Auction Item Details
Lot 75
LOADING IMAGES
Lot Number: 75
Description: Rare and important 1865 silver trophy ball presented to "Boss" Tweed and the New York Mutuals. Presentational ball was awarded by the Ulster County Agricultural Society to the New York Mutuals after their match against the New York Actives at the Ulster County Fair in 1865. The surface features ornate engraving throughout with text on one side reading, "Presented by the Ulster County Agricultural Society to the Mutual B.B.C., Sept 21st 1865." The opposite notes game scores, "Mutual 26, Active 20, Sept. 21st 1865." The event was covered by the New York Times which relayed that a pair of games were played that day involving (4) of the most important teams of the period. The Mutuals vs. Actives game was the second and described as "a better display of batting and fielding than the first game." The teams jockeyed back and forth for the lead with the Mutuals coming away the victor. The Times further notes that after the win the Secretary of the Fair presented the offered prize to "Secretary Tweed" of the Mutuals, better known as "Boss" Tweed. Tweed is infamous for the rampant corruption he oversaw while a politician in New York at the time. He had become involved in the operation of the Mutuals in the early 1860s and was known to profit handsomely by gambling on their games which, at the time, were played on the Elysian Fields. Few pieces of note from this early and formative period in the history of baseball related to so prominent a team remain and the offered is one of the most significant which we have handled. Light tarnish and surface wear to the silver plate with a few scattered dents/indentations: VG-EXEstimated Price Range: ($20,000-$30,000)
Sold for Price: Login or Register