1865 card fetches $92K in auction
There are only two known copies of this card.
Share This Story
BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP)
A rare 148-year-old baseball card discovered at a rural Maine yard sale has been auctioned for $92,000.
The card depicting the Brooklyn Atlantics amateur baseball club was sold by Saco River Auction Co. in Biddeford Wednesday night and it drew plenty of interest.
Bidding started at $10,000 and quickly rose to the final $92,000, which included an 18-percent premium.
Winning bidder Jason LeBlanc of Newburyport, Mass., said he bought the card as an investment for his young son in the hope of selling it for a higher price when his son gets older. If the price had gone up one more time, he said he would have dropped out of the bidding.
A Maine man who doesn't want to be publicly identified found the card inside an old photo album he bought while antique picking in the small town of Baileyville on the Canadian border. The man bought the photo album, old Coca-Cola bottles and a couple of oak chairs together in a single purchase for less than $100, said Troy Thibodeau, manager and auctioneer at Saco River Auction.
The card isn't the same as a modern-day baseball card, which became common in the 1880s. Rather, it's an original photograph from 1865 mounted on a card, showing nine players and a manager.
The Library of Congress said last month it was aware of only two copies of the photo. The other is in the institution's collection.
In its book ''Baseball Americana,'' the Library of Congress calls the item the first dated baseball card, handed out to supporters and opposing teams in a gesture of bravado from the brash Brooklynites, who were dominant and won their league championships in 1861, 1864 and 1865.
CASH COWS
See which MLB stars earn the highest annual salaries, who's in the $150 million club and who makes the most at each position.It was impossible to predict what kind of price the card would fetch because of its rarity, Thibodeau said, but he guessed before the auction that the winning bid would fall somewhere between $50,000 and $500,000. The priciest baseball card ever is a 1909 Honus Wagner card, which sold for $2.8 million in 2007.
Tom Bartsch, editor of Sports Collectors Digest, said $92,000 is a good price for a pre-war card without a Hall of Famer's picture.
''There are very few artifacts around from the 1860s,'' he said. ''Baseball was near its infancy in that time.''
Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions for Heritage Auctions, said there's also only a small pool of buyers for such an esoteric item.
Both said the story of the card's discovery remarkable is a reminder to collectors of all kinds that a rare find can easily be missed among otherwise unremarkable items.
''It's what keeps those treasure hunters out there going,'' Ivy said.
Related Stories
Trending Now
-
Wife dumps beer on husband at game
A Cubs fan doused her husband with a cold one Sunday afternoon in what appeared to be... -
Tiger: No plans for truce with Sergio
Tiger Woods spoke for some 20 minutes about the state of his game, belly putters, the... -
Ax to fall soon for LA's Mattingly
Gone tomorrow? With latest losses, I'm convinced Mattingly's tenure in LA will be ...
-
Celtics' Terrence Williams arrested
Kent police say Boston Celtics basketball player Terrence Williams was arrested Sunda... -
Hunter lawsuit proves NBA out for rich
Hunter's lawsuit against Fisher proves NBA puts rich before middle class.
MLB Videos
Miller not sharp against Padres
Posted: May 21, 2013
Shelby Miller comments on his disappointing outing against the Padres.
Shelby Miller comments on his disappointing outing against the Padres.
Denorfia on win over Cardinals
Posted: May 21, 2013
Chris Denorfia responds after the Padres' 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Chris Denorfia responds after the Padres' 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lindblom falls in first MLB start
Posted: May 21, 2013
Josh Lindblom comments after losing his first career MLB start 9-2 against the A...
Josh Lindblom comments after losing his first career MLB start 9-2 against the A...
MLB Headlines
More Than Sports on MSN
Fox Sports Store
| itemName | itemURL | imageSrc | price | itemDescription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nike New York Yankees Practice T-Shirt - Ash | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_New_York_Yankees/browse/featuredproduct/606363/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_606000/ff_606363_xl.jpg&w=100 | 27.95 | Nike New York Yankees Practice T-Shirt - Ash |
| Majestic Detroit Tigers 2012 MLB American League Champions Clubhouse Locker Room T-Shirt - Navy Blue | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_Detroit_Tigers/browse/featuredproduct/1064043/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_1064000/ff_1064043_xl.jpg&w=100 | 24.95 | Majestic Detroit Tigers 2012 MLB American League Champions Clubhouse Locker Room.. |
| Majestic San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Clubhouse Locker Room T-Shirt - Gray | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_San_Francisco_Giants/browse/featuredproduct/1067359/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_1067000/ff_1067359_xl.jpg&w=100 | 24.95 | Majestic San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Clubhouse Locker R.. |
| Majestic San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Clubhouse Locker Room Pullover Hoodie - Steel | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_San_Francisco_Giants/browse/featuredproduct/1067382/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_1067000/ff_1067382_xl.jpg&w=100 | 54.95 | Majestic San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Clubhouse Locker R.. |
| New Era San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Clubhouse Locker Room 39THIRTY Flex Hat - Charcoal/Black | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_San_Francisco_Giants/browse/featuredproduct/1067785/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_1067000/ff_1067785_xl.jpg&w=100 | 31.95 | New Era San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Clubhouse Locker Ro.. |
| Majestic San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Glory T-Shirt - Black | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_San_Francisco_Giants/browse/featuredproduct/1068294/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_1068000/ff_1068294_xl.jpg&w=100 | 21.95 | Majestic San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Glory T-Shirt - Bl.. |
| Majestic San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Batting Practice Performance Jersey - Black/Orange | http://shop.foxsports.com/FOX_San_Francisco_Giants/browse/featuredproduct/1068787/source/foxsports_prsp_ca | http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_1068000/ff_1068787_xl.jpg&w=100 | 94.95 | Majestic San Francisco Giants 2012 MLB World Series Champions Batting Practice P.. |
Member Comments
Please note by clicking on "Post comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Use and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Be Polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator.