1871 Mort Rogers Boston Red Stockings National Association Scorecard with Charles Sweasy on Cover - First Season of Professional Baseball!

Sold For:

Unsold

Year:

1871

Auction:

2022 Fall

Lot #:

21

Category:

Pre-1900 Baseball Cards (1830-1899)

High-grade example of an 1871 Mort Rogers scorecard featuring a photo of Washington second baseman Charles Sweasy on the cover. In the early 1870s former ballplayer and baseball entrepreneur Mort Rogers published a famous series of ornately designed scorecards for sale at Boston's South End Grounds. What set these cards apart from the standard scorecards of the era was the inclusion of an oval portrait photograph of a Major League player affixed to the cover. Today, Mort Rogers scorecards are not only exceedingly rare (we've handled only two others in the past twenty years; amazingly two are featured in this current auction), they are also one of the most highly prized baseball souvenirs of any kind from the era. While they are clearly programs, Mort Rogers scorecards also have much in common with cards. The offered example dates from 1871 and, as noted, features a photo of Washington Olympics second baseman Charles Sweasy on the front. These ornately designed programs were obviously made with great care and one at a time. The stock is not thin paper but instead is thick and "card-like." Sweasy's name, position, and team affiliation are noted in print below his image. Even the design of program declares it to be a card: "Mort Rogers' Base Ball Photographic Card" is preprinted along the top of the front cover. To the best of our knowledge, Rogers produced a series of 12 such photographic scorecards, each of which was numbered in the upper-right corner of the cover (the offered scorecard is numbered "27"). The fact that these programs feature an actual photograph affixed to the front means that they were hand assembled, which almost certainly accounts for their modest production numbers at the time. The production costs were probably great, and that cost was passed on to the fans, as evidenced by the preprinted price of ten cents on the cover, an enormous sum for a program in 1871. The National Association, which operated from 1871 through 1875, was baseball's first professional league, and all material relating to its short-lived existence is exceedingly rare. Mort Rogers scorecards are no exception and represent one of the most substantial and desirable items relating to the dawn of Major League baseball. This is one of only a few complete Mort Rogers scorecards we have ever seen (most examples found today feature only the front cover), and of those few is is It also one of the most attractive and the finest in terms of condition. The scorecard (3-3/8 x 5-1/4 inches), which is not scored, has minor toning and is otherwise in Excellent condition. Opening Bid $15,000.