Is It A Find

Dan, I was taking apart an old frame that housed a broken mirror and I found this paper flyer for a baseball game. The paper is brittle, but intact. It mentions a game at the University of Virginia and Richmond College. Did I find a real treasure? Thanks, Mark S., Keene, NH Dear Mark, Your baseball broadside dates to the late 1880s. It would be best to find a hard plastic sleeve or frame to house it in, to prevent any further damage as the old paper is quite brittle. Your find could be a very nice decorative item for the alumni of the said colleges or a specialized baseball memorabilia collector. It does not hold as much value as broadside for a national team would, but could bring upwards of $200 in today's market. It is always interesting what can be found in the back of old picture frames. I had a client once discover a primitive painting worth over $10,000 behind an old framed print from the late 1800s! Often they would use newspaper or old pieces advertising signs as inexpensive protective layers between the framed object and the backing board. Thus, you never know what you are going to find upon taking one apart. Thank you for taking the time to write in with your find.