[Illustration: *Text included in illustration. Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide*]

THE SPALDING TRADE MARK.

[Illustration : *Spalding trade mark*]

Experience has shown that in Base Ball and Athletic Goods, as in all other lines of business, unprincipled persons are always eager to prey on the reputation gained by honest dealing and good business management. We regret to state that we have not escaped the attention of such parties, who have appropriated our original designs, styles and names, and by using similar illustrations and descriptions, deceive the public into believing that the articles were manufactured by us, and that we are responsible for their inferior quality. A wide acquaintance with sportsmen and an extended experience with the various sports, has enabled us to anticipate the wants of our patrons in securing outfits, and to offer only such articles as were perfectly satisfactory for our own use, knowing by practical tests that they would serve the purpose properly, and be unfailing to the purchaser.

In order to protect our customers, and to preserve our reputation, we have found it necessary to place our "Trade Mark" on the higher grades of goods that we manufacture and introduce. The care and discrimination exercised in selecting only articles of the highest quality as being worthy of bearing our Trade Mark, has resulted in giving to them a reputation as being practically the best of their kind that could be produced.

In our opinion a satisfied customer is the best advertisement that we can have, and dealers and individuals will please bear in mind that on whatever article our TRADE MARK appears, we guarantee it to be exactly as represented, and wherever just cause for complaint exists, we will thank the purchaser for returning the article to us and receiving a perfect one in return, or the refunding of the purchase money. Our line of Base Balls is now so well known to the trade, and they are so thoroughly appreciated by the base ball players of the country, that it seems almost unnecessary to call special attention to their superior merits. Spalding's League Ball, having stood the severe test of the National League for the last ten years, and having again been adopted as the official ball of that leading organization for 1888 as well as the other prominent professional College and Amateur Associations, gives it a reputation and sale unequalled by any other ball on the market. BEWARE OF CHEAP IMITATIONS; NO League Ball is genuine without our Trade Mark on each box and ball, and the autograph of [Illustration: *Autogram of A. G. Spalding*] on each label.

We hope that ball players will not be misled by the remarks of interested dealers handling inferior goods, that the articles they offer "are just as good as Spalding's" and at a cheaper price. We accept their frequent references to our goods as the highest compliment that can be paid us, and only ask that purchasers will do their own comparisons, and be convinced that our goods are really the cheapest as they certainly are the best. Special trade prices are quoted to dealers on application.

CHICAGO. A. G. SPALDING & BROS. NEW YORK.

Publisher's Notice

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"Spalding's Base Ball Guide" again greets the base ball public with the official records of America's national game. First issued in 1877, it has grown in popularity, has been enlarged and improved from year to year, and is now the recognized authority upon base ball matters. The statistics contained in the "Guide" can be relied upon, nearly all of them having been compiled from official records.

The "Guide" has attained such a size--180 pages--as to preclude the possibility of publishing in the same issue the League Constitution in full, and other interesting League matter. We are therefore compelled, in addition, to publish the "Official League Book," which contains only official League matter as furnished by Secretary Young, including the