Jackie Robinson is one of the few true baseball icons. Much like Babe, Hank, Nolan and Cal just about any baseball fan will know who you are referring to by just mentioning his first name.
This 1949 Leaf card is generally considered to be Jackie Robinson's rookie card but there are a number of cards which predate it. However most of these were not found in packs of baseball cards as we know them and were given out as promotional items. This 1949 Leaf card was the first major release of a card which made Jackie Robinson it's subject and it is notable for being the first nationally produced card of an African American by an established baseball card manufacturer.
There is some controversy as to exactly when this Leaf card was actually released though. Beckett refers to this card as being made in 1949 but many in the hobby consider it to be from 1948. So why the confusion?
The confusion is primarily down to the copyright at the bottom of some of the cards in this Leaf series saying 1948 and that the cards may have been released over a period of time spanning both 1948 and 1949. The back of Robinson's card has a copyright date of 1949 though, so we're happy to say that this is a card from 1949.
In our opinion, it doesn't really matter. This card - no matter what year you believe it to have been produced in - is Jackie Robinson's rookie card.
It is an extremely desirable - and therefore expensive - card and even the lowest graded cards will routinely sell for over £1000.
It's a visually stunning card too. This was the first set produced after World War II which was printed in colour and this only helps to add to the importance of this Jackie Robinson card. Firstly, Robinson benefits from the eye-catching yellow background. Secondly, and much more importantly, this was the first time that a person of colour was depicted in colour on a baseball card.
We can only imagine how inspiring this must have been for young African Americans to see someone who looked like them on a baseball card in full colour. In an era of segregation and discrimination, that Jackie Robinson had his own baseball card and that it was in colour was a big deal.
Today - April 15th - is Jackie Robinson Day and baseball celebrates by acknowledging his achievements, sacrifices and suffering by allowing every player to wear his #42 which is retired across all of Major League Baseball.
The horrific abuse that Robinson received both on and off the baseball field was truly appalling. It was a combination of ability as an outstanding baseball player and his character as a person which made him the ideal choice to break baseball's colour barrier.
Throughout his baseball career, Robinson received death threats and opposing players as well as some of his own teammates threatened to not play on the same field as him. The Dodgers manager Leo Durocher and President Branch Rickey stated that they would rather trade dissenting players than Jackie Robinson and this helped establish Robinson in the Major Leagues.
National League President Ford Frick, Commissioner Happy Chandler and a number of other players defended Jackie Robinson's right to play in the Major Leagues. Dodgers shortstop and team captain Pee Wee Reese famously went over to Robinson and put his arm around his shoulder in a gesture of support in what has become one of the most iconic moments in all of sports and send a strong message of support for Robinson and what he represented.
Jackie Robinson is, perhaps correctly, best known for trailblazing the way to allow other men of colour to play Major League Baseball. But it's often forgotten that there was high level baseball being played in the Negro Leagues for many years. Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard and many others outstanding baseball players plied their trade in the Negro Leagues.
Just how good Jackie Robinson was is often overlooked too. Robinson had a .311 batting average, 197 stolen bases and 464 extra base hits in 10 Major League seasons. He won Rookie of the Year in 1947, he won the batting title and was MVP in 1949 and he was a 6 time All Star in his Hall of Fame career.
Jackie Robinson leaves a hugely important legacy in baseball and American society as a whole. This rookie card is a small representation of that and helps to explain why it is one of the most sought-after baseball cards in existence.
To finish, perhaps the best thing that we can say about Jackie Robinson is that he was as impressive as a person as he was a baseball player. And he was an incredible baseball player.
Happy Jackie Robinson Day!
Do you think there is an iconic baseball card that we should feature here? Let us know in the comments or on twitter.
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