2. Beautiful Signed 1952 Topps #312 Jackie Robinson (HOF) - PSA/DNA Though the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle grabs the headlines, the card of Jackie Robinson has also ex- ploded in value in recent years, as the hobby final- ly begins to appreciate his immense contribution to American history. The card not only carries the leg- acy of Robinson’s greatness, it also carries with it the lore of the “scarce” 1952 Topps high numbers, hobby legend suggesting that cases of high numbers were dumped into the sea to dispose of unwanted and ob- solete inventory. The card is also beautiful, considered by many collectors to be Robinson’s greatest card.
As is the case with other 1952 Topps, true rarity en- ters the equation when the autograph is introduced; while PSA has assessed more than 1,300 examples of Jackie Robinson’s card, they have authenticated just five signed cards (as of this writing, their pop- ulation report reflects six examples, but this exam- ple is counted twice and one has yet to be removed from the census). Signed 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson cards are exceedingly rare. This is a superb example. The card is clean and color- ful, with some light edge wear and corner rounding and some visible surface wear offset by a striking im- age and rich, red background. Centered slightly to the right, the aesthetic appeal of the card remains strong. Robinson carefully applied his signature vertically on the card, in the red area along the right edge. Such an application is not unheard of for Robinson cards; his vertical signature appears on a number of other known examples, perhaps because signing vertically provided more room for his full name, and in the case of this card, improved contrast. Robinson’s vertical signature was surely intentional, and in our opinion with this card, is ideal, as the blue ballpoint ink is far more legible against the solid red and white back- grounds than in other examples of this card where a horizontally-applied signature is more difficult to read. One of Jackie Robinson’s most desirable cards and certainly one of his most rare, one of just five signed examples assessed by PSA/DNA. An incredibly im- portant card of what may be the most important American athlete. A true hobby rarity.
MINIMUM BID: $25,000
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