LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 May Sports Sig. Auction #707  / 

19577

1859 Handwritten Letter Mentioning Baseball. Th

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:600.00 - 800.00 USD
1859 Handwritten Letter Mentioning Baseball. Th
<B>1859 Handwritten Letter Mentioning Baseball.</B></I> Though it's widely accepted that the first organized game of baseball took place at Hoboken, New Jersey's Elysian Fields on June 19, 1846, it was only around the time of the American Civil War that the sport that would come to be known as our National Pastime entered the public consciousness. Here we present a rare mention of the game predating the Civil War, written from Cambridge, Massachusetts to a classmate of Robert Todd Lincoln's at Phillips Exeter Academy. The single line, hemmed in among discussions of marriage and death, reads, "You mention your base ball defeat." This offhanded comment should thrill early baseball historians, who scramble to find the earliest references to the sport. The six-page letter remains in the same condition as the time of its mailing, presenting beautifully.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Flat Material, Small (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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