Undated (ca. 1861) Pioneer Baseball Club medal by J.A. Bolen. Musante JAB-1. White Metal, Silvered. Marked “B 25 TIN” on edge. MS-64 (PCGS).

31.5 mm. 149.0 grains. Soft satiny luster on both sides gives this piece unusually nice eye appeal. Some generous underlying silver patina remains in the right side of the obverse, but most of the remaining surface area has taken on a pleasantly mottled blue, golden brown and green tone. Slight bubbling underneath the silvered surfaces is noted under magnification, a feature common to these medals in this composition. There are a couple of tiny rim marks and a small nick in the field after BALL that appears almost like a period. Bolen's personal specimen that has been in the associated collector's boards for more than a century, with perhaps an occasional examination here and there. His marks on the edge indicate 25 struck, but the number is reported as 125 in his own notebook and in the 1882 Edwin Johnson listing. Considering the frequency of appearances of both compositions, it is fairly clear that the white metal examples were made in a larger number than the copper ones. There were some 40 club members in the Pioneer Club, so it is unlikely that either composition would have an original issue number smaller than that. As such, 75 is probably reliable for the copper ones and 125 is likely accurate for this, though this more fragile composition undoubtedly contributed to a greater degree of loss over the years. However, many exist today, it is hard to imagine a better provenance for a Pioneer Baseball Club medal. Board Position: C 2/1

From the E Pluribus Unum Collection. Earlier from the personal reference collection of John Adams Bolen.