Jackie Robinson game-used bat from 1949 All-Star Game nets $1.08 million at auction

A bat used by Jackie Robinson is now among one of the most valuable baseball bats ever. 

The bat that Robinson used at the 1949 All-Star Game in Brooklyn sold for $1.08 million at an auction on Saturday, according to collectibles marketplace Goldin. 

It’s not the most expensive baseball bat ever sold, but it’s one of the few to sell for more than $1 million. The record bat is the one Babe Ruth used to hit his first home run at Yankee Stadium in 1923, which sold for $1.265 million in 2004. 

Final Sale Price: $1,080,000

An all-time record for any Jackie Robinson game-used bat. pic.twitter.com/LR8aV6sF5a

— Goldin (@GoldinCo) May 1, 2022

The Robinson bat includes an authenticity letter from Robinson’s wife, Rachel.

“The bat has been in the Robinson family archives since the day it was first used by Jackie,” she wrote.

Sports memorabilia company Hunt Auctions purchased the bat. 

“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,” Hunt Auction president David Hunt said in a statement, per ESPN. 

Robinson won the National League MVP award in 1949 after leading the Senior Circuit with a .342 batting average and 37 stolen bases. At the All-Star Game, Robinson started at second base for the NL, going 1-for-4 with three runs. The American League won the game 11-7.