Auction Item Details
Lot 329
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Lot Number: 329
Description: Historic and scarce 1903 World Series Game One program at Boston. Wonderful relic as issued for the first game played in World Series history at Boston's Huntington Grounds on October 1, 1903. Interestingly it was the Pittsburgh Pirates who prevailed in game one over the hometown Boston club and their ace Cy Young. Pittsburgh captured a 7 to 3 victory behind the pitching of Deacon Phillippe and the first home run in the history of the World Series by Jimmy Sebring. The offered exemplar presents beautifully with crisp contrast and imagery on the front cover depicting images of Boston's Jimmy Collins and Pittsburgh's Fred Clarke. Boston legend "Nuf Ced" McGreevy is also pictured on the cover as well. Interior of the fold-out program features pre-printed lineups for both teams including some of the biggest names in the game such as Honus Wagner, Cy Young, Jimmy Collins, and Fred Clarke. Neatly scored in pencil in the period appropriately reflecting the final score and related statistics for the inaugural game. Pre-printed date of "Thursday, October 1, 1903" is also visible on the interior to further corroborate its significance in relation to the inaugural contest in World Series history. A number of Boston area mercantile advertisements are found within the interior of the program as well as the back cover, all of which contribute to the period visual flavor of the piece. Overall condition is outstanding having had a few areas of very finely executed professional restoration, most notably to a few small horizontal border tears at the right edge with some tape removal and a repair to corner loss at the upper right hand. The spine of the program also exhibits some typical areas of reinforcement. Born of its experimental predecessor the Temple Cup Series of the 1890s, the "World's Series" inception in 1903 was the beginning of a significant period of reconciliation between the senior National League of 1876 and the newly formed American League in 1901. The overwhelming success and popularity of the inaugural series in 1903 cemented the desire of the American public to relish in an annual contest to determine the champion of their National Pastime. The import of the offered program cannot be overstated as it represents not only one of a scant few surviving 1903 World Series programs, but could well be the only corroborated exemplar from the first game in World Series history. We find its current offering within this important sale of Boston related artifacts to be an appropriate setting for a piece of its importance and would clearly rate it among the finest of its type to have been offered at public auction: EX (with note to restoration)Estimated Price Range: ($100,000-$200,000)
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