What's your oldest baseball related item?

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Posted By: Jason

1853c 3 Child Dag With Ball
The child dag is an interesting one and in my mind is still open to debate about whether it is baseball related. My main problem here is that I don’t have the dam thing to hand – it is currently with my friend in the States so for the moment I have to rely on scans.

When I first saw this dag I thought that it may be a piece of fruit or just a rubber ball but after studying it more carefully I, like Rob, noticed what could be stitching on it. As Barry has already stated if it is a baseball then it is an exciting item but I just don’t know – maybe it is wishful thinking? What do the other board members think? As far as the dating goes it is pretty strait forward. Given the style of clothes and its original plain matt finish mount I believe it to date from the early to mid 1850’s.



1861c Maryland Tintype
The tintype is CDV size and sits in its original mount with the seals intact. Written on the paper seal at the back in period pencil is W. T. Lee Aberdeen Maryland. So far I cannot find any reference to WT Lee – maybe an informed board member may have come across him?

Dating it is not an exact science but I reckon it is from the early civil war period. Although tintypes came onto the scene in 1856 I do not believe this one to be any earlier than 1861.

A few different things have led me to this conclusion. First, the headgear resembles that of that of the1860 Nassau team and the oversize bat is reminiscent of those used by the 1858 Atwater team. I think the main giveaway though is the mount. As far as I am aware, these started to be used at the beginning of the war. The early mounts were plain (as with my specimen) and got more intricate as time went by. Later mounts (1864c) where heavily decorated with star motifs and the like.


1862c Potsdam NY CDV
The ball player has what was considered an early uniform on - slack like pants, white dress shirt, shiny dress like shoes and the railroad type cap. He also sports a belt, with a large buckle which has something embossed on it (indiscernible). He holds a baseball bat while a baseball lies on the shelf to his side. The cap is hand tinted as is the belt.

The back stamp displays C.W. Van Alstine in Potsdam, New York. Van Alstine is listed in The Daguerrian Registry as in the photographic business in Potsdam, New York from 1858.

Regarding dating on this item: As with the tintype, this image displays the large oversize bat and the 1860 Nassau like cap. The feel of the card is also very similar to that of the 1863 Jordan Grand Match at Hoboken CDV, which dated from 1863. The brown boarder CDV mount was in use from around 1861 – circa 1866.

Possibly the best evidence however comes from the album from which the CDV was removed. The album itself was inscribed Christmas 1861 on the inside cover. This in itself does not mean anything but there where 96 other CDV’s in the album with many displaying dates of 1861 and 1862 written on the cards. The latest date anywhere in the album was 1863 and this card was inserted near the beginning where most items where 1861/62.


1862 – 64c 3 Star Cap Ball Players From Syracuse NY CDV
This photo was displayed in a photo album that was purchased from an estate sale. The album was presented to its original owner 1862. It contains a number of CDV photos of Sanders family members from New York State.
The CDV is back stamped “6 South Salina St, Syracuse, NY, H' Lazier's Photographic Establishment, This Negative Preserved." It also has a pencil inscription "my brother David" which, according to other markings in the album stands for David H. Sanders -- a relative of the person who owned the photo album. (David is the young man on the right of the photo.). I also still have a later CDV (from the same album) of David Sanders in street clothes dated 1870 in pencil on the back (he looks at least 10 years older).
Once again they sport the large bats the early caps and the mount is of the brown boarder variety prevalent between 1861 – 1866. I have to admit though that for this CDV I am leaning towards a date of 1864.


1864c Hanover NH BBC CDV
I really like this one! Not only is it an early team image but it also has a few quirky things within the photo. On display are a ball, a large bat, a sign and a carved wooden parrot or Eagle (mascot or indication of team name?)!

The cdv has 10 men, in their early baseball uniforms. Some of the men seem to have on light colored pants with an outer darker stripe on each leg. The center man seated is holding a sign with a score of 40 – 14 (the score of a recently completed win over a rival?). The man on the right seated in chair is holding a bat with a large # 70 on it (a personal milestone for hits?). The man seated on the left in the chair is holding a brown colored baseball.

It is back stamped O.BLY - PHOTOGRAPHER, 25 MAIN ST. HANOVER, N.H. Once again the image is on the brown boarder mount and has most of the characteristics described on the other cdv’s.


1864c Child Holding Baseball CDV Providence RI
Not much to say about this one but it is similar to the Child Dag in composition. It is definitely a baseball that the lad is holding on this one (it doesn’t show up too well on the scans but there is definite lemon peel type stitching). Once again the image is on the brown boarder CDV mount and possesses the civil war revenue stamp on the back.


1863/64 Baseball Illustrated CDV
Although not of any actual players, I like this CDV. It is possibly one of the earliest cards which, actually says Base Ball on it. It is very quirky and gives early mentions to some now well know baseball terminology. To me it is like an advertising or business card for baseball. It seems like the only reason it was produced was to promote the national game itself. I don’t know a lot about the card but I was wondering if it could have been a promotion handed out with Frank Leslie’s Illustrated newspaper? Do any of the board members have any ideas on this theory?


1864/5 FD Bat CDV

Not much known about this one but the bat has the initials of FD written on it.


1869 - 73 Lowell CDV By Warren

A nice Image!

Feedback is welcomed and appreciated on any of the items mentioned!

[edited to crop one image]