October Legends Closing November 1
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/2/2014
The 1982 National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction ceremony was especially significant for a number of reasons; Hank Aaron, still the all-time home run king at the time, was inducted with MLB’s first African-American manager Frank Robinson neither of whom might not have been standing there if not for former Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler who held the office when Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the big leagues, and shared the podium with Aaron and Robinson in Cooperstown that day. In his Hall of Fame acceptance speech Chandler recalled a conversation that he has with Brooklyn Dodgers’ President and General Manager Branch Rickey: “I’m going to have to meet my maker some day and if he asks me why I didn’t let this boy play and I said because he was black. That might not be a satisfactory answer,” said Chandler. Aaron, Robinson and Chandler all signed this commemorative National Baseball Hall of Fame Pewter Plate in bold blue Sharpie. Fantastic collector’s item contains Aaron, Robinson and Chandler’s full names, positions, and career dates engraved in black, as well as fellow inductee Travis Jackson and comes with JSA COA #F61705.