GUEST: Well, they came from Yale Football Association. I had an uncle, John Augustus Hartwell, who played football for championship Yale team in 1891.
APPRAISER: Terrific. He is pictured in the photograph here, right in the dead center, and that's John Augustus Hartwell. He was a right end for the team. The team was undefeated that year, in 1891. 1892, the team was also undefeated, but in this year, they never gave up a point. Actually, the last game of the season, 40,000 people showed up at that game, at the 1891 last game, and that, in and of itself, was important because it really gave notoriety or importance to college football at that time. It really brought it into the public eye. And he was on with some very, very elite company. Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger was on that team, and he's one of the most famous football players of the time. Some people acknowledge him as being the first professionally paid football player.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: You framed them perfectly. They're well preserved. They should stay that way. If I had to give you a gut estimate based on what I think would be a fair-market auction appraisal, I would say, on the pair, $4,000 to $6,000 would be a very fair estimate. Any plans for what you're going to do with it?
GUEST: I would like to keep them in the family.
APPRAISER: If you're going to keep it in the family, then you may want to consider an alternative estimate for insurance purposes, which might be a little bit higher, $7,000 or $8,000. Keep them out of sunlight, and they'll retain their gloss. It's silk with gilt over the top. It's just a wonderful piece, and I can't thank you enough for bringing them in today.
