Ok - here is what I want to put before you - in 1867 Milton Bradley patented a Zoetrope which was among the very first "motion picture" machines. They marketed this "toy" with 6 paper strips which, when viewed through the Zoetrope, showed a "motion picture" that was similar in quality to the early 20th century "flip books". Historians consider the Zoetrope to be among the very first "moving picture" devices. Amazingly, in 1867, one of the first 12 "movies" sold with the Zoetrope was titled simply "Baseball"!! It was a simple, cartoon like "motion picture" that showed a man rolling a VERY early baseball across a table. The 12 original movies (including the "Baseball" movie) that were manufactured by Milton Bradley in 1867 can be viewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG6ywByMAyE
(the third motion picture is the one titled "Baseball")
Here is the question - is this THE first Baseball movie ever published? Should it be considered an important Baseball Collectible given that it was made in 1867 - just 2 years after the end of the Civil War or just some novelty unconnected to the history of Baseball? What is its place in the history of Baseball in the media? and finally does this "blow you away" as much as it does me?