Incredible Baseball Tintype Auction Yesterday

[Michael B]

[QUOTE=Joe_G.;1995479]I was watching for someone to post something about this auction, didn't think to look on the memorabilia side. I too was very impressed with the auction offerings.

I bid on four lots, won three. Nothing in the auction was directly within my collecting scope but I couldn't help myself, guilty of scope creep.

Lot #1 - Loved the Civil War tax stamp. A 5 cent tax meant this tintype cost between $0.51 - $1.00 which was a healthy sum for a single photo. The tintype is tinted (green pants) and likely purchased with a frame, both driving cost up (current frame could very well be original to tintype). Most canceled stamps lack a date but this photographer had a cancel stamp much like the post office with a clear March 10th, 1865 cancel. Neat cross-over collectable of early baseball image that can be precisely dated via a legible canceled Civil War tax stamp.





Due to the date stamp it is possible that the person was or had been in the military. Even though the rest of his outfit does not suggest it there were several military units during the Civil War that wore green pants, usually with piping:

1st U.S. Sharpshooters aka Berdan's Sharpshooters
Troy (N.Y.) Citizen's Corps
Portland (ME) Rifle Corps

The pants being short leads me to think that they have been re-purposed for baseball. I do not know how common piping was in civilian clothing back them but it was a bit more common in military uniforms.