This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 5/31/2012.
Extremely early example from the infancy of organized baseball, just 14 years after the first organized team and six years prior to the beginning of professional baseball. Very rare belt/gusset style baseball worth quite a bit without any identification. The ball has been painted gold and it features hand-painted black lettering that reads “1863 - NOV 5TH - UNION 28 - HY ECKF’RD 7 - 9 INNINGS”. We know that this ball was used in the November 5th, 1863 Union vs. Henry Eckford contest. In this era it was a tradition for the game ball, only a single ball was used for the entire game at this time, to be decorated with the key information relating to the game and presented to the victor for display in the winning team's clubhouse trophy case. The Henry Eckford Baseball Club (Greenpoint-Brooklyn, NY) was named for shipbuilder Henry Eckford whose base of operations from the late 1790s until the early 1830s was Brooklyn, New York. The team is not to be confused with the Eckford Baseball Club, also based in Brooklyn and similarly named after the famous shipbuilder. The Union team likely refers to the Union Club of Morrisania (Bronx, NY). In 1863, both clubs were members of the National Association of Baseball Players, a 28-team organization governing the rules of baseball. Aided by the Civil War, baseball’s popularity spread and the organization grew to almost 100 members by 1865 and over 400 by 1867. The outcome of the November 5, 1863 game was the Union team winning 28-7 in nine innings. There is a mounting hole in the bottom of the ball indicating that it was displayed somewhere. Possibly at the old museum that was located at Ebbets Field. We only mention this because other trophy baseballs originating from the Ebbets Field display have similar holes. Condition is wonderful with all seams intact. Brown leather is visible on the bottom of the ball around the mounting hole. The gold paint displays cracking typical of a nearly 150-year old piece. This type of relic only comes around once in a blue moon.
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