“Our experience of over Thirty years in the trade enables us to select for Publication, subjects best adapted to suit the popular taste, and to meet the wants of all sections, and our Prints have become a staple article which are in great demand in every part of the country.” So states an 1870's catalogue sales letter by the New York lithographic firm of Currier & Ives, self-proclaimed publishers of “Popular Cheap Prints…in great variety.”

A lot has changed since Currier & Ives sold its prints from as little as a few cents to a few dollars. In February 2004, “The American National Game of Base Ball” hit a home run at Skinner's American Furniture and Decorative Arts auction, selling for a record $76,375. The reason for the record is threefold: “This is the best antique baseball print ever made, it is a Currier & Ives print and it is rare,” says Christopher Lane, co-owner of the Philadelphia Print Shop. “Those three factors conjoined make it especially valuable.”

That's not to say collectors of lesser means will strike out when looking for an original print by Currier & Ives (the firm produced more than 7,500 different images and employed several artists). According to the American Historical Print Collectors Society (AHPCS), prints in very good to excellent condition can still be found from $75 to $3,000 for a small folio (approximately 8 x 12 1/2 inches), $150 to $5,000 for a medium folio (10 to 14 x 14 to 20 inches) and $400-plus for a large folio (exceeding 14 x 20 inches).

“Subject matter is instrumental in determining value,” says Donald C. O'Brien, president of AHPCS. “Among the least popular are religious and memorial prints. Mid-range subjects include foreign views, fruit and flowers. Leading the way are winter scenes, American views and sporting prints, such as horse racing, hunting and, of course, baseball.”

Condition also is an important factor, and the presence of tears, holes, stains and other surface blemishes can significantly affect value. “Pine backboards often were used in original framing,” explains Robert Kipp, a professional print restorer since 1979 and owner of Art & Old Print Restorations in Marblehead, Massachusetts. “This inappropriate framing permits oxidation and contamination, which can result in surface soiling, water staining, foxing, mold and mildew.” The cost to restore a large folio, without any coloring or tears into the image, runs from $300 to $350, Kipp says; more extensive repairs can cost $450 or more and take several months to complete. “Prints without image damage can be restored back to most of their original beauty and value,” he notes. “This is not the case with holes and tears, where value will remain reduced despite professional restoration.”