Where has all the 19th century baseball memorabilia gone?

[ruth-gehrig]

Perhaps I sound a bit naive when I say this but I believe there are still alot of great baseball antiques out there that haven't been discovered. Maybe I'm to optimistic but hopeful . There used to be a poster on the board that seemed like all he had was 19th century baseball that was part of his family's collection. Incredibly high grade amazing stuff if I remember correctly! I have a few lemon peels, a belt ball and some bats along with some advertising but not a ton of 19th century. I think alot of collectors have a little from the timeframe so it's spread out quite a bit. Like most collectors I enjoy my collection. I don't sell a lot but definitely more inclined to hang onto the items that would be the most difficult to replace. 19th century fits that bill.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by ruth-gehrig

Perhaps I sound a bit naive when I say this but I believe there are still alot of great baseball antiques out there that haven't been discovered. Maybe I'm to optimistic but hopeful . There used to be a poster on the board that seemed like all he had was 19th century baseball that was part of his family's collection. Incredibly high grade amazing stuff if I remember correctly! I have a few lemon peels, a belt ball and some bats along with some advertising but not a ton of 19th century. I think alot of collectors have a little from the timeframe so it's spread out quite a bit. Like most collectors I enjoy my collection. I don't sell a lot but definitely more inclined to hang onto the items that would be the most difficult to replace. 19th century fits that bill.

I think both things are true: a lot of cards and memorabilia has dried up (collected up) and getting tougher and tougher to find, AND there is lots more to be discovered and put into the marketplace. But think of cards and how rare major "finds" are these days, and that provides a clue as to the relative percentages of stuff found and stuff yet to be. Thousands of dealers and collectors have been beating the bushes for 50 years now, and few people in the general population don't know that grandpa's old cards and stuff is worth something, but that doesn't mean there still aren't old trunks in attics and basements that no one has opened in decades, so that aspect of the hobby is not over yet, but getting less frequent. Soon it will pretty much be the recycling of collections on the selling side, if we're not there already.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

I think both things are true: a lot of cards and memorabilia has dried up (collected up) and getting tougher and tougher to find, AND there is lots more to be discovered and put into the marketplace. But think of cards and how rare major "finds" are these days, and that provides a clue as to the relative percentages of stuff found and stuff yet to be. Thousands of dealers and collectors have been beating the bushes for 50 years now, and few people in the general population don't know that grandpa's old cards and stuff is worth something, but that doesn't mean there still aren't old trunks in attics and basements that no one has opened in decades, so that aspect of the hobby is not over yet, but getting less frequent. Soon it will pretty much be the recycling of collections on the selling side, if we're not there already.

Agree on all counts... most has probably been rooted out by now, but no doubt some rare/early stuff is still hiding in peoples' attics, basements, etc.

Some of it may require a "minor miracle" in order to be uncovered... like the Dean Brothers Ad Sign that was found behind an interior wall, and being used for insulation.

[ruth-gehrig]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Agree on all counts... most has probably been rooted out by now, but no doubt some rare/early stuff is still hiding in peoples' attics, basements, etc.

Some of it may require a "minor miracle" in order to be uncovered... like the Dean Brothers Ad Sign that was found behind an interior wall, and being used for insulation.

Amazed at the things they stuffed in walls for insulation! Some of my best advertising was found "accidently" I guess you could say. Pieces are still out there. Common? No. The new to the hobby pieces are what get me excited! The same old pieces bought and sold do get boring!

[bigfanNY]

Originally Posted by ruth-gehrig

Amazed at the things they stuffed in walls for insulation! Some of my best advertising was found "accidently" I guess you could say. Pieces are still out there. Common? No. The new to the hobby pieces are what get me excited! The same old pieces bought and sold do get boring!

Agree on both points. What I find interesting is that sometimes as these items get recycled the prices can jump drastically. And not always upward. Especially if an item gets recycled quickly. More than one item in my collection was purchased for a fraction of it high water mark. It is not easy to follow all the auctions Especially months like this when there are easily 10k items offered . And getting eyes on them is almost a full time endeavor.

[jpop43]

Seeing that my good friend Gary started this thread and realizing that I have not posted here in over a year (sorry, all), I thought I might add a few, modest, 19thC pieces that I've picked up in 2025...

Got a really nice example of a c.1885 catchers mask which later became part of an artifact presentation at the HoF back in April; A one-year-only umpire's counter from 1887 (4 strike/5 ball season) made by Spalding; And, a ticket to a Thanksgiving Day game from 1866 that I have thankfully been able to fully research thru the Pottstown PA historical society.

I wish it was a "bigger" year but, to Gary's point, the good, 19thC vintage stuff is just really, really hard to find AND very pricey once you do.

Best,
Jon