Gallery
Visions of the Past
VISIONS OF THE PAST
Baseball Artifacts of the 19th Century
By Richard “Pastime” D’Ambrisi
One of the highest awards for the 1860s base ball club was the silver ball trophy. It was usually fabricated by a local jeweler at the expense of a generous sponsor although a club’s dues could also finance the purchase. This prestigious award was presented to the winning club either at the end of a best of series of matches or one final grand match to determine the best nine. Here we have a silver ball from late in the season of 1865 that is engraved with the particulars of this important match.
