Nineteenth-Century Baseball Sheet Music Collection (3)

Sold For:

$1,740

Year:

-

Auction:

2006 Spring

Lot #:

692

Category:

Pre-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Three extremely attractive and rare baseball sheet musics dating from the nineteenth century. Each of these three rare sheet musics are particularly ideal for display. 1) Catch It On The Fly , composed by Bisco and L. B. Starkweather and published in 1867 by Lyon & Healy, Chicago. The song, as noted on the cover, is dedicated to the Excelsior Club of Chicago and the Forest City Club of Rockford, Ill., two of the most prominent teams in the Chicago area at the time. The cover features an attractive woodcut illustration of a game in progress. The title of this sheet music refers to the then-recently adopted significant rule change that stated that a only a ball caught "on the fly" would be recorded as an out (previously, balls caught on the fly or on one bounce were counted as outs). The sheet music (10 x 13 inches) displays some minor tears along the border areas, a light pencil notation in the upper right corner, and is separated along the spine (a common flaw among early sheet musics) from having once been bound in a sheet-music album. Very Good condition overall, with strong visual appeal. 2) Tally One For Me , composed by John T. Rutledge and published in 1877 by F. W. Helmick, Cincinnati, Ohio. This particular sheet music is highly revered for its exceptional cover graphics featuring a game in progress. An ink stamp reading "For The Press" appears in the upper right corner of the cover. The sheet music (10.25 x 13.5 inches) has a very slight separation along the spine, and is crisp, clean, and otherwise in strong Excellent condition. 3) Silver Ball March , composed by Charles D. Black and published in 1890 by Oliver Ditson & Co., Boston. This piece, as noted on the cover, was "Respectfully dedicated to the Lowell Base Ball Club," which was one of the most prominent clubs in the New England area during the nineteenth century. The cover features an illustration of a silver ball, the major prize traditionally awarded for organized league play in the nineteenth century. When we have seen this sheet music in the past it has always been attributed to the 1860s. Even this example has written lightly in pencil "Ca 1864" on the cover. This is understandable in that the sheet music does not carry a copyright date, the Lowells were most prominent during 1860s, and this is also the era most closely associated with the silver ball as a baseball award. Our research, however, has confirmed that this classic early sheet music was actually published in 1890. The sheet music (9.5 x 12.5 inches) is in Excellent condition. Total 3 sheet musics. Reserve $500. Estimate $1,000/$2,000. SOLD FOR $1,740.00