Auction Item Details
Lot 205
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Lot Number: 205
Description: October 21, 1865 Union of Morrisania (vs. Mystic) trophy baseball - early relic from the games' formative years. Early belt style ball comprised of a single piece of leather which meets at (4) seams that run down the sides and an additional across the sweetspot. Finished in gold and hand lettered "1865 Oct 21st, Union 32, Mystic 15…Nine Innings" (some additional lettering cannot be interpreted). Condition is exemplary with the lettering fully intact and the ball showing only minimal age. A mounting hole opposite the lettering suggests that it was likely removed from the Unions trophy case (believed to have been broken up many decades ago) which served as the source for many of the most important trophy balls known today. The Union Club of Morrisania was a powerhouse of the time and one of the most important teams in early baseball history. They are generally considered to have been Champions of the era and in 1866 baseball pioneer George Wright joined their roster. While there is record of their having played some of the more notable opponents of the period, information on the Mystic club is in short supply. What we do know is that Union decisively won the game the played in 1865 and were awarded the offered trophy. Of the few early trophy balls from this seminal period which exist outside of the Hall of Fame, the offered stands as one of the better preserved to have surfaced in some time: VG-EXEstimated Price Range: ($10,000-$15,000)
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