1866 Baseball Cards

[barrysloate]

Kudbegud- that's a very nice collection of CdV's. It is not unusual to find an image of a baseball player from the 1860's- there are hundreds of them extant. But having a whole team together is very unusual, and therefore the group is special. Gary's assessment of their value is pretty right-on, and I can tell you he is an expert on these. I would probably add a little value based on the completeness of the group; and the one with the five trophy balls is really cool. Those were baseballs that were kept in a trophy case in the team's clubhouse. Although you may not be able to read them, the teams, scores, and game dates have been added in black paint.

It is always a generous gift to give something like that to a library or museum, but it is worth reconsidering. Unless they can promise you they will be displayed, they may end up locked away in a drawer somewhere. And because they are small, they are subject to theft. So it may not be the best thing to give them away, but that's your call. Whatever you decide, that's an historically interesting group.