Roberto Clemente, who is the first baseball player from Latin America to collect 3,000 hits, Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente won four batting crowns, 12 Gold Glove Awards and the 1966 National League Most Valuable Player Award during his iconic career.
Earlier this week, A Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps rookie card just sold for $1,050,000 at an auction – nearly breaking a record TMZ Sports has learned.
PWCC officials tell us the sale of Clemente’s rookie card marks the second time a card from the legendary outfielder has passed the seven-figure mark.
As TMZ reported, PWCC believed it could rival the previous mark for a Clemente card of $1.107 million — and it came close.
“It’s an exciting price and signals that collectors continue to see Roberto Clemente assets and vintage trading cards as a very desirable investment,” said PWCC exec Jesse Craig.
“It’s really amazing when these museum-quality pieces appear at auction because we not only get to curate and present the card, but we also get to discuss Roberto Clemente with new audiences.”
MLB celebrated the 21st annual Roberto Clemente Day last week, with players, managers, and coaches in the Pirates-Mets game wearing No.21.
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According to Yard Barker, Clemente remains a popular figure in baseball given his legendary career and work off the field as a humanitarian. Every season Major League Baseball remembers his legacy with Roberto Clemente Day and gives out the Roberto Clemente Award to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”
There has also been a push in recent years to have his No. 21 retired leaguewide.
While the $1 million price tag for the Clemente rookie cards is impressive and ranks among the most expensive all time, it still does not top the list.
A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card once sold for more than $12 million, while the legendary 1909 T-206 Honus Wagner card has sold for over $7 million. A 1933 Babe Ruth card sold for more than $4 million, while a 1916 Sporting News Ruth card sold for more than $2.46 million.
PWCC Marketplace officials claim the card is in pristine condition and in the “upper echelon of quality for vintage trading cards.”
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The owner of exactly 3,000 hits and one of the most impactful players in Latin American history, Clemente died on New Year’s Eve 1972 following a plane crash in an attempt to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
On Dec. 31, 1972 Puerto Rican Roberto Clemente (Aug. 18, 1934 – Dec. 31, 1972) died in a plane crash while traveling at great risk in response to urgent requests to deliver help to earthquake devastated Nicaragua.
The front of the card displays two pictures of Clemente while the back details his minor league batting record.
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Sources: Zinned Project, Yard Barker, TMZ, SBNATION
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