Presented here is a player contract for Ezra Sutton signed by Ezra Sutton and twice signed by Harry Wright. The contract, believed to be one of – if not the oldest in existence, is between Sutton and the Boston Baseball Association signed and dated October 16th, 1879. Sutton played for the Boston Red Caps/Beaneaters from 1877 to 1888 and retired after the 1888 season with a batting average of .294, 1,574 hits, 25 home runs, and 672 RBIs. Sutton also hit the first home run in professional baseball history while playing for the Cleveland Forest Citys against the Chicago White Stockings on May 8, 1871. Sutton was also one of five players that were part of the first reserve clause for Boston and the National League. In order to stem the raid of star players from other teams, Boston’s owner Arthur Soden presented a plan at the National League meeting in September of 1879 that would allow teams to have a five-player reserve system. For the 1880 season, which this contract pertains to, Boston reserved Sutton, Tommy Bond, Jack Burdock, Pop Snyder and James O’Rourke.

The 9 x 17 ½-inch contract in a 12 x 20 ½-inch framed display, which contains numerous tears and heavy elements of toning, is also signed by Hall of Famer Harry Wright, the man responsible for turning baseball into a professional sport whose innovations such as paying players’ salaries and backing infield plays from the outfield and shifting defensive alignments based on hitters’ tendencies are still in use today. The men signed the contract with black ink. The signatures are clear, and the contract contains numerous tears, toning, and water stains. The historically significant contract between Ezra Sutton and The Boston Baseball Association signed by Ezra Sutton and twice signed by Harry Wright comes with an LOA from JSA (XX19526) for the signature.

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