Baseball went through an enormous period of development and growth in the 19th century, primarily in the cities and towns of the United States. By the end of the century, baseball was solidly entrenched. It was considered the American national pastime, was represented by several professional leagues and many more amateur ones and had been spread outside the United States (most notably to Canada, Cuba, Mexico, and Japan).

Presented is an exceptional 19th Century baseball pocket watch. The 1½-inch circumference silver metal pocket watch with winder and hanging clasp has an ivory dial face with a color illustration of a batter, in blue shirt and white pants, at the plate with catcher behind (at left) in red and white striped shirt and brown pants on a green field with blue sky in the background. The bottom of the dial has a small “second” hand dial in place of the numeral “6”. The watch is still operational. The back of the watch is unadorned with any detail or manufacturer.  Collectible items such as this watch represent the growth of the game in the popular imagination and in the everyday lives of Americans, who followed the game before the advent of radio primarily in person and through newspaper accounts.

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