1960 Mickey Mantle Contract To Be Auctioned Off To Help Sandy Victims

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Danny Mantle, the son of late Yankees legend Mickey Mantle, is putting his father's 1960 contract on the auction block to benefit victims of Superstorm Sandy.

Mantle announced Monday that the contract will be auctioned off by Steiner Sports. The contract is in near-perfect condition.

The proceeds will go to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund – the charity headed up by New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie. Mantle now lives in Plano, Texas, but grew up in Fort Lee, N.J.

Mantle told 1010 WINS he would like the money to go to the people who are still struggling six months after the devastating storm. He said watching the devastation that unfolded after the storm inspired him to help.

"You know, when my dad played, we lived up here in Jersey, so we kind of had a seed here if you will, and when the hurricane hit, me and my brother were in Dallas watching this; seeing these people having to resort to being in tents, so we thought, 'Why don't we put something of dad's up?'" he said.

Mantle said his legendary father would have approved resoundingly of the choice to auction off the contract.

"He was very thoughtful, helpful; cared about his teammates, and so, this is something I could see my dad doing, and me and my brother are just glad we're able to carry it on for him," he said.

The 1960 contract is in near-perfect condition, and it is special – although not necessarily for a reason to be celebrated, Mantle said.

"It's his 1960 contract, and it was for $60,000. In 1959, he was being paid, I want to say, $70,000, and I guess he didn't have a very good year in '59, so they had cut him 10," he said.

The auction begins on May 1, 62 years to the day since Mantle hit his first of 536 career home runs.

Mickey Mantle spent his entire professional career with the Yankees, from 1951 to 1968. He died in 1995.

The auction also includes George Weiss' 1939 Yankees Championship ring, and a 1929 New York Yankees team-signed baseball featuring the signatures of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Leo Durocher, among other legends.

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