1948 Leaf #79 Jackie Robinson - PSA 8 | Rookie Card

This is among the highest ever graded examples of the only true rookie card for one of the most important people of the 20th century.

Jackie Robinson’s card from the 1948 Leaf set is the grail for collectors of baseball’s color barrier-breaking hero, an American icon who set the stage for an explosion of talent in the nation’s pastime and served as a figurehead in the coming decades of civil rights activism.

From the time he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie changed the sport of baseball. Paving a way for future all-timers such as Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, his mark on global sporting culture can often be found in the accomplishments of those in his wake.

Jackie won the 1947 NL Rookie of the Year award and would shortly find himself voted as the senior circuit’s Most Valuable Player two years later. Before walking away from the game for the last time in 1956, he appeared at six MLB All-Star games and led the Dodgers to their first World Series title.

The 1948 Leaf set features numerous Hall of Famers as rookies including Robinson, Warren Spahn, and Stan Musial. The set came to fame for its checklist and was popular at the time as the first color prints to come after World War II. The set is also notoriously condition sensitive: the coarse cardstock that was used quickly reveals wear, and makes it difficult for cards such as the Robinson to reach high grades, adding to the spectacular feat that this copy has achieved.

This card has been authenticated and deemed to be in Near Mint-Mint condition, receiving a grade of 8 from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). This ranks it among the finest ever graded by PSA. At the time of cataloging, less than 10 have been awarded a higher unqualified grade.