"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." Jackie Robinson once said. By that standard, few people -- and no athlete -- this century has impacted more lives. Robinson lit the torch of racial equality in sports and passed it on to untold generations of African-American athletes.
It was the careful and in hindsight unassailable planning of Branch Rickey that brought a 27-year-old Jackie Roosevelt Robinson to the Montreal Royals in the spring of 1946 as Rickey launched his "Great Experiment" that ultimately integrated Major League Baseball and changed the face of the game forever. The passage of many decades would ultimately reveal that Robinson's historic smashing of the despicable "color line" had ripple effects far beyond the baseball landscape, making it a moment of unmatched significance in the earliest years of the Civil Rights movement.
Jackie’s personal statistics and team accomplishments compiled over his 10-year major league career are thoroughly documented and measurable. What is unmeasurable is his triumphant and inspiring legacy that continues to move people forward in the ceaseless wake of his heroism 40-plus years after his passing.
Offered here is one of the most historically significant and awe-inspiring baseball artifacts ever offered at public auction. This is Jackie Robinson’s personal National Baseball Hall of Fame induction plaque, presented to him upon his 1962 induction into the game’s most hallowed shrine. For obvious reasons personal player awards, trophies, mementos and the like, represent one of the rarest forms of memorabilia available to collectors. Personal Hall of Fame plaques, however, are often prized above all else by players and their benefactors, with very few having reached the public market. Of the handful of personal Hall of Fame presentation plaques that have surfaced for public sale, none begin to approach the stature or historical enormity of this. While Jackie Robinson’s rookie of the year award recently sold for more than $400,000 at auction, it is difficult to argue that no single piece of memorabilia more singularly represents the life and accomplishments of this great man than does his very own copy of his hall of fame plaque. The presentation piece is a nicely matted and framed photographic illustration of Jackie’s original plaque. It features a brown leather exterior and an easel back for desktop display. The presentation plaque (9-3/4" x 11-3/4") exhibits a few minor abrasions and surface indentations to the leather frame, and remains in Excellent condition overall. It should be noted that the original (1962) plaque made no mention of the fact that Robinson broke baseball’s color-barrier and differs from that which resides in Cooperstown today. The current plaque was re-cast in 2008 with text added in the final line that reads: “Displayed tremendous courage and poise in 1947 when he integrated the modern major leagues in the face of intense adversity”.
It's difficult to overstate the importance of this artifact. It is not merely the ultimate celebration of baseball's most transcendent pioneer; it is a profoundly poignant symbol of triumph that dwarfs the realm of athletics.
The plaque originates from the Jackie Robinson estate and includes a LOA from Jackie’s widow Rachel Robinson.