Michael "Mike" Joseph Mattimore, Pitcher, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This Goodwin & Company card, part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series from 1887, immortalizes Michael "Mike" Joseph Mattimore of New York with his bat. The bat, a seemingly simple object, is loaded with symbolic significance. Think of the ancient club of Hercules, a symbol of strength and heroic triumph. The baseball bat, while modernized, carries a similar weight of power and potential. It is a tool of defense and offense, a conduit through which individual skill can achieve communal victory. Across cultures and eras, we see echoes of this symbolism – from the scepters of rulers to the staffs of shamans, objects that extend human agency. What primal urge does this object satisfy? Is it the desire to dominate, to protect, or simply to connect with something larger than ourselves? This baseball card, in its modest way, captures the enduring power of such a symbol in a rapidly changing world.