Cards
Jackie Robinson legacy lives on through new mystery boxes, cards of Dodger teammates and former MLB stars
Nearly 70 years after retiring from the major leagues, Jackie Robinson continues to be one of baseball’s most iconic players.
In tribute to the former Brooklyn Dodgers great, collectors of all ages gathered on Wednesday night, Nov. 12 to celebrate his legacy at New York’s Jackie Robinson Museum.
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The collectors showcase event—organized in cooperation with the museum—was centered around the launch of a special “Jackie Robinson Mystery Box” in partnership with Chase.
The box, which retails for $70, features one slabbed card of a player with a connection to Robinson such as a former teammate, barrier-breakers or cultural icons.
The mystery boxes feature such greats as Robinson’s Dodgers teammates Pee Wee Reese and Gil Hodges, sluggers Ted Williams and Hank Aaron and even former New York Yankees rivals like Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. Each box has a QR code that takes collectors to a bio page of the player.
Robinson was the first African American to play Major League Baseball, breaking the sport’s color barrier in 1947 when he signed with the Dodgers. Despite facing intense racism and threats, Robinson excelled on the field, winning Rookie of the Year and later the National League MVP. Beyond baseball, he advocated for equality and inspired generations to fight for justice and opportunity in all areas of American life. Although he died in 1972, Robinson’s courage, talent and perseverance to challenge racial segregation has continued to make him a highly desirable player to collect.
In recognition of Robinson’s place in history, Ezra Levine, CEO of Collectibles & Passion Pursuits, worked with the Jackie Robinson Museum to put on the special event and promote the new Robinson-inspired mystery boxes.
“The idea behind the event was we wanted to bring the collectible community together in the museum, to bring awareness to the museum, and to just honestly put together a really fun event,” Levine said. “Honestly, many don’t know this museum existed when they come here. There’s a wow factor to having the event here and it's really, really exciting.”
Levine said there are 250 boxes in existence and that many had already been sold.
“There's nothing more exciting and educational than opening something up and learning about what's inside of it,” he said. “I do anticipate this will be the first of different products that we create together [with the museum], and an opportunity might be to do this with other different museums.”
Over the course of four hours, guests had a chance to peruse a dozen dealer tables, attend a series of panel discussions centered around vintage cards and collectables as well as enjoy private access to the museum’s plethora of Robinson artifacts and memorabilia. All proceeds from donations and a raffle went to the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
The event featured some of the biggest names in the collectibles market from across the New York region, including Vintage Collectables, which hosted the panel talks, Panini, CGC and Memory Lane Inc.
Della Britton, president & CEO of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, echoed Levine’s thoughts, saying the partnership with Chase is a chance to bring collectors—both young and old—to better understand Robinson’s place in American history.
“The Chase focuses on players who played with Jackie, players who played at the time of Jackie, players who played with the notion of being barrier breakers—so some connection to Jackie,” she said. “And an extra special part of this is that there's a QR code inside the box once you buy your coveted card that takes you to our website and the Chase's website, where you get more details about the particular players.”
Britton said the collaboration was also a chance to get collectors to visit the Jackie Robinson Museum, some for the very first time, to talk about the hobby.
“I've been to many events, such as All-Star Fan Fests and other events with a connection to baseball, but what's neat about this is that it is tying it into that educational piece,” Britton added. “We want to make this, not just fun, we want to make it educational. And we want to make it inclusive and just have everybody come together with the great sport of baseball, which, of course, was a great American pastime for many years, and for many of us, still is the great American pastime.”
The aim, Levine said, is to help collectors understand Robinson’s place not just as an athlete, but as a businessman and a Civil Rights advocate.
“There’s only a handful of athletes who transcend being an athlete and they become a historical and cultural icon and figure,” he added. “Jackie’s certainly one of them. He stands for something much bigger than baseball, something much bigger than sports.”
Clemente Lisi
