Introduction
Nest Egg Auctions has handled a vast number of interesting objects throughout our history. A few in particular stand out for their importance, rarity, or unusualness. One of the most intriguing, yet so simple, is this sterling silver medal from 1896. It is inscribed on both sides, and features a baseball with crossed bats and a wreath on the obverse. It includes a case with the maker’s name, Gorham, and carries names inscribed on the reverse.
Little Medal, Big Price
At first glance, someone might miss an object like this; after all, it is only ½ ounce of silver, so it is not worth a whole lot of money intrinsically. Beyond this simple object, however, is a fascinating story, and this story helped this little medal sell for over $2,700.
Every Game, Every Stadium
This is a season pass for the National and American Leagues. It got the bearer into all stadiums and every single game in both leagues in 1896. Imagine buying such a pass today: the cost would probably be somewhere in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Who Owned it?
Needless to say, this medal is not something that a mere mortal would have, but rather something belonging to someone of great importance. Luckily, our medal is inscribed. It names Mr. & Mrs. John B. Day as the owners of the pass, and names its giver as J. T. Brush. Day and Brush were the co-owners of the New York Giants (the baseball team that is now the San Francisco Giants), and Day also owned the New York Mets (!) and the Polo Grounds.
Of course such a pass must have belonged to the owner of a ball team!
A Home Run
It’s no wonder why this little silver medal sold for such a big price: it is a piece of baseball history from its early days, before Major League Baseball became the behemoth it is today. Thus, it sold for over $2,700 in our 2018 Gala New Year’s Auction. For a small, little known part of baseball’s proud history, I’d say that’s a real Home Run!
Selling Baseball Memorabilia at Nest Egg Auctions
