Description:

Elihu Phinney, Jr.
Cooperstown, NY, August 14, 1852
E. Phinney - Owner of the Field Where Baseball was Said to Have Been Invented - Twice Signed Check
Signed check

Elihu Phinney, Jr. twice signed check. 1p., 6" x 2.375"; Cooperstown; August 14, 1852. A check drawn on the Otsego County Bank in the amount of $75 dollars. Engrossed in his hand and made out to himself; effectively signed twice: "E Phinney." Stamp cancellation at center, just lightly touching the start of signature at bottom. Irregular edges, and lightly toned.

In addition to running a successful publishing company, Phinney was the owner of the cow pasture where Abner Doubleday was said to have invented baseball in 1839. This enduring belief originated not from contemporary evidence, but from a much later effort to define the game's origins. In 1907, the Mills Commission, hoping to create an all-American origin story for baseball, relied heavily on the reminiscences of Abner Graves, who claimed that Doubleday devised the game on a vacant lot owned by the Phinneys.

Although the Commission's findings have been largely debunked, the enduring though apocryphal account, has cemented Cooperstown's symbolic place as the birthplace of baseball. The city is home to Doubleday Field and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6" x 2.375"
  • Medium: Signed check

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May 6, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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