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1864 Unions vs. Resolutes Trophy Ball

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Important Notice: Please note that the format of this auction differs from a traditional eBay Live auction in that only absentee bids are accepted. There is no live "bidding on the close" in which to participate. All lots offered in this auction will close at exactly the same time, as opposed to a traditional one at a time closing of lots, and therefore there is no live "one lot at a time" bidding close in which to participate. Your left bids will compete with all other left bids by auction participants. Bids may be placed on the eBay system at any time prior to 9:00 PM EST, May 1, 2004. No bids will be recognized or accepted when the eBay Live "live bidding applet" is run early in the morning of May 2, 2004 strictly for the purpose of officially registering and recording the final auction results.

1864 Unions vs. Resolutes Trophy Baseball

One of the finest trophy baseballs in existence. Though no definitive history of the Trophy balls once displayed in the Unions' trophy case exists, it is known that many years ago (we believe prior to the 1940s), that the team's trophy balls were broken up from their original display case and scattered to the collecting winds. Today, it is very rare to find even a single example, and it is likely that many have not survived. A few can be found in the hobby's most advanced collections. A few have found their way over the years to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. All are extremely desirable and significant. However, we believe that the offered example is one of, if not the, finest of all known, not just because of its extraordinary condition, but because the game which is memorialized by the ball was played between the Resolutes and the Unions, making this one of the few Trophy Baseballs of the era known to exist involving two of the most significant clubs of the era. In addition, this is one of the few Trophy Balls known to exist dating from the heart of the Civil War years, which is extremely significant, especially as the popularity of the game spread across the country during the Civil War. The bright gold ball reads "1864/Sept 20th/Union 26/Resolute 19/9 Innings." A newspaper account of this game (a copy of which accompanies the lot) notes that this is the very first game these important clubs ever played together. All 1860s Trophy game balls are extremely rare, but one involving a game of such significance between two teams of this prominence is truly astounding. This ball has seen the auction block once before, when it was offered by Robert Edward Auctions way back in June of 1995. It has been consigned to this auction directly from the original 1995 purchaser. In 1995, the ball appeared as Lot #6 and sold for a then record price for a trophy baseball of $11,177. Excellent condition. Reserve $5,000. Estimate $10,000/$15,000.

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