Major League Baseball made a major change to its historical record books this week, officially including the statistics of more than 2,300 Negro League players for the first time.
Negro League legend Josh Gibson, who died shortly before the integration of MLB with Jackie Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers debut in 1947, will now be recognized as the official leader in a number of statistical categories.
Gibson has now supplanted Ty Cobb as the all-time leader in career batting average at .372, while passing Babe Ruth for the all-time slugging percentage record (.718). He also owns the record for career OPS (1.177).
"This initiative is focused on ensuring that future generations of fans have access to the statistics and milestones of all those who made the Negro Leagues possible," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "Their accomplishments on the field will be a gateway to broader learning about this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson's 1947 Dodger debut."
A number of collectible items highlight Gibson's historical achievements on the field during his career (1930-46). Here's cllct's look at memorabilia for the slugging catcher, who was induced into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972:
Bats
In 2005, Gibson’s heirs sold Topps one of the two game-used Gibson bats known to exist. Topps cut the bat into pieces for insertion in the 2006 Sterling set, calling the bat barrel card the “greatest card ever produced.”
The only other Gibson bat used during his playing days sold in an auction at Christie’s in October 2016 for $319,500 and again at Heritage for $240,000 in February 2018.
Cards
For decades, playing-days cards of Gibson were thought to be nonexistent. This changed in 2006 when REA announced the discovery of a 1931 Harrison Studios card, which was signed twice by Gibson and represents not only the sole surviving example of an individual card from Gibson’s career, but also the only autographed Gibson photograph known to exist.
It sold for $81,200.
According to PSA, the Harrison Studios set was issued over a three-year period from 1930-32 and marks “the only known Negro League card set produced in the United States during the span of the Negro League era.”
Other examples from the set featuring Gibson and his teammates have surfaced as well, one from 1930 (sold for $22,800 in August 2017 at Heritage) and another from 1932 (sold for $36,000 in August 2017 at Heritage).
More well-known than the Harrison Studios cards, though still exceptionally rare, is the 1950-51 Toleteros card. Produced only in Puerto Rico, where Gibson had previously played winter ball in the early 1940s, PSA has graded just 14 examples of the card.
The highest-graded example, which saw hyper-limited production just a few years after Gibson’s death, is a PSA 8, which last sold for $72,000 at Heritage in February 2018.
In the time since, the owner has received offers as high as $200,000.
Lower-graded examples have sold for $26,995.44 in 2005 at Lelands (PSA 7), $20,788.80 in 2019 at Mile High (PSA 4) and $51,600 in 2020 at Heritage (PSA 7).
A unique example of the Toleteros card, featuring a special logo meant to communicate the card’s status as redemption-eligible, sold for $86,400 in SGC 1 condition in an auction at Love of the Game in March 2024.
The aforementioned 2006 Topps Sterling Bat relics, including the 1/1 barrel card, are among the most coveted modern Gibson cards in the world, though the famous 1/1 bat barrel has never surfaced publicly.
Topps continued to use the remnants from the destroyed Gibson bats for more than a decade, with relics appearing in the 2016 Tier One set, 2017 Diamond Icons and 2022 Topps Tier One.
Autographs
As Gibson died at the young age of 35 due to a stroke in 1947, his autographs are among the rarest in the hobby. It’s estimated around a dozen authentic examples remain extant.
There is only one single-signed Gibson baseball known to exist, currently owned by Showpieces Sports, which lists the ball at an asking price of $599,995.
A dual-signed ball penned by Gibson and Homestead Grays teammate Ray Brown sold for $74,400 in May 2020 at Heritage.
An album page of Gibson and Satchel Paige’s autographs sold for $32,400 in February 2020.
Gibson’s signed Puerto Rican League contract sold for $95,600 in April 2009 at Heritage.
The 2003 SP Legendary Cuts Josh Gibson #JG Cut Signature 1/1 was the first Gibson cut autograph card ever produced. It sold privately in 2003 for $12,500, according to PSA.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.