An extraordinary once in a lifetime collection of over 310 19th Century woodcuts.
Lot 5. An extraordinary once in a lifetime collection of over 310 19th Century woodcuts. The collection was last auctioned in 2002 and sold for $3,540+. Prior to that, it is believed it was part of the Henry Chadwick collection and sold by Du Mouchelles, a Michigan auction house. Time has proven the rarity of a great many of the woodcuts, as many have still never been seen elsewhere. Almost all were meticulously mounted in a 15” x 12”, 106 page scrapbook, which was, according to the 2002 write-up, started in 1875 and put together over ten years. Highlights include an incredibly rare woodcut of Henry Chadwick, the 1860 Brooklyn Excelsior’s with Jim Creighton, a complete set of the N.Y. Clipper woodcuts from 1879-80, never seen teams and many very rare illustrations making a players first (and possibly last) appearance in a photo of any kind. A list is available of the teams and the players on request. The album pages are brittle and exhibit flaking, however the woodcuts are unaffected and in excellent condition. A few smaller ones have come loose from the pages. The individual cut player woodcuts vary in size from 6” x 4 ½” to 3” x 2 ½” with a few smaller. The album cover is loose. A historical collection, which would be impossibe to duplicate and would make the buyer the owner of the best collection of baseball woodcuts known. Addition scans from the collection are on our website. Winning Bid $13,815.
