Lot # 842: 1943-1948 Parade Sportive (Sports Parade) Jackie Robinson PSA POOR 1 (MK) - True Rookie!

Outstanding, rarely offered example from the 1946 Parade Sportive issue featuring future Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson as a member of the Montreal Royals International League team. This premium, along with the team card featuring Robinson from the same set, has been largely overlooked by collectors but is of enormous significance as it is the earliest card (premium) to feature Jackie Robinson as a professional ballplayer! This Canadian set was issued over a span of several years in the mid-1940s in conjunction with the Parade Sportive radio program (C. K. A. C) hosted by Montreal personality Paul Stewart. The black-and-white large-format cards measure either 5 by 9.5 inches or 7 by 10 inches and feature primarily members of the Montreal Royals team, including Robinson. The premium offered here is Jackie Robinson’s single-player card, featuring him in a batting pose on the dugout steps. Graded POOR 1 (MK) by PSA (submitted by REA), the premium displays a crisp image, light corner wear, and moderate creasing. A tape stain on the top edge of the reverse accounts for the "MK" qualifier. Many collectors are not familiar with this issue, or its significance, due to its exclusive distribution in the Montreal area during the short time period in which Robinson was with the team, and the fact that the issue is not a traditional "gum-card style" set (being a large-format premium-style issue). This is an outstanding opportunity to acquire Jackie Robinson’s true rookie card, which would be a worthy addition to any Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, or Hall of Fame rookie-card collection.