This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/6/2015
The history of the professional game and the card collecting hobby starts here. This is one of those 19th century items that are foundation pieces in any serious collection of historical baseball memorabilia.
The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings were and are the stuff of legend. They generally are recognized as the first all-professional (paid) team. The 10-man squad toured and barnstormed their way around the country and completed an undefeated season. Led by manager Harry Wright and his brother George Wright, both Hall of Fame inductees, they traveled about 12,000 miles and played in front of over 200,000 fans. The one and only starting pitcher was Asa Brainard, from whose name the phrase "Ace of the Staff" is derived. That year, 1869, a leading sporting goods dealer in New York, Peck and Snyder, issued a trade card featuring an original photograph of this fabulous team. The mount, which has been trimmed at the edges to present dimensions of 2-7/8” by 4-1/8”, bears the printed names of the fabled 10 players and their positions. The reverse contains a red printed ad for Peck and Snyder. The remarkable photograph mounted on the front demonstrates excellent contrast. Widely considered to be the first true baseball card ever made, it is estimated that perhaps as few as fifteen 1869 Red Stockings Peck & Snyder trade cards are known to exist. The offered rarity has been authenticated and encapsulated by PSA.