(Auction Link) |
In fact, both of the items I share below are first for me... That is, this is the first time I've seen either of these things.
Back in the 50's an enterprising publisher put out several Jackie Robinson comic books (I had scanned every page and posted them up, and you can see them here), and shown on the back cover of several of them was an advertisement for Jackie themed mementos. You can see a copy of the ad at the very top.
Over the years, I have seen all of the items in the advertisement at shows or online - except for one. In the decades I've been a fervent Dodger/Jackie Robinson collector I have never actually seen a photo or known the existence of the Jackie Robinson lucky rabbits foot. I figured that they all must have deteriorated over time. After all, that piece of rabbit carcass couldn't possibly have survived the passage of time in any acceptable kind of way.
Imagine my surprise when an example showed up at Lelands current summer auction. Check it out on the right. Wow!
According to the auction listing it is the only one they've ever seen, and that's saying a lot since Leland's has been around for a long time. As they said, it's the "holy grail" of Jackie Robinson premium collectibles, and I suspect it'll sell for a pretty penny.
The next item is just as rare.
Featured below is a 1950 plastic Jackie Robinson pencil sharpener, and it features a facsimile Robinson signature on the front and back. Not only is this the first time I've seen this, but I never knew of its existence. I suspect many of these got discarded when it filled up with pencil scraps.
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