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Jackie Robinson cards tell story of one of baseball’s most iconic players
It is virtually impossible to overstate the impact Jackie Robinson had on baseball, American sports and society as a whole.
When Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier in 1947, he paved the way for thousands of black players and minority athletes in other sports.
If not for Robinson, some of the greatest players in the history of the game might never have gotten the opportunity to play professional baseball, including Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and baseball’s first black player/manager Frank Robinson.
Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, called Robinson “an icon.”
“He was a pillar of strength, and he gave me a lot of inner strength,” Aaron wrote in Robinson’s autobiography, “I Never Had It Made.”
“I knew some of the things he had gone through; so, when I looked at him, I thought, not only is this man a great athlete, but he’s a great man off the field for people like myself. … He gave me the strength I needed to go forward.”
Even Dr. Martin Luther King, the leader of the 1960s civil rights movement, credited Robinson with paving the way for minorities of all walks of life.
“Jackie Robinson made my success possible,” Dr. King once said. “Without him, I would never have been able to do what I did.”
A four-sport star athlete in high school and college, Robinson starred in the Negro Leagues before making an immediate impact on the major leagues. Despite facing tremendous pressure and racial discrimination, he was the 1947 MLB Rookie of the Year, the 1949 NL MVP, a six-time All-Star and led the Brooklyn Dodgers to six National League pennants and the 1955 World Series title.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 but the celebration of his legacy doesn’t stop there. Robinson is honored by all of baseball each year on April 15, when every uniform throughout the league bears his famous No. 42.
In recent years, the sports collectible hobby has also honored Robinson with the rise in popularity and value of his trading cards and memorabilia.
Several Robinson items — from game-worn jerseys, game-used bats and even a questionnaire he once filled out — have all topped $1 million in the past two years, while his iconic trading cards continue to command big dollars.
“There are very few people who have altered the course of history the way Jackie Robinson did,” said Ken Goldin, founder and executive chairman of Goldin Co. “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.”
“Jackie Robinson has always been a foundational figure in our field, but I think the appreciation for him and his associated memorabilia has grown exponentially over the last five to 10 years,” said Dan Imler, vice president of Heritage Sports. “People have really woken up to his historical impact, and the interest in his elite material has accelerated at a greater rate than for any other figure.”
Robinson baseball cards from his 10-year career have also seen a big spike in recent years, with his top cards routinely topping six figures and pushing $1 million.
“He was an amazing guy. And if you have any respect for the game, you know the significance of Jackie Robinson and what he did and what he went through,” vintage baseball card collector Mike Moynihan, who has a large collection of Robinson cards, said on his Baseball Collector YouTube channel. “I have nothing but love for Jackie Robinson.”
As we celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, 2024, we take a look at 12 of Robinson’s most popular and valuable cards.
1947 Bond Bread
Robinson’s first real baseball card was distributed in 1947 by Bond Bread. The Brooklyn bakery released a 48-card multisport set that featured 44 baseball players, including the young Dodgers star.
The company also released a special promotional set of 13 Robinson cards the same year. Some believe this is Robinson’s first “true” rookie card.
*Value: $8,000 (EX 5)
1948 Leaf #79
Robinson’s most iconic card was distributed by Leaf in 1948, though some believe it wasn’t released until 1949 (the copyright on the back says 1948).
It is widely regarded as Robinson’s official rookie card, with a PSA 8 example selling for $468,000 last year at Heritage. Old Sports Cards says it is the “only one true rookie card for Jackie Robinson,” while Cardboard Connection calls it “one of the most important Jackie Robinson cards in existence.”
Value: $7,500-$800,000 (VG 3-MINT 9)
1948 Swell Sport Thrills #3
The rare Swell Sport set features “highlights in sports” with card #3 focusing on Robinson’s “dramatic debut” in 1948 — the first card to spotlight the historic significance of Robinson breaking the color barrier.
Value: $3,900-$12,500 (GOOD 2-NM 7)
1949 Bowman #50
Robinson’s 1949 season was his best as he hit .342 to win the NL MVP. Fittingly, he was featured in Bowman’s first colorized set, flashing Dodger blue on a red background.
Due to the controversy surrounding the date of the 1948 Leaf card, many consider the 1949 Bowman card a Robinson rookie card as well. Though not nearly as valuable due to poor print quality, a PSA 9 version sold for $360,000 in 2021.
Value: $3,250-$361,300 (GOOD 2-MINT 9)
1950 Bowman #22
While Robinson’s first few cards featured a portrait-style image, the 1950 Bowman art card was his first action card, showing the trail-blazing star taking a practice swing.
The full-color painting of Robinson on the field in his blue and white Dodger uniform is widely regarded as one of his most attractive cards. Old Sports Cards calls its “simply beautiful.” “It may not be his most expensive, but collectors still love this card.”
Value: $3,000-$119,000 (VG 3-MINT 9)
1952 Berk Ross
The odd image of Robinson leaping for a ball at Ebbets Field is almost as mysterious as the background and origin of the Berk Ross set.
Manufactured by the Berk Ross Co. of New York City, the unnumbered 72-card set features Robinson and other legendary players like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial and Ted Williams. The Robinson card is more affordable than most of his other vintage cards.
Value: $950-$105,000 (VG 3-MINT 9)
1952 Topps #312
Including one of baseball’s most important and impactful stars in one of the hobby’s most iconic sets alongside Mantle and Mays makes this one of Robinson’s must-have cards.
His first Topps card, which shows a smiling Robinson with a bat slung over his shoulder on a bright red background, has become an iconic image in the hobby. According to Wax Pack Gods, “Jackie looks like a movie star, and this card is hobby royalty.”
Goldin Auctions sold a PSA 9 specimen for $984,000 in 2021, while a Heritage Auctions example netted $960,000 for a PSA 9.
Value: $6,300-$980,000 (GOOD 2-MINT 9)
1953 Topps #1
In 1953, Topps firmly recognized Robinson as one of baseball’s top stars, designating his card as #1 in the popular set.
It is considered one of the most beautiful of Robinson cards, with the artwork depicting a smiling Robinson in his Dodger cap with an image of the Brooklyn bridge in the background. Though valuable, the card can be hard to find in top condition due to centering and chipping issues.
Value: $1,396-$252,000 (GOOD 2-MINT 9)
1954 Topps #10
Topps unveiled its first two-image design in 1954 and Robinson’s card features a familiar smiling portrait packaged with an odd-looking posed action shot of him fielding.
Though it gets mixed reactions from collectors and is hard to find in top condition, the facsimile autograph is a bonus and many collectors love the colorful design. Wax Pack Gods says, “Like pretty much every Jackie Robinson card of the era, this bright yellow beauty is instantly recognizable and stands as a hobby favorite for generations of collectors.”
Value: $560-$60,000 (VG-EX 4-MINT 9)
1955 Topps #50
Topps stuck with a similar look in 1955, but flipped the images on a horizontal design. It features another smiling headshot flanked by a posed image of Robinson swinging a bat with his signature placed under the action shot.
The card was a special one because it was the year Robinson led the Dodgers to its first World Series championship.
Value: $577-$74,700 (VG-EX 4-MINT 9)
1956 Topps #30
Topps finally got it right in 1956, making his final card as an active player one of his most beautiful and a hobby favorite.
The portrait shot is the same as on the 1955 card, but the action shot is much more compelling, showing a Robinson sliding into home. The card is special because it was issued in the final season of Robinson’s magnificent and historic career.
“I don’t know that I could afford that card today but so glad that I have it,” said Moynihan, who owns a PSA 5 example. “I love the ’56 and just the way it looks, and that’s his last playing days card.”
Value: $503-$67,000 (VG-EX 4-MINT 9)
1967 Topps Venezuela #184
This is an extremely rare card because Robinson was not included in the American version of the set. Instead, the plain card on a dull blue background was part of a 50-card subset of retired players.
Value: $350-$2,000 (VG 3-NM 7)
*Value Source: PSA CardFacts
Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD.
