Major League Baseball

A 159-year-old baseball document sold for over $3 million at auction

Published Apr. 25, 2016 11:45 a.m. ET

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Anyone with an interest in baseball and in history might want to check out the "Laws of Base Ball," a document dating back to 1857 which outlines some of the earliest rules of the game. The piece of baseball history sold at auction this month for a reported $3.26 million, according to the New York Times.

That's a high price, but it seems worth it given that the document is referred to as the Magna Carta of baseball. "Laws of Base Ball" was written by Daniel "Doc" Adams, President of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club. The document established some of the most basic foundations of the game, including the nine men per side rule, 90-foot base paths and nine inning games.

The $3.26 million sale makes "Laws of Base Ball" the most expensive document in baseball history. The most expensive piece of memorabilia in baseball history is a 1920 Babe Ruth jersey which sold for $4.4 million in 2012.

Popular theories credit Abner Doubleday with creating the game of baseball in Cooperstown, New York back in 1839.

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