People will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in professional baseball on April 15.
We can get a glimpse into his mission at the time through memorabilia up for auction at Heritage Auctions in Irving.
"We've got highlights from Jackie Robinson's career with a lot of amazing material related to his days in the game," Heritage Auctions Sports Category Director Chris Ivy said.
There is a ticket stub from Robinson’s historic game.
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"We have his ticket stub from April 15, 1947,” Ivy said. “That was opening day at Evans Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers and that's the day Jackie Robinson officially broke the color barrier."
On a questionnaire Robinson filled out when joining the team he was asked about his ambitions in baseball which he made clear.
"His answer to that was to open the doors for people of color in organized sports which is very obviously intriguing,” Ivy said. “You see back in 1946 that was exactly what his goal was and that's what he did ultimately a year later."
All of this is a piece of Black History and American History.
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"He was on the forefront and very brave for what he did at the time and went through a lot in his career,” Ivy said. “It's important to tell that story and through these pieces and artifacts we are able to tell that story to future generations."
These items like the questionnaire will be sold.
"That's estimated at a million plus and it's already currently sitting at $1.4 million," Ivy said.
But the historical significance and access to it remains.
"What a museum does is allows people to view it right and to see it and understand about it,” Ivy said. “Every one of these items you can do that as well on HA.com. So, we kind of do our part to image it, describe it, talk about the significance and all that is online for people around to see and learn about it if they have an interest in it."
The Winter Platinum Night Sports Auction wraps up the weekend of February 26-27.
To view all lots and bid click here.
