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Heritage Auctions' upcoming Platinum Night event is set to feature an extraordinary piece of baseball history: a poster from the 1888-89 Spalding Australian Baseball Tour. This rare artifact, one of only two known surviving posters, marks a significant chapter in the sport's history, showcasing a barnstorming tour led by baseball legend and sporting goods tycoon Albert G. Spalding. The tour featured games between the Chicago White Stockings and an All America team composed by Spalding himself, following the 1888 season.

The auction, scheduled for February 24-25, highlights this poster as a key lot among its nearly 2,800 items, which range from the era of Old Judge cards to the modern exploits of Aaron Judge. The other known copy of this poster resides in the Baseball Hall of Fame, underscoring its rarity and historical significance.

The poster, which measures 42 inches by 28 inches, is heralded by Heritage Auctions as "the most astonishing eight square feet of paper" ever presented in their auctions. It features images reminiscent of those found on Old Judge and N284 Buchner Gold Coin cards, depicting players who participated in the tour, including future Hall of Famers Cap Anson, John Montgomery Ward, and Ned Hanlon.

The tour, a bold venture envisioned by Spalding to promote baseball globally, took the teams through the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii), New Zealand, Ceylon, Egypt, Italy, France, and England, concluding with games in Australian cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Ballarat. The undertaking was a massive logistical feat, with Spalding investing $30,000 of his own money and securing an endorsement from President Grover Cleveland.

This promotional effort not only highlighted baseball's appeal but also its status as America's game, with the tour garnering significant attention and culminating in a celebratory banquet at Delmonico's restaurant in New York City upon the teams' return.

The poster, beyond its historical value, offers a glimpse into the early professionalization of baseball and its efforts to reach a global audience. With a pre-sale estimate of $100,000, it represents a unique opportunity for collectors to own a piece of the sport's storied past.