What is the oldest baseball "card" that you own?

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Posted By: Phil Garry

Notice I put the work CARD in quotation marks, it is not my intent to revisit the ongoing debate of what constitutes a card.

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Posted By: peter ullman

1878---forbes trade card.

pete in mn

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Posted By: leon

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

1882

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

Depends whether you consider Abner Doubleday part of baseball or not.

If you do, then it's this:



If you don't, then it's this:



-Al

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Posted By: barrysloate

Abner Doubleday is part of the myth, but he is not a part of the actual game. He's sort of a folk hero, and that's about it.

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Posted By: Joseph

First I cut the page from 1864's "The American Boy's Book of Sports and Games" that contains the first color illustration of a baseball game. Then I submit the page to a company that will grade and slab it.

In that case my answer would be something like:

1864, unc-"American Boy's" litho PSH9

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Doubleday is definitely part of the myth of the game, but his CDV's carry a premium because of it and are collected by baseball collectors so I would consider it a "baseball card".

The diamond at Cooperstown is still called "Doubleday Field".

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Posted By: Ken W.

Al beat me to it.



Or this, if its not a fake:

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Posted By: Brad

This would be my oldest "card"!

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

Ken, do you and I have the same collection?



-Al

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Posted By: Ken W.

Or, perhaps we are the same person, living and collecting in alternate universes? Hopefully, mine is the one where Doubleday did, indeed, invent baseball - so my card will carry a premium!

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Posted By: bruce Dorskind

Five Most Interesting 19th examples from our collection

1. Kalamazoo Bat Team Cabinet 1887 Detroit

2. Four Base Hits Van Haltran

3. Brooklyn Players League Team Cabinet

4. Mort Rogers Scorecard

5. Just So Chewing Tobacco- Childs

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Posted By: Mark

1863 cricket card.

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Posted By: Josh Adams

Bruce,

Nice top five list. Do you have scans you can share?!

Thanks,
Josh

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Posted By: Glenn

1884 Lawson Game

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Posted By: Jeff Prizner

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Posted By: Phil Garry

Mark:

Awesome card of George Wright!!!

Have you seen the Harry Wright cards issued at the same time?

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Posted By: barrysloate

The Harry Wright from the Jordan & Co. set is unique, and was one of the four that was used for admission to the cricket match. While the George Wright is from the same photo shoot, it does not have the reverse advertising.

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Posted By: Mark

Thanks Phil. Yes, when I bought the Jordan & Co. G. Wright, the auction house also had a Jordan & Co. Harry and Sam Wright (their father). JC has an 1865 Mathew Brady CDV with the same image of Harry and Sam.

Barry, was it you who told me you once owned the G. Wright and it originally came from Harry Wright's personal collection (found by Lipset)?

Edited to clarify that the Jordan & Co. Harry Wright (with the admission language on the reverse) that Barry is referring to is a different card/CDV than the Jordan & Co. Harry and Sam Wright I'm referring to (without admission language).

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Posted By: barrysloate

Yes, I did own that G.Wright CdV at one time.

And there are four known cards in the Jordan set that have the admission ticket on the back: Harry Wright, Sam Wright, Crossley, and Hammond. And two of them (I would have to check my notes) are known with two poses each, for a total of six distinct Jordan cards.

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Posted By: Jimmy Leiderman

My ex-grand match CDV before encapsulation.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Nice one Jimmy. That appears to be one of the two poses of Crossley.