Jackie Robinson's 1st MLB contract to be auctioned off in fall
One of the most important pieces of Major League Baseball history will soon be up for grabs.
Jackie Robinson's 1947 contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers will be auctioned off in mid-November in a joint effort between Goldin Auctions and the Jackie Robinson Foundation, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.
Most recently purchased in 2013 by Collectors Cafe, the Dodgers contract and Robinson's 1945 contract with the Montreal Royals were together valued at $36 million by rare document expert Seth Kaller. Kaller suggested in his original appraisal that these contracts' societal impact, in addition to their rarity, contributed to the enormous price tag.
"These contracts cannot simply be described or valued as sports documents," Kaller said. "Their effect on American history, and even the world, transcends the bounds of sports. Jackie Robinson's contracts are documents of freedom in the same vein as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation."
The 1947 contract broke MLB's color barrier, and Robinson went on to win the National League's Rookie of the Year award. He played 10 seasons with the Dodgers, making six All-Star teams and winning an MVP Award in 1949.
In May, his 1949 contract was sold at auction for $276,000. At that time, only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig's contracts had been bought at higher price tags.
Bidding on Robinson's original Dodgers contract begins online in October and finishes Nov. 16 at the Jackie Robinson Museum in Manhattan.