Dallas-based Heritage Auctions sold the only known surviving jersey from Jackie Robinson's historic 1947 rookie season Sunday for more than $2 million.
Robinson was, of course, the first black player to break the color barrier in the Major League Baseball. The jersey fetched a price of $2.05 million in the "Heroes of Sport" auction Nov. 19.
"The auction price smashed Heritage’s own previous world record of $573,600 for a post-war game worn jersey, a 1955 rookie model from Robinson’s teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax," the company said.
Heritage said the jersey was the anchor piece in a four-day, two-auction series that resulted in $13.6 million in total sales.
“This is just the fourth piece of sports memorabilia ever to sell at auction for over $2 million,” said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Collectibles at Heritage Auctions. “It’s an extraordinary testament to the enduring reverence for Robinson, and to the strength of the sports collectibles marketplace.”
Heritage Auctions currently has an auction of “Yankees Legends” featuring items from Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Ruth, Jeter and many more, that runs until Dec. 10.
