2-part question on old Mastro catalogs (1997, 1998)

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Posted By: Howard W. Rosenberg

For a series of books I've been writing, all on 19th-century baseball, I've been haphazardly learning of the range of 19th-century pictures, artifacts and documents that have appeared in old memorabilia catalogs beyond items that are easy to find (like Old Judge and Allen & Ginter images). For my second book, featuring Mike "King" Kelly, for example, I got sidetracked in searching for an image that someone told me was possibly at the San Francisco Public Library when, in reality it apparently was not, and had appeared in an old Mastro catalog. I did not learn of the image's appearance in the catalog until it was too late.

1. My short request is that I live in the D.C. area (Northern Virginia) and would love to be contacted by someone near me who is teeming with (and does not have buried in their backyard) old Mastro catalogs for my possible perusal, in particular Nov. 1997, July 1998, June 1999 and March 2000; I think I've pretty much seen the rest. Two other catalogs I haven't seen and which have 19th-century content are Sotheby’s of March 1993 and April 1994.

2. My more complicated request, in case no one were to contact me who lives near me, would be to find someone anywhere (except maybe abroad) who might methodically glance through one or more of the old catalogs for me to let me know what's in there of a 19th-century nature beyond the usual fare.

I could reciprocate in any number of ways.

Regards,
Howard W. Rosenberg
(703) 841-9523 telephone
howieanson@yahoo.com e-mail

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Posted By: Julie

but what do you mean besides "the usual fare"?

I also have the Copeland Southeby's and the Halper Southeby's catalogues. And some nifty Robert Edwards Auctions. You can't see out of two windows in my bedroom,
the catalogues are piled up so high.

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Posted By: Scott M

Howard,

Email me and let me know, in particular, what types of things you are looking (or not looking) for.

I have the March 13, 1993 Sothebys catalog as I had a few items consigned in the auction (which happened to be cursed with a terrible snow storm that weekend).

I'd be happy to look some things up and help you where I can...

Scott

phlflyer1@comcast.net

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Posted By: Anonymous

..the Copeland Auction Catalog and Halper Catalogs come up on e-bay, they are both excellent references, especially the vast and comprehensive Copeland Collection.

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Posted By: John Basilone

but they are in my personal collection. They are not really for sale or trade as they would be difficult to replace. If there are specific card issues you want me to look up...let me know and I should be able to provide some assistance.

I have:

1. Sotheby's - March 1993
2.Mastro & Steinbach - November 1997
3.Mastro - July 1998
4.Mastro - March 2000


(I also have a Sotheby's Feb 1992 catalog too)

John Basilone

jbasilone@adelphia.net

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Posted By: Howard W. Rosenberg

Thanks to all the kind collectors who replied to my posting. It looks like I'll have a chance to see 5 of the 6 catalogs I mentioned that I hadn't seen (plus several other Mastro ones I was not aware of from as early as 1996); that now leaves only the April 1994 Sotheby's one as a Mastro or Sotheby's catalog that I know has 19th-century related stuff by virtue of containing at least one item related to Cap Anson.

In answer to Julie's question, my definition of "usual fare" are items that are part of a baseball card set that was mass produced, even if few of those items have survived. I am mostly interested in items that tend to appear in catalogs no more than once and specifically relate to major league baseball or the top teams of the pre-1876 era (as opposed to generic items like a clock or lantern of no baseball player in particular, although a Leland's auction catalog 1880s sled that is associated with Mike Kelly did make the cut for my Kelly book). I do find it interesting, in perusing catalogs, that certain seemingly one-of-a-kind items appear more than once, sometimes as close together as a few years apart. I always wonder whether the item didn't sell or whether someone is reselling it; it would be interesting, in either case, if catalogs contained a blurb to that effect, because then the public would know that there are not two rare copies of the same item.

Thanks again.