Baseball took root in the east as the nation tumbled toward the Civil War that ended the dreams of many would be players for the game that would become America’s own. Relics from the era are few and far between but one extreme rarity believed to date from the year after Generals Grant and Lee signed papers to end the four-year conflict is about to go on the market. In … [Read more...]
Civil War Era Baseball Letters Are a Window to History
Heber S. Thompson was almost at the end of his four-year commitment to Yale University in the spring of 1861. Ready to graduate, the shortstop on the school's fledgling baseball club would commit to something else instead. Thompson enlisted in Lincoln's army four days after the fall of Fort Sumter and joined theBill Fuller: Talks of his "short stop" who … [Read more...]
Major OId Judge, Joseph Hall Find on Long Island Hits Auction Block
A find of 19th century baseball cards in a Long Island estate has hit the auction block. Weiss Auctions is selling the collection of 37 cards, which were recently uncovered on the North Fork of Long Island. The bulk of the find consists of 1888 N173 Old Judge cabinet cards with three 1888 Joseph Hall Team Cabinet cards also represented. The Old Judge cards include the … [Read more...]
Rare 19th Century Cabinet Photo with Connie Mack Up for Auction
Big league baseball returned to Milwaukee in 1970 but it wasn’t the first time for the city by the shore of Lake Michigan. In the late 19th century, the first iteration of the Brewers came in the Western League. Their player/manager was Connie Mack and the Tall Tactician is front and center on a rare cabinet photograph that’s up for auction. The RMY Auctions Photo of … [Read more...]
Historic 1867 Trophy Ball Set for Auction
The Civil War had ended just two years earlier and professional baseball as we know it was still decades away. A surviving relic from the game’s earliest days in New York City 150 years ago is about to hit the auction block. Preserved amazingly well thanks to its life inside the original velvet-lined case, what’s believed to be the oldest surviving trophy ball from … [Read more...]
Huggins & Scott Auctioning Off Newly Discovered Kalamazoo Bats Card
Sometimes those hours spent at estate sales, flea markets and rummage sales can pay off. A newly uncovered 19th century team card coming to Huggins & Scott Auctions is proof of that. A person attending a Massachusetts flea market not long ago made an extraordinary discovery — tucked inside the pages of a late 19th century scrapbook was a picture of a Pittsburgh … [Read more...]
Score Sheets From First Cardinals Road Game to be Displayed
The St. Louis Cardinals are one of Major League Baseball's storied franchises. This summer, more than 135 years after their inception, original score sheets from the team's first road game will go on display. The team's first games were against the Louisville Eclipse at home in St. Louis. Following that three-game series, the two teams played three more … [Read more...]
Ace Pitcher’s 1886 St. Louis Browns Championship Pin Hits Auction
One of just three surviving examples of the ornate 1886 championship pins awarded to members of the St. Louis Browns has been consigned to auction by descendants of the man who helped win it for them. Built from 14k gold and silver, the multi-level pin presented more than 130 years ago to pitcher Dave Foutz even includes the original box. It’s currently being offered in … [Read more...]
The Omaha Find: Rare 19th Century Pins Coming to Heritage Auctions
They sat quietly in the possession of a Nebraska family for generations. Now, a collection of 87 ultra-rare 1897 Whitehead & Hoag "On Time Starch" baseball pins is about to enter the hobby. The Heritage Auctions Consignment of the Week launches with the remarkable "Omaha Find" that will be up for grabs in the company's February 25-26 Platinum Night … [Read more...]
Early Baseball Docs, Koufax Jersey Climbing at Auction
Two items have headed deep into six figures into the final hours of bidding in SCP Auctions’ Spring Premier catalog. The groundbreaking and much publicized 1857 “Laws of Base Ball” documents soared to $417,733 on Friday. Originally purchased at auction years ago, the documents have since been discovered to be in the handwriting of Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams, who was then … [Read more...]