John Adams Bolen Medals
Undated (ca. 1861) Pioneer Baseball Club Medal. Musante JAB-1. Silvered Tin. MS-63 (NGC).
32 mm. Both sides are richly and originally toned in steel gray, the protected areas around the design elements revealing lighter antique silver. Sharply struck throughout with a soft satin texture to the finish. This historically significant issue is not only Bolen's first medal, but Musante (2002) asserts that it may also be the first medallic commemoration of baseball as we know it today. The Pioneer Baseball Club was organized on April 30, 1858 in Springfield, Massachusetts, their first official game following on July 4 of that year. Rising to success in Massachusetts, by the fall of 1860 they had defeated all other teams for the unofficial title of champion baseball club of the state. To commemorate this achievement, team member Charles Vinton commissioned Bolen to cut dies for the medal type represented here. Whether this was done at Vinton's personal request or on behalf of the entire team is unknown, although it seems likely that Vinton was acting on behalf of the latter in his capacity as secretary of the club. Musante (2002) notes that 125 tin impressions were produced from these dies, this being only the second silvered example that your cataloger has handled.
Estimate: $5000