This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/7/2014
The year 1947 will forever represent a watershed period within our nation’s favorite pastime. A 27-year-old rookie for the Brooklyn Dodgers named Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s long standing color barrier on April 15th that year. This lot includes a historically significant, cream-colored ONL (Frick) baseball with signatures from the ’47 N.L. Champion Dodgers including both General Manager Branch Rickey and Robinson! On the sweet spot are autographs from B.E. Shotton & Ed Stanky (both clubhouse); East Panel: Rube Melton, Rex Barney, Gene Hermanski; West Panel: Pee Wee Reese, Bruce Edwards, Stan Rojek, Rex Barney, Pete Reiser, Eddie Chandler, John Jorgensen, Hal Gregg, Ralph Branca; North Panel: Jackie Robinson, Arky Vaughan, Cookie Lavagetto, Vic Lombardi; South Panel: Bob Bragan, Clyde Sukeforth, Jake Pitler, Joe Hatten, Clyde King and Branch Rickey. Very few items exist with both Rickey and Robinson’s signatures on them and this is the only baseball we’ve encountered signed by the pair. Rickey is almost never on team-signed balls and to find him on a Dodgers’ ball with Robinson dating to Jackie’s rookie season qualifies this as museum-worthy and a truly unique piece of baseball history.
Full LOA from PSA/DNA.