It’s hard to find the right place to start with Jackie Robinson. He is simply an incredible athlete, and an even more incredible human being.
With Jackie Robinson day on Friday, April 15th, there is simply no better time to drop our first Jackie Robinson card.
Let’s dive into what makes this card, person, and player so special.
The person: Jackie Robinson
Before Robinson's time in the MLB, he was a four-sport, standout athlete at UCLA. As a college athlete, he played baseball, football, basketball and track and field.
Playing football in 1940, he led UCLA in passing, rushing and scoring. In addition, he won a West Coast Conference MVP in basketball that same year.
From there, Robinson went on to make even more history - this time impacting the whole world while doing so.
After being called up to the majors in 1947, Jackie Robinson endured consistent and unthinkable amounts of abuse from the fans. Through it all, he not only continued to perform on the field, but he also remained poise in how he handled everything off the field, too.
In 1947, the same year Robinson broke the color barrier, he also won the Rookie of the Year award. Two years later, he won the National League MVP award.
He helped lead the Brooklyn Dodgers to six National League pennants, along with the 1955 World Series.
Robinson’s career is such an important part of history. In 1997, Robinson’s number “42” was retired by all Major League Baseball teams. April 15th is now celebrated each season as “Jackie Robinson Day”, when all players wear Jackie’s number “42”.
The Card: 1949 Bowman #50 Jackie Robinson PSA 7
This 1949 Bowman #50 is considered to be one of Jackie Robinson’s premier cards. Some people consider this to be his true rookie card because there is debate over whether his Leaf rookie is a 1948 or 1949 card.
The card itself has a bold, retro look to it. The vintage feel of the card helps to elevate it.
This card is also one of Jackie’s first pack-inserted cards. Meaning, many older cards were found in magazines, or cutouts. However this card was actually from a pack of cards.
While it’s only a PSA 7, the grade is actually quite valuable. The value stems from the fact that the card was produced in 1949. Cards from this set typically have major condition or centering issues. Plus, there are less than 150 copies of this card with a better grade than this PSA 7.
With a POP 136 in a PSA 7 grade, this card is truly one the most iconic baseball cards you can find.
Get a piece of this card starting April 14th on Dibbs.
