“Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron was one of baseball’s greatest players from 1954 to 1976.  Aaron debuted on April 13, 1954 as a player for the Milwaukee Braves, and made his last plate appearance on October 3, 1976 while a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.  Along the way, he homered 755 times, a record that was eventually broken by Barry Bonds.  In fact, Aaron is the only player to hit 30 or more homers in a season at least 15 times.

                Aaron’s professional career started in 1951 when he was signed to a contract to play for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League.  However, Major League Baseball had already begun to sign black players, starting with Jackie Robinson’s debuting with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.  Aaron made short work with the Clowns, and only played in 26 official Negro League games.  In 1952 Henry Aaron’s contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Braves.  In the Braves’ minor league system Aaron played primarily shortstop or second base.  However, that was soon to end.  When Braves left fielder Bobby Thomson, the Giants hero in the 1951 playoffs against the Dodgers, fractured his ankle, Aaron replaced him in the outfield.  The rest, so to speak, was history.

                Hank Aaron was selected as an All-Star 21 times, and played in 25 All-Star games.  In 1957 he was a member of the World Series champion Milwaukee Braves.

                Of course, Aaron was closely scrutinized once he became close to breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record.  Ruth’s record of 714 homers was for decades, but as with any record, sooner or later there was always a chance of it being broken.  And so it was with the home run record.  Aaron ended the 1973 season at 713 homers, one shy of Ruth.  The hate mail came in droves during the offseason, as how dare a black man surpass the iconic record of Babe Ruth.  But in the very first game of the 1974 season, Aaron tied the record, and broke it on April 8^th, 1974, during the first home game of the Atlanta Braves.

                Aarons’ final homer, on July 20, 1976, against the California Angels, was his 755^th career homer, and stood as the record until 2007, when San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds would surpass it.

                Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 with 97.8 percent of the votes.  At the time that selection percentage was the second highest in history, only to 98.2 percent of Ty Cobb in the inaugural 1936 Hall election.

                Since his retirement Aaron has served in several baseball executive positions.  In addition, in 2001 he was honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton, and in 2002 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President George W. Bush.

                For the baseball collector, most Hank Aaron items can be acquired without breaking the bank.  For example, an Aaron-signed official Major League baseball can usually be purchased for no more than $200-250.  In comparison, a Ruth-signed ball can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

                A signed Aaron replica jersey will cost less than a thousand dollars on eBay, while an original Hartland statue in good condition from the late 1950s will cost a few hundred dollars.

                An Aaron 8x10 signed photo is priced at $100-125, while a signed bat runs around $750-900.

                A Hank Aaron piece of memorabilia will always be a treasure for any sports collector.