1954 Topps Hank Aaron ROOKIE #128 SGC 8.5 NM-MT+

The first time I saw him in Spring Training he had ‘major league’ written all over him… One of those guys that only comes around every hundred years.” Milwaukee Braves All-Star Andy Pafko may have seen Hank Aaron as the once-in-a-lifetime talent, but a startling number of baseball fans felt quite differently—they despised him. It was not because the 20-year-old from Mobile, Alabama, went 0-5 during his major league debut in 1954, nor because he would go on to shatter Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record 20 years later. These people hated Hank Aaron simply because he was Black.

Despite his clear prowess on the diamond, Hammerin’ Hank’s career was plagued by racism from start to finish. The Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League gave Hank his start as pro ball player, and it was during a trip to Washington, D.C., with the team that he experienced one of the most profoundly heartbreaking moments of his life. After he and his teammates had finished eating at a local restaurant, Hank sat and listened as the waitstaff proceeded to smash all the plates the group had been eating on. “What a horrible sound,” he recalled “Even as a kid, the irony of it hit me: here we were in the capital in the land of freedom and equality, and they had to destroy the plates that had touched the forks that had been in the mouths of black men. If dogs had eaten off those plates, they'd have washed them.”

Even after Hank became one of MLB’s premier superstars, the venom and vitriol only continued to rain down on him, with the peak of this hate coming during his quest to break Babe Ruth’s home run record. Hank received an average of 3,000 letters a day from both northern and southern states, each one filled with more curses and slurs than the next. Kidnap and death threats were also a regularity, with Hank even fearing for his family’s safety. That is why even as No. 44 famously trotted the bases after blasting his record-breaking 715th home run, there was still a shadow hanging over him. As Hank himself put it: “They carved a piece of my heart away.”

Yet despite the difficulties he faced over his 86 years, no amount of hate or racism can carve away Hank Aaron’s legacy. Not only did Hammerin’ Hank prove himself to be a man of incredible talent, but also one of superhuman spirit and resolve. Hank Aaron remains one the sports world’s most beloved and important icons, which is why demand for his 1954 Topps rookie card has only continued to surge as his impact on so many hearts and minds has become evident. This SGC 8.5 example earned the PWCC-S (Superior—Top 5%) Eye Appeal designation for its remarkable color preservation, centering (notoriously challenging for this issue), and corners; PWCC believes it should have earned an SGC 9. So to whoever wins this auction, know this: not only are you getting one of baseball’s most iconic rookie cards in stunning condition, but also a testament to a man that lived his life in triumph over hate.