Oldest Memorabilia

[GaryPassamonte]

How about showing the oldest piece you have. Mine is an 1860 "hop" ticket from Newark NJ.

[btcarfagno]

Tom C

[Leon]

Currently, I think this is it.

[GaryPassamonte]

Leon- I still have potential upgrades available.

[aquarius31]

Gary, this is a great thread topic and that Newark BBC ticket is awesome! I'm not sure about the age of the below tintype but looks to be 1860's. I also have 2 other CDVs from 1860's that I'll post later. Would love to see some more old stuff!

- 1841 Gift of Friendship by S. Babcock (picked up here a long time ago)
- 1857 Spirit of the Times - The Eagles and Gothams Playing Their Great Match At The Elysian Fields
- 1860's half-plate tintype

[Scott Garner]

I've shown this ticket on net54 before, but here is a very early White Stockings baseball season ticket from 1874.
Condition is pretty remarkable considering age...

[John V]

I believe this is my oldest. I just don't know how old.

[Runscott]

from the 'General Advertiser', Philadelphia, February 13, 1815

...regarding 'practicing ball during the current season'. Also, my apologies to any who might be descended from this scoundrel John Hastings!

(Also, I realize that Mark will probably argue that this is some other sort of 'ball' that the ladies and gentlemen have been practicing, such as football)

[rjackson44]

Picked this up ten years ago pretty

[seattlerainiers]

One of the earliest surviving artifacts from baseball in the Pacific Northwest:

[CarltonHendricks]

Originally Posted by seattlerainiers

One of the earliest surviving artifacts from baseball in the Pacific Northwest:

For lack of a like button....very cool trophy!! congrats

[ramram]

1867 scorebook.

Rob M.

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[cubman1941]

I can't get a good picture but I have an original "The Sunday Times" from April 22, 1877 and on page 3 is the write-up of the "Base-Ball" Opening Game between the Chicagos and the Fairbanks. The better part of the write-up consisted of speaking about the pennant flying from 1876. The Chicagos were referred to as the Whites in the write-up.

[bbpostcards]

It's not often you get to hold a document penned by someone who in 1860 played in the first true baseball game in Philadelphia, one of America's most important baseball cities, who fought in the Civil War that contributed to his club's demise, and who in the document is seen in his own hand vainly trying to restore the team's pre-war standing.

William H. Litzenberg was the Equity Base Ball Club of Philadelphia's catcher in the historic June 11, 1860 first game between two organized ball clubs played under the New York rules in Philadelphia. Their opponent Winona, another local team, prevailed 39-21. The box score confirms Litzenberg's participation. See New York Clipper, June 30, 1860, p. 85. That contest is "generally given the distinction of being the first match game ever played in Philadelphia under the New York rules." Base Ball Founders (Morris et al., ed.) at p. 242.

The Civil War led the Equitys to suspend play. Litzenberg then fought with the Union Army. After the war the team tried to resurrect itself. In the fall of 1866 the Equitys sent representatives to the National Association of Base Ball Players convention. It was not enough for the team to survive. For these and further details on the team's history, see generally Base Ball Founders, pp. 241-246. In the midst of that unsuccessful rebuilding effort Litzenberg wrote and signed this May 28, 1866 telegraph proposing that Wayne Litzenberg (likely a relative) become a team member and directed it to the Equity team's president, officers, and members.

The Equitys are credited with being one of the clubs that "sparked a major shift from town ball to baseball that took place in 1860" and as having "a strong claim to having been Philadelphia's best prewar club and might well have remained a major force on the city's baseball scene if not for the intervention of the Civil War." Base Ball Founders, pp. 241, 244. Litzenberg was involved at every turn.