Mid Summer Classic Auction 2016
Tue, Mar 8, 2016 04:00PM EST - Sat, Aug 20, 2016 11:00PM EDT
Timed Auction
Lot 453
IMPORTANT 1946 MONTREAL ROYALS TEAM SIGNED BASEBALL INCL. PRE-ROOKIE JACKIE ROBINSON ONE YEAR BEFORE BREAKING BASEBALL'S COLOR BARRIER
Sold for
$6,063.60
Sold Price includes BP
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $10 |
| $200 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $30,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
| $300,000 | $25,000 |
| $500,000 | $50,000 |
It was the careful and in hindsight 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. This amazing baseball represents the story of the beginning of that historic makeover.
The Official International League (Shaughnessy) baseball is signed by 16 members of the 1946 Junior World Series Champion Montreal Royals including legendary Hall of Fame icon Jackie Robinson. Players joining Robinson on the ball are: Cy Buker Les Burge Al Campanis Ben Cardoni Bob Fontaine John Gabbard Dixie Howell Spider Jorgensen Chet Kehn Frank Laga Steve Nagy Marv Rackley Lew Riggs J. P. Roy and Paul Schoendienst. Very legible black ink signatures minimally rate 7-8/10 on a remarkably clean ball. An unknown hand has very neatly printed "MONTREAL ROYALS INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPION GOVERNOR'S CUP WINNER JUNIOR WORLD SERIES CHAMPION 1946" on the ball.
It's difficult to overstate the importance of an artifact that predates even the traditionally revered moments heralding the end of the color line in 1947. Truly it began here a full year before as baseball undertook to address the awful shadow that darkened its past a microcosm of the changes coming to the wider nation. Awesome piece of baseball and American history!
Full LOA from PSA/DNA.
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