1860's Staffordshire “ABC” "Base Ball" Pottery Plates - "Running to First Base" and "Out on the Third Base"

Offered are two very nice examples of some of the earliest baseball memorabilia ever produced, two Staffordshire pottery plates with scenes of "Base Ball," an American game gaining popularity in the mid to late 19th Century. The central English town of Staffordshire sat upon a massive natural deposit of clay that was ideal for creating pottery, and for several hundred years thousands of products were produced and exported from the area. These two plates are dubbed "ABC" because of the alphabet that encircles the borders of both. But the scenes of "American Sports" series are coveted by baseball collectors because of their depiction of scenes from the seminal period of the sport. The smaller plate, measuring 6 1/4 inches in diameter and printed in green tones, reads "Base Ball. Out on the Third Base," and shows the third baseman tagging the runner prior to his slide into the base. The second plate, measuring 7 1/4 inches in diameter and printed in black tones, reads "Base Ball. Running to First Base," and shows the entire field of play of an early game. A wonderful pair. Excellent to Mint condition overall.