Beschreibung:

[Sports] [Baseball] Spalding, Albert Goodwill Two Manuscript Documents, signed Including: 1. Manuscript document, signed. [Chicago]: May 13, 1882. 1pp. on watermarked laid legal size paper, signed "The Chicago Ball Club / By A. G. Spalding Prest.", and signed by A. R. Brewer and John Van Horne as Secretary and Vice President of the Western Union Telegraph Company; minor creasing to old folds, Western Union embossed seal to bottom margin, just touching Brewer's signature, very minor wear to edges, docketed to verso, signatures clear and dark. Memorandum of agreement between the Chicago Ball Club and The Western Union Telegraph Company, granting to the second party "the sole and exclusive privilege of putting up, maintaining, and operating a telegraph office upon the Ball grounds ... during the season of 1882." 2. Manuscript document, signed. [Chicago]: May 5, 1883. 1pp. legal size paper, signed by Albert G. Spalding, A. R. Brewer, and John Van Horne. Memorandum of agreement between the Chicago Ball Club and the Western Union Telegraph Company, signed by Spalding as President of the Chicago Ball Club, and by Brewer and Van Horne as Secretary and Vice President, respectively, of Western Union; with embossed seal of Western Union Telegraph Company overlapping Brewer's signature; moderate creasing at old folds, very light wear to edges with tiny closed tears at folds, old staple marks to upper margin, not affecting text; signatures very slightly browned but clear. Memorandum of Agreement between the Chicago Ball Club and the Western Union Telegraph Company allowing the latter to operate a telegraph office on the ball grounds for the season of 1883, and requiring them to "furnish at the grounds of the Chicago Ball Club, during the progress of any league game played there, such reports of league games played elsewhere". With corresponding autograph letter addressed to John Van Horne and signed by R. C. Clowry, noting that the agreement has been enclosed. These two agreements mark an important milestone in the earliest years of baseball score broadcasting. Albert Goodwill Spalding (1850-1915) was an American baseball player and executive who, along with William Huthbert, helped organize the National League. Spalding co-founded the sporting goods company that still bears his name today.