Circa 1920 Handwritten Diary of Early Professional Ballplayer Al Pratt. Eleven pages provide a handwritten first person account of the earliest days of organized baseball, the author's career cut short by his enlistment on July 14, 1864 in the Union Army. His tale begins with his exploits with games played on "the Commons of Allegheny" in 1858, then his brief military service and lucky presence at the Appomattox surrender of Confederate forces. He returns to baseball upon his return, noting that "In 1867 I started in as pitcher of the Enterprise, then the leading Club of Western Pennsylvania," never losing a game until they met "the Athletics of Phila." There's much more baseball history here, but we'll leave it to the smart winning bidder. All ink is 10/10 in the ancient lined notebook. Included is an array of early 20th century news clippings, including a reprint of a great 1869 team shot of the Old Forest City Baseball Team, picturing Pratt and teammate John Ward, the future Hall of Famer. Almost certainly the earliest first-person handwritten manuscript from the birth of the sport available in the hobby today.