Rare card brings big bucks

A circa 1860s Brooklyn Atlantics team baseball card that's been in the same family for over 150 years has fetched over $179,000 at auction.

The pre-Civil War photo card was owned by Florence Sasso of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It pictures her great-great-uncle Archibald McMahon, an outfielder for the squad, with eight of his teammates in bib-style shirts along with two gentlemen in suits.

Auction organizers said it was purchased by an anonymous collector from the West Coast. It had a presale estimate of $50,000.

The Atlantics were a founding member of the National Association of Base Ball Players - the sport's first organized league. They held the championship from 1859 through 1861.

The sale was among the highlights of a sports memorabilia auction held on Thursday by Heritage Auctions in Chicago.

Associated Press

(China Daily 08/01/2015 page12)