April 3, 2025: Spring Auction
Presented here is a triple-threat baseball card of epic proportions by virtue of its subject, its inclusion in the iconic baseball card set that launched thousands of collections and a sparkling, early 1950s autograph of arguably the most important athlete of modern times. If Jackie Robinson never stole home, his place in baseball and indeed world history would still be unchallenged by virtue of his breaking baseball’s loathsome “color line” in April of 1947. Jackie’s 1952 Topps card is perhaps the most spectacular of all in that iconic issue, the blazing red background showcasing the defiant Robinson to stunning effect. An early 1950s Robinson ballpoint signature is affixed in similarly striking fashion, running diagonally from atop the Dodgers’ logo and ending across the nameplate with his facsimile version. The centering of the card is equally sensational, near perfect side-to-side and with only a minimal nudge from bottom to top. The card itself presents in a fashion notably better than these classics are typically encountered in mature collections, with only modest wear to the corners and the very barest of scuffing to the vivid red background. By the time Topps got around to producing the classic 1952 Topps set, Robinson had already established himself as one of the greatest stars in this particular galaxy. The good folks in Brooklyn where Topps and the Dodgers shared occupancy no doubt appreciated the card company’s allegiance to the home team; in a set limited to 407 cards to represent all 16 major league teams at the time (about 25 players per team), somehow or other three dozen Dodgers managed to wind up on the final checklist. Robinson’s No. 312 is the second card in the 1952 High Series after Mickey Mantle’s, a card whose pedigree is further enhanced by the seemingly mythical (but entirely true) legend of 400 or so unwanted cases of 1952 Topps High Numbers being unceremoniously dumped in the middle of Long Island Sound in 1960 under the capable direction of none-other-than Topps guru Sy Berger.
Jackie Robinson Signed 1952 Topps No. 312 (PSA/DNA)
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