42 for everyone

happy jackie robinson day!

i continue to enjoy seeing and collecting cards featuring the 1947 rookie of the year.

and today is one of the best days to share some new-to-me cards.

it's one of my favorite days of the baseball calendar, and i have a couple new "42" cards to show in addition to the 2021 topps chrome platinum anniversary (which completed my dodger team set), the 2022 panini diamond kings art of hitting insert, and the 2012 panini golden age headlines insert card above, whose text continues on the back:

there are still a lot of people who were alive when jackie debuted in the major leagues which blows my mind. just a reminder how recently this actually happened.

these two cards are jackie robinson day variations from 2019 topps gypsy queen, and they feature carlos correa

and whit merrifield

wearing robinson's number 42, and they've been added to my "42" collection. 

i really do like seeing today's players wearing 42 on cardboard, but these cards from 2023 topps archives 

and 2023 topps update

are better at capturing the meaning of his legacy to a fan like me. without jackie robinson and his peers, there is no three-time world series champion mookie betts. 

a true legend.

thank you jackie robinson.