As baseball introduced professional teams, the game quickly caught on at the collegiate level as well. The age-old Ivy League rivalry between Yale and Harvard is recalled in its early stages on this scorecard from a head-to-head contest. Issued at Harvard’s Jarvis Park on May 31, 1873, the 4-3/8 x 6-3/4” thick stock souvenir features scoring grids with pre-printed Harvard players and handwritten Yale principals. The grids have been marked in pencil to detail a 29-5 Harvard triumph. More on our website.

The date and location are handwritten on the upper border, though the pre-printed Harvard lineup is consistent with the date as it lists Mike Hooper, who played professionally later that year for the National Association’s Baltimore Marylands. The item presents well with a horizontal fold. There are mounting remnants on the reverse.

Also included are (2) tickets from a June 20, 1873 event (likely commencement exercises); as well as printed class schedules for the fall 1873 semester and spring 1874 semester.