(LOT 545)
1869 Peck & Synder Cincinnati Red Stocks "Small Version" CDV (PSA "Auth")
1869 FIND!!!... For the past decade, the 1869 Peck & Synder Red Stockings issue has slowly made its way towards the top of the chart as one of the most exalted baseball cards extant. The mere mention of baseball's arguable first official baseball card, the 1869 Peck & Synder Cincinnati Red Stockings artifact, immediately captivates the highest order of enthusiasts since this card holds the unique distinction of establishing the precedent for defining our National Pastime, and laying the groundwork for an unparalleled hobby. Presented here is a rarely seen opportunity to seize the renowned 1869 Peck & Synder baseball card, with the more obscure "small version" example now offered in a PSA "Authentic" holder.

Typically, the small version depicts a CDV (Carte-de-Visites) from that by-gone era including an approximate 2-1/8" x 3-1/4" albumen print affixed to a slightly larger and thick cardboard mount. Currently, only 32 TOTAL 1869 Peck & Sydner "Large" and "Small" format cards are listed on the COMBINED PSA and SGC "pop" charts. While SGC does not distinguish many of its encapsulated copies between "Large" and "Small", PSA lists 6 "Large" and "5" small, substantiating this offering's true scarcity. The card's origin can be traced back to 1869, when the New York Peck & Synder wholesale equipment dealer issued these cards as advertisement for their Baseball Sportsman Emporium, paving the way for our illustrious hobby.

One of the foremost iconic cardboard collectibles, it is one of the few artifacts providing a direct link from 21st century baseball to the foundation of the card collecting industry. While not perfectly clear, it is assumed that the first baseball team ever assembled was the New York Knickerbockers back in the fall of 1845. All of their games were played for leisure (without pay, therefore unprofessional), and via intra-squad games until June 19, 1846 when the Knickerbockers played the New York Baseball Club at Hoboken, N.J.'s Elysian Fields and lost 23-1, baseball's first recorded inter-squad game. Alexander Joy Cartwright, the true inventor of the baseball field dimensions and many of its rules (incl. 3 strikes per at bat, 3 outs per inning, 90 foot bases, etc.), umpired that game, and went on to establish many baseball precedents relating to the game's basic structure. For the next 23 years, while many other teams were established, the game continued to be played for non-profit purposes.

Then in 1869, Harry Wright, considered the "true Father of Professional Baseball", changed that philosophy forever when he began charging people a nominal fee to watch baseball games, and with those proceeds paid each player a salary. His team was based out of Cincinnati and called the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team ever assembled. Two Hall of Famers were included on the Red Stockings including Harry and his brother George Wright who was a standout shortstop and the highest paid player on the team (his $1,400 annual salary actually bested Harry by $200!). The Red Stocking's went on to claim 92 consecutive wins without a loss over two seasons with their professional existence a bright spot for a nation that just stumbled through a horrific Civil War as well as losing its beloved president, Abraham Lincoln. Jumping on board to the Red Stockings popularity was New York's Peck & Synder Co. who used their team picture on the front side of a CDV style card to advertise their sports equipment, thus establishing our Nation's first baseball card!

Regarding condition, please don't be misled by the "Authentic" assessment because the critical sepia-toned Red Stockings team photo has retained a majority of its original luster. True, there is significant stock loss near all of the outer four corners as well as writing on the right border. Yet, remarkably, the 10-player Red Stockings team picture has remained relatively unscathed, still portraying a fine sepia-toned surface and superb contrast. The verso includes the ultra-desirable violet stamp as opposed to some blank backs surfacing in the hobby.

All ten players are listed with their positions including "HURLEY, Sub.; G.Wright, S.S.; Allison, C.; McVEY, R.F.; LEONARD, L.F.; Sweasy, 2nd B.; WATERMAN, 3rd B.; H.Wright, C.F.; BRAINARD, P.; GOULD, 1st B.", and a CHADWICK baseball reference book is offered for 15 cents. This 148-year old keepsake including pioneer Hall of Famers Harry and George Wright effectively transcends the collector back to our National Pastime's roots. To a bygone era when Peck & Synder initiated the concept of using baseball players to advertise their product with a seemingly countless number of manufacturers following in their footsteps; ultimately establishing the baseball card market as we know it today!

MIN BID $2,500