After a delay of a few months, Jackie Robinson’s original professional baseball contracts with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Montreal Royals are headed to the auction block. Robinson broke the modern-era color line in major-league baseball when he signed with the Dodgers on April 11, 1947. Nearly two years earlier, Robinson signed a deal with the Dodgers’ top minor-league … [Read more...]
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Jackie Robinson’s Original Contracts Up for Sale
The two contracts that resulted in the integration of baseball following World War II are going on the auction block. The pact Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and his contract with the Montreal Royals from 1945 will be offered through Goldin Auctions on November 16, although it’s possible they could be sold privately before a planned auction at the … [Read more...]
Consignment Of The Week: 1913 Marble Slab From Ebbets Field Rotunda
Sixty years ago, the Dodgers played their final season in Brooklyn before packing up and moving west to Los Angeles for the 1958 season. Their home from April 9, 1913, to September 24, 1957, was Ebbets Field, a bandbox of a stadium that was built on a garbage dump in a Brooklyn neighborhood called Pigtown. After the Dodgers left, the park languished for a few years, but on … [Read more...]
Robinson World Series Bat, Ali Robe, MLK Speech Tops at Auction
A Jackie Robinson game bat dating to the Brooklyn Dodgers’ only World Series title and the robe worn by Muhammad Ali in his first fight with Sonny Liston were among the top sports items sold by Goldin Auctions early Sunday morning. Held in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of Robinson’s historic major league debut, the event raised more than $125,000 for the … [Read more...]
Jackie Robinson Baseball Cards: A Guide to His Best
Jackie Robinson baseball cards have always been popular and what few game worn jerseys, bats and other items have survived always sell for significant amounts of money. While no mainstream card company really existed in the aftermath of World War II, there were cards issued of him in 1947 and by '48, bubble gum and cards were back together again and Robinson helped usher … [Read more...]
Remembering “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” With 5 Great Bobby Thomson Cards
Sixty-five years ago Monday, New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson hit one of baseball's most iconic home runs. Thomson's October blast--forever known as the 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' off of the Brooklyn Dodgers' Ralph Branca--clinched the 1951 National League pennant for the Giants. While they went on to lose the World Series to the New York Yankees, few can argue the … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Sandy Koufax Meets the World
When Dodgers scout Al Campanis stood in the batter’s box to face a young Sandy Koufax during an Ebbets Field tryout, he felt like the ball being pitched in his direction was alive. "There are two times in my life the hair on my arms has stood up: The first time I saw the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the second time, I saw Sandy Koufax throw a fastball," he later … [Read more...]
Baseball History on Stage as Sports Museum of LA Re-Opens
Good news for sports fans and collectors: Gary Cypres’ Sports Museum of Los Angeles is going to be open to the public once again. The building is where Cypres houses a large part of his massive collection of rare, valuable and one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia. He created the museum with the idea of having it open on a daily basis and did so for about six months back in … [Read more...]
Walter Alston Collection Coming to Auction
Dozens of items from the life and career of Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston will go on the auction block this summer. SCP Auctions has announced the consignment of Alston’s memorabilia to its 2016 Mid-Summer Classic Auction, which opens during the National Sports Collectors Convention on August 3. Alston’s collection of personal memorabilia is being consigned by … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Babe in Brooklyn
There’s no doubt Babe Ruth still harbored managerial aspirations, even as doors continued to close following his long career as a player. He was three years removed from his last game when the Brooklyn Dodgers brought him on board as a coach in mid-June. Ruth was largely there to encourage players, take some batting practice in hopes of attracting a few fans and maybe … [Read more...]
