Earliest Professional Baseball Program extant

[bigfanNY]

I will go first I had discussed this program previously but These are the first photo's I have ever taken. In fact I have not handled it since 1996. Anyway glad it has made it's way to the light of day.
Saturday May 27th, 1871 On the Union Grounds a game Between the Washington Olympic and the Red Stockings of Boston, First year first Month of National assn. Washington wins 6-5 Spaulding takes the loss. The umpire of the game was Mills of the NY Mutual.

[Leon]

wow.....thanks for showing it!!

[GoCubsGo32]

Originally Posted by bigfanNY

I will go first I had discussed this program previously but These are the first photo's I have ever taken. In fact I have not handled it since 1996. Anyway glad it has made it's way to the light of day.
Saturday May 27th, 1871 On the Union Grounds a game Between the Washington Olympic and the Red Stockings of Boston, First year first Month of National assn. Washington wins 6-5 Spaulding takes the loss. The umpire of the game was Mills of the NY Mutual.

I think this sums it up.....just wow!

[39special]

That is awesome!!

[rsn1661]

Very nice!

[vintagesportscollector]

Wow indeed! Thanks for sharing.

[1880nonsports]

as it was obvious a standard for scoring was already in use. Sure there are early scorecard collectors on here as well as historians and sabre members who might have an idea of some kind of starting point. Interleague games were being played as early as the 1840's - my GUESS would be 1860's but pure conjecture. Anyone?
In any event - quite special and I appreciate it more because it was scored and reflects an actual game including the likes of Wright et al. Nice to look at an unscored example from a purist standpoint but this is the meat and potatoes - at least to me.

[barrysloate]

Henry- Jonathan was asking about the first professional scorecard, not the first scorecard from organized baseball. Yes, there are earlier ones but they are from before the first professional league was formed. The one he showed is a beauty.

[bigfanNY]

As for must be earlier one's must exist..The First Pro team Was this Red Stocking Team that originated in Cincinnati. Any program from their Tour/Seasons of 1869 and 1870 would have been a Pro team vs a non Pro team (Still quite AWESOME items). First Pro league was the National Association formed in 1871. First Pro game is in Rockford May 1871. Some Time after I acquired this program from Al Rosen My Dad and I visited the HOF and spoke with folks from Library and they did not at that time have a program earlier than this one. Me being wrong means more of Basseball earliest history exists and that a really good thing. So Yes I have seen earlier Baseball programs 1850's is earliest. And It is my hope someone has and shares an earlier Professional Program in this thread. Later in the year Boston programs had player pictures on the cover a group of these showed up on Antique Roadshow (again F-ing awesome stuff). JMHO
Jonathan

[1880nonsports]

thanks - bit of a neophyte in this arena so appreciate the education.
In looking over a few things in this thread I came across John Thorne's claim of 1791 being the first baseball game - not sure if he's right - and unsure if an "evolving game" can have an actual beginning that satisfies everyone's definition - but appreciate his diligence. He likely pays more attention to a question or statement and the details than I manage to. Sorry to derail....
The Mort Roger's scorecards are indeed special - have drooled over them since seeing them in the Kashmanian book when it came out.
Congratulations on owning a more significant piece than I already thought it was.....

[1880nonsports]

are you related to the NY radio guy and/or did you own a card store in NY or is your moniker just that?

[spec]

Jonathan,
The first Mort Rogers scorecards were sold at the Boston-Athletics game one week before the Boston-Olympics game your scorecard details. These feature a tipped-in photo of Harry Wright. The first professional game in Boston was 4 days earlier, between Boston and Troy. I don't know if scorecards have survived from the Troy game, but I believe more than one from the Boston-A's game exists.
B.ob Richa.rd.son

[bigfanNY]

Spec: I would love to see a scan of that scorecard. When I visited the HOF in the early 80's I was told that Mort Rodgers scorecards were not issued that early in the season. Things change every day and the 10 from the Antique Roadshow increased the population. Because of how ornate they were certainly helped them survive and the fact that Mort bought them on the road games Cincinnati for instance also helped. Wonderful items love to see them and any National assn. scorecards..
J