Major League Baseball has launched the auction of many of the Number 42 jerseys worn by players to celebrate the recent 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's entry into Major League Baseball. The auction will be conducted during a four-week period exclusively on MLB.com.

Jerseys will be made available in a "rolling" fashion, with a batch at a time posted to manage web traffic. The net proceeds of the jersey auction will benefit The Jackie Robinson Foundation, which aims to increase the number of minority youths who receive grants for four-year scholarships for higher education.

Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig extended an invitation to all Clubs on April 4th to allow any of their members to wear the special jerseys as a tribute to Jackie and the history he made 60 years ago. Each jersey has been authenticated.

On April 15, 1997, the 50th anniversary of Robinson's entry into Major League Baseball, Commissioner Selig announced that Robinson's Number 42 would be retired throughout baseball and would never again be issued to on-field personnel. He temporarily suspended the retirement for the 60th anniversary.