Four months after Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier in Brooklyn, 24-year-old negro leaguer Dan Bankhead became the big leagues' first black pitcher, also with Brooklyn. This lot commemorates the historic achievement as there are five-dozen letters and Postcards congratulating Bankhead. The content is mostly congratulatory, with many autograph requests. Several of the correspondence are from African-American fans and most retain their original mailing envelopes.