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1890s-Early 1900s “Indoor Baseball” Team Photo, Handbill, Scorecard.
Lot 39. 1890s-Early 1900s “Indoor Baseball” Team Photo, Handbill, Scorecard. Indoor baseball is little remembered today, but it was popular enough in the early 1900s that Spalding produced Official Indoor Baseball Guides from 1903-26. George Hancock of Chicago is credited with inventing the game in 1887. He developed an oversized ball, a special bat and a set of rules suited for confined, indoor play. 1. In 1891, Hancock headed a committee that sponsored a benefit game between two Illinois teams, LaSalle and Farragut. A historically significant scorecard created for the game presents the special rules. It also promotes Hancock’s indoor equipment. The scorecard is complete with moderate back damage and a tear. 2. Fireman Louis Rober of Minneapolis popularized the game, using it to keep fellow firemen fit in the winter. Other fire companies adopted the game, which eventually moved outdoors as softball. One of those units was the Northvale Fire Company of New York. A 1903 handbill promotes an indoor game between the Northvale firefighters and a National Guard regiment. The 6” x 9” handbill on newsprint is chipped along the edges. The text is fully intact. Very rare. 3. Two oversized balls and a bat are visible in the 7” x 8 ½” photo on an 11” x 13 ½” mount. Ex.
Winning Bid $225.
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