19th century baseball ribbons

19th Century Baseball Silk Ribbons Display of 62. Extraordinary "attic find" is one of the most thrilling early baseball discoveries in hobby history, a stunningly comprehensive collection recalling the earliest days of the organized game. Only a handful of these ribbons have ever surfaced in the collecting world prior to this archive's emergence, with most appearing here as the only known examples. For years the precise nature of these delicate team ribbons remained a mystery until the finding of an article from a June 1902 issue of the periodical Outing put the matter to rest.

"One or two of the customs of the old game were unique. Such for instance was the habit of the better class of clubs of exchanging, just before each match, silk badges imprinted with the club name. The players wore those accumulated trophies pinned upon the breast, sometimes with startling color effects; and the baseball man was proud, indeed, who could pin on the outside of his deep strata of badges a ribbon from the mighty Atlantics, Mutuals or Eckfords, attesting his worth for meeting giants, if not mastering them."

What an amazing item!  Posted by Heritage Auction Galleries (which has a list of the teams on the ribbons) for an auction that ended this week, but I don't know the final hammer price.  Via It's a Long Season.