This is not just a baseball ticket, for this small piece of cardboard admitted the bearer to witness a moment that marked the beginning of a movement that changed the course of a nation. This was the ticket to Jackie Robinson’s first professional baseball game. When Jackie took the field at Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium on April 18, 1946, he instantly became the first black ballplayer in organized baseball since 1899. It wasn’t chance or luck that led to Robinson donning a Montréal Royals uniform and making history that day - Jackie’s fame as a college athlete, his university education, and experience as an Army officer made him the perfect man for a very difficult job.

     In his first at bat, Jackie grounded out, but when he came up in the third inning, it was a different story. With two runners on, Robinson smashed a Warren Sandell fastball 335 feet and over the left field wall. As Robinson rounded third, Montreal teammate George “Shotgun Shuba” left the on-deck circle and reached out to shake Jackie’s hand in the time-honored home run tradition. This handshake, however, was so much more than a home run congratulations. This was a signal to the world that Jackie Robinson had arrived and that baseball was now a game for all, regardless of race. Robinson finished the afternoon with three more hits, all singles, and two stolen bases. Despite the number of tickets sold for the game, Jackie Robinson Jersey City debut stubs are unbelievably scarce. This example measures roughly 1 ½ x 2 ¾ inches and is for a Section 1 box seat. To easily set this ticket apart from other 1946 home dates, it has been overstepped with “OPENING DAY” in red ink. The ticket has been torn at the gate and is in good condition with a light crease in the upper right corner. Not only is this ticket stub a cherished piece of baseball history, but an artifact representing the very start of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

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