19th C. Baseball Puzzle/Game

[jpop43]

Hi All,

Great info coming out, but I still am curious about the date/ date range.

First off, the game is not magnetized, at least not strongly so.

While Joe is right on (as usual) about the logistics/commerce of aluminum in the 1860s and 1870s for sure, it seems like LOTS of aluminum was commercially available by the mid to late 1880s. By the 1890s, aluminum was being widely used for a multitude of products. But maybe its made of another metal...

It appears that tin was being used in toy production by the time of the 1880s because its light weight, sturdy, and inexpensive. Could this toy/game be tin? If so, it could certainly date to the 1870s/ 1880s.

Additionally, I've found that the oxidation on aluminum is dark or black in color while oxidized tin is green in color...just like on the game piece.

All that aside, I just can't help but to think that if game mfg's were making a baseball game in the 20th century, they would depict a contemporary field...the pitching square/rectangle and position of the umpire divot just seem so 19th century. To support this, the 1907 patent that Joe posted a picture of does not reflect such a pitching square (in addition, the outfielders are positioned differently, and I don't see the umpire spot).

I'm still all open to any info as researching this stuff really is what makes it fun. Thanks to all of you for your input.

JP

[vintagesportscollector]

Hey Jon, I think Tin makes a lot of sense. It was used back then for toys and it has a slight magnetic attraction. I agree the 19th century look of the field would support an early date - logical the game would depict a field of that era. Certainly seems like there is support to conclude 1880s or earlier, if it is made of tin. If aluminum, more likely 1890s, but since aluminum exhibits no magnetism with a regular magnet, your guess of Tin makes sense.

[jpop43]

Thanks for your thoughts and research, Joe...it really helped to inform some further research on my part.

JP

[jpop43]

Some recent findings...

In terms of dating the piece based on the field depicted on the game face, here is some help I got from the VBBA Historian, Eric Miklich (19th C baseball.com) :

Jon,

Home base was placed entirely in fair territory at the start of the 1877 season. The pitcher’s box from your pictures appears to be 6’ x 4’ or 5 ½’ x 4’. This would indicate the start of the 1879 season or the 1887 season.

First and third base were moved entirely inside the 90’ foot dimensions of the playing field starting with the 1887 season. Second base has never been inside the 90’ square of the infield in the 19th century, nor is it today.

Based on the pitcher’s box and first and third bases being positioned entirely in fair territory and within the 90’ square of the infield, I would put this field at least an 1887 field, NL or AA.

So, given the info on the 19th C. field layout, and the fact that the game is made of aluminum or tin, it does stand to reason that this baseball puzzle dates to the 1880s and is, very likely, a 19th Century item.

Jon

[Butch7999]

Jonathan, that may very well be the case, and we actually hope your surmise is correct.
Among the roughly forty baseball-themed dexterity games catalogued, only four are known
to have been made before about 1910, the oldest dating to 1889. However, it's always perilous
to ascribe a date to a game based on artwork -- the more crude the artwork the more unreliable the estimate.
Just one among dozens of examples: based solely on the uniform illustrated on this game,
what year of manufacture would most of us put to it?:
bbNationalGameOfBaseBallTMcLoughlin01ax.jpg

[khkco4bls]

Late 1880s to 1890

[jpop43]

I am by no means an expert on baseball games from this, or any other period...I figured I'd just put together the known info on a piece that has no markings and no known prior documentation. The style, material/construction and imagery, along with an expert opinion on the design layout (the only real clue for this piece) led to my optimistic surmise. I'd absolutely love to nail it down and hope that as a group we'll be able to do just that. Thanks to all of you for the help and interest!

Oh, and the uni style of the player on the National Base Ball Game box would lead one to believe 1880s-1890s timeframe...BUT, given the discussion, I imagine its of 20th C. origins.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by jpop43

Some recent findings...

In terms of dating the piece based on the field depicted on the game face, here is some help I got from the VBBA Historian, Eric Miklich (19th C baseball.com) :

Jon,

Home base was placed entirely in fair territory at the start of the 1877 season. The pitcher’s box from your pictures appears to be 6’ x 4’ or 5 ½’ x 4’. This would indicate the start of the 1879 season or the 1887 season.

First and third base were moved entirely inside the 90’ foot dimensions of the playing field starting with the 1887 season. Second base has never been inside the 90’ square of the infield in the 19th century, nor is it today.

Based on the pitcher’s box and first and third bases being positioned entirely in fair territory and within the 90’ square of the infield, I would put this field at least an 1887 field, NL or AA.

So, given the info on the 19th C. field layout, and the fact that the game is made of aluminum or tin, it does stand to reason that this baseball puzzle dates to the 1880s and is, very likely, a 19th Century item.

Jon

You gotta love people with such scary knowledge about history, don't you?
That really is invaluable info for nailing down your mystery.
Cool!