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Jackie Robinson bat, jersey and Hall of Fame plaque coming to auction at Goldin
Though Jackie Robinson broke the MLB color barrier in 1947, it was the 1949 season when the Brooklyn Dodgers star took the big leagues by storm.
Robinson was the 1949 National League MVP after batting a league-best .342 with 16 home runs, 124 RBI, 122 runs scored and a league-high 37 stolen bases. But perhaps the biggest highlight of the season for the trail-blazing star was playing in the 1949 MLB All-Star Game in his home park in Brooklyn.
Robinson joined Dodgers teammates Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe and American League star Larry Doby as the first black players to play in an MLB All-Star Game. And Robinson was one of the stars of the game, going 1-4 with a double, a walk and three runs scored.
Now, 75 years after Robinson broke the MLB color barrier, the bat he used during the 1949 All-Star Game is headed to auction at Goldin Co., which has multiple items from the iconic athlete and civil rights activist. The Robinson items will be open for bidding from April 13 to May 2.
The auction will also include Robinson’s 1951 game-worn Brooklyn Dodgers home jersey.
The jersey has “DODGERS'' sewn across the chest and Robinson’s famous No. 42 on the back. The fully authenticated jersey was worn during another one of Robinson’s best seasons, when he hit .338 with 19 home runs, 25 stolen bases and 106 runs scored.
Also included in the auction is the Baseball Hall of Fame plaque presented to Robinson during his induction on July 23, 1962. Robinson was the first black player elected to the Hall of Fame, a fact not originally included on his plaque because Robinson instructed those who voted for him to judge him on his talent and achievements and not his race.
“There are very few people who have altered the course of history the way Jackie Robinson did,” Goldin Executive Chairman and Founder Ken Goldin said. “Jackie not only broke the color barrier and forever changed baseball, but he broke down racial barriers that for too long segregated American society. His courage and strength in the face of ignorance are a continued inspiration and handling the sale of these items — the tools that he used to change the world — is a true honor.”
Fans and collectors interested in registering for alerts and reminders about the auction should visit goldin.co/jackierobinson. Collectors interested in consigning items for this auction can do so until April 4 by emailing sell@goldin.co.
Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD.
