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Thursday, July 09, 2015

A Rarity - 1860 Brooklyn Atlantics Base Ball Card at Heritage Auctions


Not exactly related to the Dodger franchise... But, close enough.

After all, the very first Dodger team in 1884 was named the Atlantics in honor of his historic team.

Featured here is a extremely rare CDV of the 1860 Brooklyn Atlantics Base Ball Club available thought Heritage Auctions during their National Sports Collectors Convention auction.  It is thought to be the only pre-Civil War Baseball team card.  Per the auction description:
Seminal artifact ranks with the most significant mementos of the sport's infancy ever to surface in the collecting community, quite possibly the only team baseball card to be printed before the first drop of blood was spilled in the American Civil War. The subject is the Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn, considered the first Champion of our National Pastime, as well as the sport's first dynasty. The Atlantics served as a founding member of the sport's first organized league, the National Association of Base Ball Players, and held the Championship from 1859 through the war-shortened season of 1861 before finally surrendering supremacy to archrival Eckford of Brooklyn in 1862.
The ball players featured are said to be Folkert Rapelje Boerum, catcher; Matty O'Brien, pitcher; John Price, John Oliver and Charlie Smith in the infield; Dickey Pearce, short, and Hamilton, Peter O'Brien and Archibald McMahon, in the outfield. 

It is also noteworthy that Dickey Pearce is credited with inventing the bunt (I had written about Pearce previously, here), and that really is Boerum's real full name.  BTW, the card was passed down from generation to generation by the family of Archibald McMahon, an outfielder with the club, and comes directly from them.

Early estimates indicate a potential sale price of $50,000.00, but is likely to sell for much more than that. 

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