.com