(LOT 7)
Players' League Articles of Agreement - Unique "Draft"
One of the most pertinent documents of this incredible find, this December 17, 1889 nine-page Articles of Agreement "Draft" was the formal agreement amongst the eight corporations or organizations, representing the eight prospective member teams, to come together and, subject to the delineated rules, form The Players' National League of Base Ball Clubs. Having discussed this document with several hobby and/or baseball experts including the National Baseball HOF, to the best of their knowledge, no other copy of this remarkable offering exists in either a museum or private collection.

Due to the fact that no signatures are included at the end of this document from league officials and/or owners, this is not the officially signed Articles of Agreement, sufficing as only a "Draft" copy. However, this is no manner minimizes its momentous significance for it truly stands as the only known original Articles of Agreement draft that provides a detailed account of the specific mechanics relating to the 1890 Players' League. It should also be noted that the Constitution, By-Laws, and Playing Rules of the League were part of this document; however, due to their potential monumental value, the former two are included as separate lots in this auction.

Some of the major stipulations of the Articles of Agreement include:

• 1. That each club would pay $5,000 into a fund, established to insure the payment of player contracts.
• 2. Each club's gate receipts and other income would be allocated in a prescribed manner according to the following order, as funds allowed:
  • a. Traveling and incidental expenses
  • b. Player salaries
  • c. $2,500 to a League prize fund
  • d. $10,000 to team stockholders
  • e. $10,000 to the League, to be aggregated and distributed amongst the players
  • f. Any additional funds would be split between team stockholders and the League, which would aggregate these funds and distribute them to the players.
• 3. League to provide legal counsel to players sued by other leagues to enforce prior contracts.
• 4. The League Board of Directors could transfer a player from one team to another, under the player's existing contractual terms, but only with the consent of the impacted player.

We find it extremely interesting that many of these terms deal with a number of the "equal rights" issues players were having with management/owners which was the original cornerstone for the 1890 Players' League revolt. Included in this philosophy are players rights to potentially share stockholder funds, and more significantly, a player's "required" approval to be transferred/traded to another team. When John Montgomery Ward originally thought of leading players to formulate a new League, his primary intent was to terminate the manner in which owners were treating their ballplayers like mere cattle.

To reiterate, this historical movement truly was the inaugural instance whereby Major League players pursued proper treatment from ownership, eventually resulting in the severing of the "reserve clause" some 80+ years later when the commencement of free agency in the mid-1970's would change our National Pastime forever!

MIN BID $1,500
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