(LOT 5)
Breathtaking 1949 Jackie Robinson Bowman Rookie Card (SGC Mint 96/9) - "1 of 3 SGC Encapsulated Copies"; Only 1 Example Graded Higher on the COMBINED SGC & PSA "Pop" Charts!
ROOKIE!!!... Presented here just happens to be one of the most miraculous "post-WWII" cards extant; a breathtaking SGC Mint 9 1949 Bowman Rookie card of the immortal Jackie Robinson. Absolutely amazing to say the least, only 2 other SGC specimens have managed to achieve this hallowed plateau with a SOLE copy graded higher on the COMBINED SGC and PSA census reports (a single SGC 98/10)! Legendary Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson may not be the greatest statistical player ever, but his "breaking the Major League baseball color barrier" in 1947 may be most significant occurrence in baseball history.

What else can we say about the immortal Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson that hasn't already been said? He won an MVP award, led the Dodgers to 6 pennants and a 1955 World Championship, stole bases, hit for average/power, fielded his position flawlessly and was as fiery a competitor the game has ever seen. Yet, for all of his stellar accomplishments, his place in baseball history will forever be correlated with being the inaugural African American to play Major League baseball. Little did Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson realize that their landmark 1947 signing would forever change America's National Pastime with this dynamic duo etched in the minds and hearts of millions of avid baseball fans.

Jackie Robinson's influence on African American baseball players is widely considered one of our National Pastime's iconic occurrences, such to the point that his legendary #42 has been officially retired for ALL Major League baseball teams! America's foremost sports personalities including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Joe Jackson, Jim Thorpe, Knute Rockne, Lou Gehrig, Secretariat and Muhammad Ali (just to mention a few) have all been rewarded for their world-class achievements with memorable motion picture movies, so it was no surprise when Hollywood released "42" to commemorate Robinson's indelible mark on baseball.

For all these reasons, any early cardboard artifact of the great Robinson is highly sought after by serious enthusiasts, and this Robinson 1949 inaugural Bowman issue easily stands as one of his most exalted cardboard mementos. Robinson's classic portrait pose provides exceptional contrast and crystal clear clarity, with his Dodger cap emanating spectacular blue color. The atypical virtually dead-centered image is affixed to a seemingly flawless bold red background, encompassed by blinding white borders, and pinpoint corner tips.

The final exclamation point is a super clean verso, and we need to point out that finding this card with near-perfect centering is one of the post-war market's most daunting tasks since most of the '49 Bowman Robinson's depict somewhat skewed images. In closing, synonymous with Robinson's truly unfathomable endeavor to break the baseball "color barrier" is this breathtaking "pack-fresh" offering that has only been bested by a single example on the planet!

MIN BID $3,500
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