For almost an hour, Susan Reyburn, a writer and editor with the Library of Congress, and Frank Ceresi, a DC area baseball historian and memorabilia appraiser, showed and discussed computer pictures of artifacts they culled for the book from the library's massive holdings, which is the largest collection of baseball items this side of Cooperstown.
The pair said they used all areas of the Library, but much of the focus centered on the manuscript, performing arts, motion picture, prints and photography, and,or course, baseball card collections.
Of the more than 350 images included, Reyborn said her favorite is a 1786 letter from a Princeton University student which contains the 1st reference to baseball ever in American writing. (Guess that definitely shoots down the myth that Abner Doubleday invented America's pastime).
Ceresi said his favorite was a picture of an aging Babe Ruth leaning on a bat borrowed from Cleveland Indian pitcher and Hall of Famer Bob Feller. In later years, Ceresi said he and Feller became friends and on one visit, the pitcher had shown him that very bat.
Responding to a question from the audience, Ceresi said that despite the depth of the Library's collection, it does not contain the item most baseball collectors agree is the most valuable item today - a rare Honus Wagner card. Ceresi said that hockey great Wayne Gretsky once bought 1 of the cards for $400,000. Recently that same card was resold for $2.8 million.
Traveler's Tip:
If you would like a more hands-on experience than reading the book, Reyburn says you can see the actual items pictured by visiting the Library of Congress, obtaining a library card, and then requesting to examine the baseball-related items by name. "Our director says it's time to get the champagne out of the bottle," Reyburn said. As for a full baseball memorabilia exhibition, Reyburn said that there have been talks, but the actual outcome will depend on funding.
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