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Posted By: barrysloate

Everyone on the board is correct in that he is wearing his baseball uniform, and that the highlights of the photo are hand-colored. A few added thoughts: the dates 1861-63 seem a bit early for this; if I were guessing, a date of 1865-67 would be more realistic. It is likely that the photographic studio in which he was photographed is near where his team played. Finally, virtually all CdV's from this period are either unidentifiable, or of players who were not that well known. He was almost certainly not a famous player. What makes this image valuable, or any CdV for that matter, is the quality of the composition. In this case, this is a particularly handsome image, and is desirable as a really great early photograph of a baseball player. You can check early box scores for players who played in the Pottsdam area, but even if somehow you could identify him, while this would be valuable historically it would be someone none of us have heard of.
Nevertheless, a great image, nicely colored, and worth a strong bid. Good luck with it.