Dodgers: Jackie Robinson contract fetches huge price at auction

A contract signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949 by baseball legend Jackie Robinson sold at auction this week for $267,000, one of the highest prices ever paid for such an item.

Jackie Robinson Day was a few weeks ago, but we never really stop celebrating him in the world of baseball. His pioneering legacy is felt anywhere the game is played. Fans have honored the Dodgers great in various ways, but one particularly deep-pocketed admirer made deadlines this week in acquiring a unique piece of Jackie Robinson history.

According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, the contract Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949 sold at auction on Monday for $267,000. Not bad considering the contract was previously part of a larger collection of memorabilia sold by his widow Rachel Robinson for $13,558 in 2000.

Back on April 15, Rovell tweeted that the bidding for the contract was at $45,000, so the price tag really shot upward over the final two weeks, more so than even the ESPN sports business pundit expected.

Brian Dwyer of Robert Edward Auctions said that contracts signed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig are the only ones that have sold for me. He described the factors that made this such a special item to ESPN.com:

"“Jackie Robinson is a name that transcends sports fandom, which gave this contract a broad appeal, and bidders clamored for an opportunity to acquire such a historic piece.”"

Robinson, who made his barrier-shattering debut with the Dodgers in 1947, signed the contract for $21,000 prior to the 1949 season. Accounting for inflation, it would be worth about $215,000 – still coming in below the recent auction price.

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The 1949 season was a landmark campaign for Robinson, his third year in Major League Baseball. He slashed .342/.432/.528 with 16 home runs and 124 RBI. He won the NL batting title and led both leagues with 37 stolen bases. Robinson earned the first of six consecutive All-Star Game appearances, as well as his lone MVP Award. It’s safe to say Brooklyn got its money’s worth.

Robinson and the Dodgers would also get their second shot in three years at World Series glory, but they fell to the Yankees again in five games. They would need to wait six more seasons (and two more defeats in the Fall Classic) to finally capture that elusive ring against those same Yanks.

The contract wasn’t the only Robinson-related item that fetched a high price in the past week. Per Rovell, a bat used by the Hall of Famer in the 1955 World Series sold for $255,000, while a game-used hat went for $65,025.

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While Jackie Robinson’s legacy is worth far more than any number of dollars and cents exchanged in 2017, it’s a reminder of how much weight and reverence his name carries 70 years later, beyond just the realm of sports.