1860s baseball card fetches $179,000 at auction
By ULA ILNYTZKY, Associated Press
Jul 30, 2015 8:48 PM CDT
FILE - In this 1984 file photo provided by Heritage Auctions, American Decathlete, Bruce Jenner poses with the 1984 Olympic Torch he carried through Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The 24-inch torch, featuring a brass finish and wood handle, is being offered by Heritage Auctions on July 30, 2015 at its Platinum...   (Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) — A circa 1860s Brooklyn Atlantics team baseball card that's been in the same family for over 150 years has fetched over $179,000 at auction.

The pre-Civil War baseball card was owned by Florence Sasso of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It shows her great-great-uncle Archibald McMahon, an outfielder for the squad, pictured with eight of his teammates in bib-style shirts and two gentlemen in suits.

Auction organizers say it was purchased by an anonymous collector from the West Coast. It had a presale estimate of $50,000.

The Atlantics were a founding member of the National Association of Base Ball Players — the sport's first organized league that held the championship from 1859 through 1861.

The sale was among the highlights of a sports memorabilia auction held Thursday by Heritage Auctions in Chicago.

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