Offered is an exceptional boxed example of the 1897 "Home Base Ball Game" from the leading game company of the Gilded Age, McLoughlin Bros. of New York. The game's strongly appealing lid was created by the application of a lavender paper print over the shaped cardboard sections, with a final addition of an illustrated paper label that is almost as big as the lid's upper panel and in full color. Some minor bubbling under the big paper label and some soiling on its surface are all in evidence, but only to a moderate degree. Scuffs and edge chipping appear on the folded seams of both box sections (primarily on the lid) and some seam/corner splits have developed. The 40 painted wood playing pieces and the internal game board (acts as the base for the bottom section of the box) are all in impeccable condition, and the combined batter and fielder spinner shows only some slight wrinkling in its paper appliqué surface. As is typical for games of this period, the game board acts as the fixed base platform for the bottom section of the box, while the directions for the game are printed on the inside of the lid. Complete and in good condition overall—far better condition than most games from this early period.

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