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Vintage 1948 F.J. Raff “Autograph Baseball Game”
Wonderful and unusually complete surviving example of this scarce postwar baseball tabletop game produced by F.J. Raff of Madison, Connecticut.
The approximately 22½” x 22½” Masonite playing board features facsimile autographs of numerous major-league baseball players around the perimeter and a baseball diamond/playfield divided into areas determining hits, outs and advancement of runners.
What makes this example particularly interesting is the survival of 11 of the original 12 player figures, along with the miniature wooden bat and three small baseballs.
Original instructions for the game identify the figures as:
* 9 white/red fielders — all 9 are present; 7 stand normally and 2 have broken/missing bases.
* 3 gray/green baserunners — 2 of the 3 are present and intact.
* Miniature wooden bat
* 3 small baseballs
The game was played by finger-rolling the ball toward home plate and striking it with the miniature bat. The location where the ball stopped determined the play. The white/red figures represented the defensive team, while the gray/green figures tracked runners on base.
Condition: Board shows age-appropriate wear, scratches, marks and surface wear from use and storage. Two white/red fielders have broken bases as shown. Eleven player figures, wooden bat and three balls are included. Original box and instruction sheet are NOT included. Please examine all photographs carefully for condition and included contents.
An especially interesting piece of both baseball and American design history, this game also has a documented connection to artist Jackson Pollock: unused Masonite boards from the F.J. Raff game production were obtained by Pollock through his brother Sanford and used as supports for some of Pollock’s paintings. This particular game board has no known ownership or direct association with Jackson Pollock; the connection is to the production of the game itself.
A difficult game to find with this many of its small original playing pieces still together nearly 80 years later.
Sold exactly as photographed
