Jackie Robinson was the first African American to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball when he started playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. As the player who helped integrate MLB, Robinson is widely considered one of the most important figures in baseball history. Not surprisingly, his rookie cards and other early baseball cards featuring Robinson are among the most valuable in the sport.

The most valuable and iconic Jackie Robinson card is generally considered to be his 1956 Topps card. This is Robinson’s last card issued before his retirement from baseball in 1956. In near-mint condition, examples of his 1956 Topps card have sold at auction for over $500,000 in recent years, making it one of the highest valued post-war baseball cards in existence. Even well-worn copies in poorer condition can still fetch tens of thousands of dollars due to the card’s legendary status.

Robinson’s rookie baseball cards from 1947 are also extremely valuable, though typically not as much as the 1956 issue. His 1947 Bowman Gum card is often cited as the second most valuable baseball card after the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. Pristine, gem mint condition examples have sold for over $400,000. More moderately played copies in around excellent-mint condition have still sold for six figure sums. The 1947 Leaf card depicting Robinson is also highly valuable, with top grades potentially worth $200,000 or more.

In the late 1940s and 1950s, Robinson appeared in several other notable early issues besides his debut cards. His 1948/1949 Topps cards are significant as some of the earliest Topps issues. High grade examples can reach $50,000-$100,000 depending on condition factors. Robinson also had cards in the 1949/1950/1951 Red Man tobacco sets that are valued around $15,000-$30,000 for choice specimens. His 1952/1953/1954 Topps cards remain collectible as well at $3,000-$10,000 each.

Beyond Robinson’s iconic rookie and final career cards, there are a few other subsets that increase the value of some copies. Any of his early cards depicting him as a Brooklyn Dodger hold premium value since he broke the color barrier with that franchise. Examples that are graded higher by professional card grading services like PSA or BGS are exponentially more valuable than lower graded copies. autographs or on-card signatures from Robinson dramatically increase the worth, with autographed cards reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars or more depending on condition and significance. Variations of the cards with printing errors or anomalies are also highly sought after by collectors.

It’s also notable that general hobby demand and price increases have substantially raised values for vintage Robinson cards in recent decades, similar to stars like Mantle, Mays, and Aaron. As the earliest African American major leaguer whose career helped integrate the sport, Robinson remains one of the most revered iconic players in history. This legend status ensures continuing strong collector demand and ascending prices for any artifacts tied to his playing days like original baseball cards. With only small production runs issued over 70 years ago, high quality examples of any card featuring Robinson as a Dodger are considered priceless rarities worth five or even six figures in today’s thriving vintage sports card market.

While low-quality or common Robinson cards can still be obtained for hundreds to a few thousand dollars, choice specimens of his rookie cards or other significant early issues have proven their ability to command six figure prices or higher at public auction. As one of the true pioneers who helped demolish racial barriers in American professional sports, Robinson’s legacy ensures any relics tied to his groundbreaking MLB career like original baseball cards remain among the most prized collectibles in the hobby. Condition, scarcity, and inscription factors like autographs can enormously impact the investment worth of cards bearing the image of this irreplaceable legend from baseball’s earliest era.