Glenn Burke Signed AUTO Original TYPE I Photo Dodgers “High Five” PSA/DNA COA

Glenn Burke (1952–1995) was an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1976–78) and Oakland Athletics (1978–79), batting .237 with 35 stolen bases. A gifted athlete and vibrant clubhouse presence, he is widely credited with inventing the high five during the 1977 postseason.

For decades, conventional wisdom has traced the gesture’s origin to October 2, 1977, at Dodger Stadium, when Dusty Baker hit his 30th home run off J. R. Richard, making the Dodgers the first team with four players reaching 30 home runs in a season. As Baker rounded the bases, Burke greeted him with an upraised hand, and the iconic high five was born.

Burke later became the first MLB player to openly acknowledge his homosexuality, but the era’s culture forced him out of the game before his prime. The Dodgers reportedly offered incentives for him to conceal his identity. After baseball, he battled poverty, drug addiction, and AIDS-related illness, dying at 42. Today, Burke is remembered as both a cultural pioneer and a symbol of courage whose legacy extends far beyond the field.

Offered is a super rare 8” x 10” color original TYPE I photo (taken by an amateur photographer) that burke signed and dated “1978” in blue sharpie/felt tipped pen. We’ve only seen one other signed photo of Burke in over 45 years of collecting (and that was a snapshot photo).

PSA/DNA COA

NOTE – we’ve enhanced the third photo so you can view the period Kodak photographic markings.