This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/5/2007.
Jackie Robinson became the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era in 1947, thanks to the help and courage of the Dodgers' Branch Rickey. While not the first African American professional baseball player in United States history, his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended approximately eighty years of baseball segregation, also known as the baseball color line. In the United States at this time, many white people believed that blacks and whites should be segregated or kept apart in many phases of life, including sport. A member of six World Series teams, he earned six consecutive All-Star Game nominations and won several awards during his career. In 1947, Robinson won The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award and the first Rookie of the Year Award. Two years later, he was awarded the National League MVP Award. It was his aggressiveness on the basepaths that thrilled fans. It wasn't so much his two stolen-base titles or his 197 thefts, it was the way he was a disruptive force, dancing off the base, drawing every eye in the stadium, making the pitcher crazy, instilling the Dodgers with the spirit that would help them win six pennants in his 10 seasons. This incredible flannel jersey was worn by HOFer Jackie Robinson during the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers season. It was "sent down" and worn for Spring Training/tryouts by another player in 1952. Whoever this lucky individual was, he was certainly shorter than Jackie; the tail of the jersey has been shortened and hemmed inwards, so the blue chain stitch year "51," which would normally be found on the outside bottom tail, now appears on the inside bottom tail. The sleeves have been shortened as well, and there is evidence on the sleeve that the 1951 National League 75th Anniversary patch, which was worn by all National League clubs for the 1951 season, has been removed. Comes with a copy of the letter from the memorabilia dealer who purchased the jersey from the estate of the minor league player that the jersey belonged to, who got to keep it after having the honor of wearing Jackie Robinson's jersey; a letter from the person who bought it from the abovementioned memorabilia dealer; a forensics letter that details the fiber analysis of the jersey; a Mears Letter of Opinion. A perfect path of pristine provenance! In the collar of this jersey is the "Rawlings St. Louis" manufacturer's tag. Below this is the wash instructions tag with the size 44 tag attached. Below these is a felt strip tag with "J Robinson" in blue chain stitch. Across the front of the jersey is "DODGERS" in blue felt. On the back is the player number "42" in the same blue felt. Inside the bottom left tail is the year "51" in blue chain stitch directly in the jersey. On the left sleeve is the outline of the "National League Anniversary" patch, which has been removed. Both the sleeves and the tail of the jersey have been professionally shortened and hemmed. The jersey shows good game-use and with the exception of the aforementioned alterations appears to have no other alterations of any kind.