A Collection In An Instant

I came across this really interesting story the other day about a sports memorabilia collection that had been appraised on the television show Antique Roadshow while they were filming in New York on August 9^th.

 

The collection had been passed down through 5 generations to the current owner. Her great-great-grandmother had run a boarding home in Boston, the same boarding house where the newly formed Boston Red Stockings were living in 1871 and 1872. Included were early baseball postcards, autographs, photographs and letters.

 

According the Leila Dunbar, the Antique Roadshow appraiser, the “Crown Jewel” of the collection was a letter sent to the boarding house owner (the great-great-grandmother) saying that the players were missing her cooking. The letter was signed by Hall of Famers Albert Spalding, Harry Wright and George Wright. In all it is estimated that the entire collection could be worth as much as $1 million if sold as a complete set.

 

The episode will not be shown until next Spring but I was able to find an image showing the collection from the show.