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On the heels of the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s MLB debut, a storied piece of memorabilia dating back to the Hall of Famer’s first All-Star Game has found a new home.
Sports memorabilia company Hunt Auctions purchased Robinson’s bat from the 1949 MLB All-Star Game in Brooklyn for a staggering $1.08 million at an auction on Saturday, according to ESPN. An offer of $1 million or more is considered a rarity in the sports collectible marketplace.
The bat also came with a letter of authenticity from Robinson’s wife, Rachel, which read: “The bat has been in the Robinson family archives since the day it was first used by Jackie.”
Robinson made his All-Star debut two years after his historic major league debut on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers legend started at second base for the National League and recorded one hit in four at-bats, and scored three runs in an 11-7 loss; Robinson won his first and only NL MVP at the end of that season.
David Hunt, the president of Hunt Auction, issued a statement praising the bat’s historical significance following the historic acquisition.
“The direct provenance from Rachel Robinson and the added historical significance of the 1949 All-Star Game being played in Brooklyn place this example at the pinnacle of Jackie game bats,” he said.
While the final price of Robinson’s bat places it in rare company, the collectible is not the most expensive baseball bat ever sold at auction. The record belongs to the bat used by Babe Ruth for his first Yankee Stadium home run in 1923, which sold for $1.265 million in 2019.
