Pre-Civil War baseball card brings in $179K at auction

The baseball card, sold to an anonymous buyer, had remained in the family of Archibald McMahon, an outfielder for the Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn.

The Atlantics were a founding member of baseball's first organized league, the National Association of Base Ball Players, and reigned as champions from 1859 through 1861, according to Dallas-based Heritage Auction officials.

Among the other players depicted on the card is Richard "Dickey" Pearce, who went on to become one of the first professional baseball players credited with pioneering the shortstop position and inventing the bunt.

The card was consigned for auction by Florence Sasso, 75, a descendant of McMahon's. The card was passed down to her from her mother, who inherited it from other relatives.

Also sold was the 1984 Summer Olympic Torch that Bruce Jenner carried through Lake Tahoe, Nevada, sold for just under $24,000 at an auction of sports memorabilia Thursday.

The 24-inch Olympic torch was the first major piece of Jenner memorabilia to go to auction since the winner of the 1976 Olympic Decathlon Gold Medal became Caitlyn Jenner. It had a presale estimate of $20,000.

The auction featured a variety of collectable sports memorabilia items, including a New York Yankees game jersey worn by Mickey Mantle in 1966 that sold for $322,650 and the shoes worn by Muhammad Ali in the 1975 "Thrilla in Manila" bout against Joe Frazier. Those fetched $119,500.

Wire services