Undated (ca. 1861) Pioneer Baseball Club Medal. By John Adams Bolen. Musante JAB-1. Silvered White Metal. MS-64 (NGC). 32 mm. Soft satin luster joins with vivid toning to give this piece exceptional eye appeal for the type. Otherwise golden-tinged surfaces exhibit rich steel-blue and olive-russet outlines to the design elements. Slight bubbling underneath the silvered surfaces is noted under magnification, a feature common to these medals in this composition. Smartly impressed with all features sharply to fully rendered. Bolens personal specimen sold in our November 2021 Baltimore Auction had his edge mark that indicated 25 struck in this composition, but the number is reported as 125 in his own notebook and in the 1882 Edwin Johnson listing. Considering the frequency of appearances of both compositions, it is fairly clear that the white metal examples were made in a larger number than the copper ones. There were some 40 club members in the Pioneer Club, so it is unlikely that either composition would have an original issue number smaller than that. As such, 75 is probably reliable for the copper ones and 125 is likely accurate for this, though this more fragile composition undoubtedly contributed to a greater degree of loss over the years. However many exist today, it is hard to imagine a nicer specimen than this at the Choice Mint State level.
