The two aging contracts are unremarkable on first glance, devoid of flourishes and filled with the boilerplate restrictions that chained all baseball players to their teams in the Reserve Clause era.
It isn't until the dates and signatures are evident that it becomes clear why these documents - two thin sheets of paper whose historical heft belies their fragility - have been appraised at $36 million.
They are the groundbreaking contracts that Jackie Robinson signed when he shattered baseball's long-entrenched color barrier and changed American society forever. And from Thursday until June 5, they will be on display here at the National Constitution Center.