October Legends and Americana Ending November 14th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2015
Forever linked in baseball and American history, groundbreaking African American pioneers Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella ushered in baseball’s modern integrated era as teammates with the Brooklyn Dodgers in what is commonly referred to as The Golden Age of New York Baseball from 1947-1957. Robinson, of course, broke baseball racial barrier as the game’s first black player in 1947. Campanella, of African-American and Italian descent, followed close behind breaking in with the Dodgers in 1948 after starring in the Negro Leagues with the Baltimore Elite Giants. Both players spent their entire 10-year careers with the Dodgers: Robinson retired after the 1956 season rather than being traded to the cross-town rival New York Giants. Campanella’s career came to an abrupt end when he was left paralyzed after an automobile accident that took place in January of 1958 just after the Dodgers last season in Brooklyn and before the team’s first in Los Angeles. Robinson and Campanella both signed this Sphere Official League ball on the same side panel. Robinson’s signature is in blue steel tip fountain pen just above Campanella’s in blue ball point pen. Slightly dirty ball appears to have been used in some kind of pickup games before it was signed but is in relatively good condition with all of its red stitching intact and labeling legible. This remarkable piece of American social and cultural history comes with JSA LOA certification #X99527.