It was the careful and unassailable planning of Branch Rickey that brought a 27-year-old Jackie Roosevelt Robinson to the Montreal Royals in the spring of 1946 as Rickey launched his "Great Experiment" that ultimately integrated Major League Baseball and changed the face of the game forever. The passage of many decades would ultimately reveal that Robinson's historic smashing of the despicable "color line" had ripple effects far beyond the baseball landscape making it a moment of unmatched significance in the earliest years of the Civil Rights movement.

Presented here is an amazing example of Jackie Robinson’s only true rookie card. This card is not only a key entry to the landmark 1948 Leaf set it also happens to be one of the issue’s more difficult cards to find in high grade. Possessing outstanding color and image quality the offered specimen lacks any of the myriad printing flaws typically seen. Both front and back are remarkably clean and all four corners and edges are sharp. Close to 60/40 centering left to right and slightly better top to bottom contributes to the cards superb overall eye appeal. PSA’s NM-MT 8 grade (only 8 are known to be rated higher) makes this a magnificent condition rarity that compounds its extraordinary historical importance.