Extremely Rare 1903 Boston Americans (vs. Pittsburgh Pirates) World Series Game 3 Program

Sold For:

$43,200

Year:

1903

Auction:

2023 Summer

Lot #:

17

Category:

Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Extremely rare fold-over program for the third game of the 1903 World Series between the Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates held on October 3rd at Boston's Huntington Grounds. This is one of the rarest and most historically significant baseball pieces in the entire world of collecting. The 1903 World Series program is one of the few printed memorabilia items with a significance equivalent to that of a T206 Wagner to the world of baseball cards. This is an item of monumental importance to the history of the game and is revered as one of the pinnacle items of all historic baseball memorabilia. It is also extremely rare (ten times as rare as a T206 Wagner). Very few 1903 World Series programs exist (less than ten), amd this is only the second example we have ever offered! The cover features portrait images of each team's respective manager, Jimmy Collins for Boston and Fred Clarke for Pittsburgh, as well as that of the famed leader of Boston's Royal Rooters, Mike "Nuff Said" McCreevy, which is used in conjunction with an advertisement for his tavern, 3rd Base. The preprinted text along the base of the cover identifies it as a "souvenir card of the World's Championship Games - Boston vs. Pittsburg [sic]." The preprinted lineups for each club include Collins, Young, Stahl, Parent, Dougherty, and Freeman for Boston, and Wagner, Clarke, Leach, Phillippe, and Beaumont for Pittsburgh. This first Fall Classic in modern times witnessed Young’s Boston Red Sox defeat the favored Pirates in eight games. The World Series was born when Barney Dreyfuss and Henry Killilea, the respective owners of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox, each agreed in August to match their first-place clubs in a best-of-nine postseason series that fall to determine what they declared to be the "World's Championship." (The 1903 World Series was the first postseason series between interleague champions since 1890, when the National League champion Brooklyn Bridegrooms met the American Association champion Louisville Cyclones.) Fan interest in such postseason championships had waned during the 1890s, but the revival staged by Boston and Pittsburgh was well received, as evidenced by the 16,242 fans who showed up to watch Game 1. In total, nearly 100,000 fans poured through the turnstiles to witness the first World Series in modern history. That patronage, with the brief exception of John McGraw's obstinate refusal to play in 1904, all but ensured that the World Series would remain the institution it is today. One of the most curious sidenotes to the 1903 World Series that bears mentioning concerns the players' share of the profits. Boston players each received $1,182, and Pittsburgh players received $1,316.25. The reason for that anomaly was the generosity of Dreyfuss, who turned over his share of the gate receipts to his players. It was the first and only time in World Series history that the losers' shares exceeded those of the winning players. This program (5-1/2 x 8-1/8 inches) has benefited from professional restoration to a number of flaws. Originally the program had corner chips to the covers and partial separation along the spine. During the restoration process, the corner chips on each cover were rebuilt, and the areas of spine separation were both reattached and reinforced. It should be noted that all of this work was done to the highest professional standards. The only visible flaw to the program at present is a small tear on the top edge. None of the restoration has impinged upon the integrity of the piece, and all of the work is similar to what is seen on other programs of this age and construction. The restoration has served only to return this piece to its former grandeur and enhance its display value. This is one of the most historically important pieces in the entire hobby and one that would be a significant addition to any serious baseball or World Series program collection. Opening Bid $25,000.