TIXHITS - The Ticket Collector Newsletter - Volume #8 (11/20/25)

The first-ever Collectors Showcase at the Jackie Robinson Museum was a legendary trip into an important piece of Baseball history...with a few surprises along the way!

Nov 20, 2025

The Jackie Robinson Museum hosts the inaugural Collectors Showcase

by Dave Cat (@iconicsports_official)

Jackie Robinson’s name has become synonymous with breaking barriers. He was, of course, the first African American to play Major League Baseball when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He was also the first African American to be named Vice President of a Fortune 500 company and he was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

It is only fitting that the Museum that bears his name hosts a unique event that is the first of it’s kind in “The Hobby”.

On a windy night in Lower Manhattan, the Jackie Robinson Museum hosted their inaugural Collectors Showcase which featured some of the biggest names in the Sports Card and Memorabilia industry. The event featured 14 vendor tables, a panel discussion, Raffle giveaways, and a Mystery Box Chase with a chance to win a 1953 Topps Jackie Robinson card…all within the walls of the stunning 2-Floor museum.

“This was an opportunity to build out and expand on the Jackie Robinson legacy within the Collector’s community.” says Ezra Levine, a Sports Collectibles entrepreneur who helped spearhead the event.

Lots of the vendors had stunning cards on display but I wanted to hunt down some historic Jackie Robinson tickets! So I walked the halls, taking in the Ebbets Field miniature model and an array of impressive art work and photos…

until something caught my eye….tucked away in the middle of a center floor display….

A full ticket from Jackie Robinson’s Debut…no, not THAT Debut…this ticket is from his first ever professional baseball game. April, 18 1946. Montreal Royals vs Jersey City Giants. Game 1 Opening Day. Jackie Robinson made his professional baseball debut playing for the Montreal Royals. A truly stunning piece!

After soaking that in for a few minutes I circled around the corner and saw a beautiful display of 1955 World Series tickets from all 7 games. The Dodgers famously beat the Yankees in 7 to capture their first World Series championship. Jackie had a signature play in the series, stealing home in Game 1.

At this point I had a few minutes before the panel discussion was about to begin, so I decided to circle back around to the Vendor Tables to chat with friends and see if there was anything to buy….and that’s when I saw something that I wouldn’t have expected at a Jackie Robinson event…three Soccer Grails signed by three Soccer G.O.A.T.S!!

Adam Pybus of MVPs talked me through each ticket individually.

This first one is the Sporting CP Debut of Cristiano Renaldo from August 14, 2002, signed beautifully by the Portuguese legend.

HERE IS A LINK TO THAT TICKET ON THE MVPs WEBSITE

We then notice an amazing Lionel Messi signed Ticket from his highly anticipated Debut on the FC Barcelona Youth Team on November 16 , 2003.

The Argentinian prodigy was only 17 years old at the time. Although the Youth Team folded after that season, Messi moved up the following season, splitting time with the “B” team and the Senior Club, eventually making his Debut on the big club on 10/16/04 and developing his legacy there from 2004 to 2021.

HERE IS A LINK TO THIS MESSI TICKET

The next piece is the Pele World Cup Debut ticket from Sweden in 1958 when the Brazilian icon took the pitch to represent his country for the first time on the World’s biggest stage. The fact that Pele inscribed “Debut” on this ticket makes this truly special. Although the PSA census has 4 graded higher we are not sure if any of those others have the desirable “Debut” inscription.

“Our company was created off the back of a very close relationship with the soccer legend Pele.” Adam from MVPs tells us. “Our boss was in charge of his appearances and deals for many years which gave him the chance to learn the memorabilia market inside out as well as creating some amazing connections in the professional sporting world.”

“From these relationships MVPs was born and now the company has had the pleasure of working with every great soccer legend and upcoming star in the game. Everything we sell is signed and authenticated by either Beckett and PSA and we work directly with every single athlete to attain these autographs. The main business model is based around signed soccer jerseys but recently we go into signed tickets and cards due to their rarity.”

Adam adds, “It is extremely hard to price such an item as it deserves to be placed in a soccer museum for the world to see.”

I concur.

SEE THIS PELE LISTING ON THE MVPs WEBSITE LINK HERE