1887 Old Judge poster leads Robert Edward Auctions at $112,500

An 1887 Old Judge store advertising display poster has seen top bids in Robert Edward Auctions' Fall 2013 sale, which closed on October 19.

1887 Old Judge baseball cards
Some of baseball's earliest stars on some of the earliest trading cards



The poster displays 24 baseball players that appear in the N172 Goodwin & Company Old Judge set - the world's first widely distributed tobacco cards. In excellent condition, it sold for $112,575.

The poster is described by the auction house as "one of baseball card collecting's greatest treasures", and is one of just a handful known to exist. A magnificent display piece, it was originally created as a "point of sale" advertising item in stores that stocked the cards.

It was purchased by the current owner in the early 1990s, when several high-grade examples of the poster were discovered, causing the total known to exist to almost double.

There are a few different variations, with this one featuring six Hall of Famers: Tim Keefe, Jim "Orator" O'Rourke, Roger Connor, Sam Thompson, James "Pud" Galvin, and Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn.

Ted Williams Game used Baseball jersey
  Ted Williams wore the jersey in 1955. It has been certified A9 by MEARS



Also starring in the online sale was a Ted Williams game-used Boston Red Sox jersey, which made $77,025.

The jersey was originally bought at a charity auction in 1964 by philanthropist Allen Wheeler, who immediately gifted it to Richard Berry, a non-collector who had volunteered at the auction. It spent much of its life tucked away in a chest until recently, accounting for its fantastic condition.

The record for a Ted Williams jersey was set at $184,000 at the 2013 All Star Fan Fest auction in July.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has an outstanding selection of sports memorabilia for sale.

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