Maine Native Gets US$92,000 Richer with 148 year-old Baseball Card

An antique collector in Biddeford, Maine, who does not want to be identified, became US$92,000 richer because of a 148-year old baseball card.

A rare baseball card was found in an old photo album the man bought in a yard sale together with some other antique items. The collector paid nearly $100 for the antique items he bought in a Baileyville town on the US border with Canada.

Rare baseball card indeed

The baseball card that was sold at an auction, with a US$10,000 opening bid was in fact a very rare baseball card that is about 148 years old. The Library of Congress stated that there were only two copies of the card that it was aware of. The Library has the other one in its collection. It was mentioned in the “Baseball Americana” book of the Library of Congress. The card is said to be the “first dated baseball card”  given to supporters and rival teams by the Brooklyn team that was dominant in those days. The team had won league champions on three occasions, in 1861 as well as in 1864 and the following year.

The rare baseball card is not like the baseball card that is circulated today. It was an original photograph of a manager and the nine players of Brooklyn Atlantics that was taken in 1865. It was then mounted on a board.

The Auction

The card was auctioned by Troy Thibodeau. He is the manager and auctioneer of Saco River Auction Co. located in Biddeford. He said the final bid of US$92,000 included an 18% premium. According to Thibodeau, the price of rare cards like this one is very difficult to predict mainly because of the card’s rarity. As an experienced auctioneer, he said that normally a winning bid for a rare baseball card would be between US$50,000 to almost half a million dollars. A Honus Wagner baseball card issued in 1909 was sold in 2007 for US$2.8 million. It was the priciest baseball card sold to date.

Baseball Card

Baseball cards are usually found in the United States since the late 1860s as well as in Cuba, Japan and Canada where professional baseball teams have large fan bases. These cards were initially used as marketing vehicles by companies. The front of the card has the face of a player and basic information, while a more detailed bio is printed at the back of the card, together with a product or company advertisement. These cards were then used as value added item included in a product purchase.

New York sporting goods store Peck and Snyder began the production of baseball trading cards around 1868, using them as an advertising tool for the baseball equipment they sell. These cards are considered to be the first of the trading cards for baseball.

The rarity of baseball cards is determined by the difficulty in finding them. Most of these are the oldest cards and those that belong to limited edition sets. Several conditions apply to the final amount of a rare baseball card. It should be in good condition (which does not apply to the rarest cards), the number of collectors looking for the card and when an autograph is included.