Auction Spotlight: “Baseball is played in the sand lots…” – Jackie Robinson
This lot realized $28,910 including buyer’s premium in our November 20 Fall Sports Cards, Memorabilia and Non-Sports Cards auction — a striking result for a document offering this direct a look into Jackie Robinson’s early athletic life.
A School Report That Became a Piece of Sports History
Our Fall Sports Cards, Memorabilia and Non-Sports Cards auction on November 20 featured a genuinely significant piece of sports history: a school report written by Jackie Robinson during his time at UCLA. The document reflects Robinson’s own thoughts on three popular sports and offers a rare, direct window into his early athletic career, years before he changed the course of American sports.
Jackie Robinson is best known for baseball, where he famously became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era, ushering in a new era for professional sports. Beyond baseball, Robinson was a remarkable four-sport athlete at UCLA, also excelling in basketball, football, and track and field.
Inside the 15-Page Report
The school project contains 15 pages of handwriting by Jackie Robinson, in which he breaks down the history of baseball, football, and even ice hockey, giving his own commentary on each sport. It’s a rare and remarkable look into the early thoughts of a man who would go on to make an everlasting impact on the very sports he wrote about as a student.
The report was purchased years ago from the estate of longtime UCLA assistant coach A.J. Sturzenegger and comes with a JSA Letter of Authenticity, giving collectors a documented, verifiable chain of custody alongside the content itself.
A preview of the Jackie Robinson UCLA school report as featured in our November 20 auction catalog
Jackie Robinson: A Four-Sport Star Before the Major Leagues
Long before he broke Major League Baseball’s color line with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Jackie Robinson was one of the most versatile athletes UCLA had ever seen. He remains the only UCLA athlete to earn varsity letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track and field. That range is exactly what makes this report so compelling; it’s not a baseball-only relic, but a snapshot of a young multi-sport athlete thinking critically about the games he played and watched.
Grading and Authentication, Handled for You
Have sports cards, comics, or coins that need grading, or signatures that need authentication? We handle the entire grading and authentication process on our end, saving you time and money while positioning your item to achieve the strongest possible price at auction.
Have Signed Sports Memorabilia to Sell?
Results like this Jackie Robinson report show what strong provenance and proper authentication can do for a signed piece of sports history. We are actively seeking consignments of signed sports memorabilia, game-used equipment, graded cards, complete sets, and vintage collections for future sales, with in-house grading and authentication handled for you and no obligation to sell.
See the Full Fall Sports Cards, Memorabilia and Non-Sports Cards Auction
Browse the complete November 20 auction catalog, featuring this one-of-a-kind Jackie Robinson report alongside hundreds of other pieces of signed memorabilia, graded cards, complete sets, non-sports cards, and wax boxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Jackie Robinson UCLA School Report · Weiss Auctions
What did the Jackie Robinson UCLA school report sell for?
What is the Jackie Robinson UCLA school report?
How was the report authenticated?
What is the provenance of the report?
Was Jackie Robinson only a baseball player at UCLA?
Do you accept consignments of signed sports memorabilia?
Can you grade or authenticate my sports cards, comics, or coins?
Where can I see the full auction this report was part of?
Browse all upcoming sales at weiss.auction/auctions, view our auction news and results, or request a free appraisal on our consignment page.