Manufacturer: Leaf (Chicago Leaf Gum Company)
Set: 1948 Leaf Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Jackie Robinson
Position/Team: 2nd Base for Dodgers
Card #: 79
Card Size: 2-3/8” x 2-7/8”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
Jackie Robinson’s baseball career is arguably the most significant in the history of American sports, transcending mere athletic achievement to become a powerful symbol of the Civil Rights Movement. On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke the color barrier, making his Major League Baseball debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers. This monumental event effectively ended decades of racial segregation in professional baseball, paving the way for other African American players. Beyond his historical impact, Robinson was a phenomenal baseball player. Over his 10-year MLB career (1947-1956), all spent with the Dodgers, he consistently demonstrated elite skills as an infielder (primarily second base and first base) and outfielder. He won the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 batting .297 and leading the National League with 29 stolen bases. In 1949 Robinson received the NL MVP and Batting Title.
Jackie Robinson is a 6-time All-Star: He was selected to the All-Star team every year from 1949 to 1954. A 1955 World Series Champion: He helped lead the “Boys of Summer” Dodgers to their only World Series championship in Brooklyn, defeating the New York Yankees in a thrilling seven-game series. Robinson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 on his first ballot.
Jackie Robinson has several early cards that are highly significant, but his most widely recognized and sought-after true rookie card is the above 1948 Leaf #79. This card is a cornerstone of the post-war collecting era, notable for being part of the first widely distributed color baseball card set. It features a hand-colorized image of Robinson with a solid background. The 1948 Leaf set is known for its inconsistent production quality, including poor centering and print defects, which makes finding high-grade examples of the #79 Jackie Robinson card incredibly difficult. Due to its historical importance and rarity in top condition, the 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson rookie card is one of the most valuable and iconic baseball cards in the entire hobby, often commanding six-figure prices for even moderately well-preserved examples.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
➡️ See All 1948 Leaf Rookie Card Prices
Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information.
(Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
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