Vintage Sports Race Car Advertising Poster

RARE Circa 1910

JUST ACQUIRED: One our most extraordinary Vintage Poster Art discoveries

A stunning piece of American History masterpiece Art 

While our reputation was built over 35 years in part for vintage movie posters, we have gradually broadened our scope over the past 10–15 years to embrace other visually stunning vintage poster genres, such as antique French advertising, travel, circus, classic sports, music, magic and other themed works.   What you see offered here is one of the most Rare and extraordinary discoveries we encountered in several years.   Simply a breath-taking early 20th century masterpiece!

Auto pushball was a short-lived but spectacular early motor-sport and novelty game popular in the first decade of the 20th century (roughly 1904–1915), especially in the United States. It blended automobiles, spectacle, and sport at a time when cars themselves were still a novelty.       Played primarily at state fairs, racetracks, and exhibition grounds between roughly 1904 and the mid-1910s, the sport featured teams of early cars ramming and shoving an enormous leather ball.   This breath-taking vintage advertising poster Gem is most likely the Only surviving Authentic specimen  used to promote this spectacle at local venues. Only reproductions are otherwise available.

The blank space on bottom was used to advertise local venues such as fairs and other exhibitions that these Auto Pushball events were being promoted. 

Size:  Slightly larger than the traditional one sheet (27.75" X 42.5")

* See enlargeable images

RARITY:  Based on extensve research this is the Only surviving example of this 115+ year old poster masterpiece.    * The only other time you will see this online will be small computer generated  Reproductions copied from THIS Original.

Condition:  Very Good.  Has been professionally linen backed and looks amazing. A restored poster with good color and an overall very presentable appearance. Touchup, and some replacement has restored edge and fold wear, creases, fold and crossfold separation. It now presents quite well.   Note:  Although poster was discovered in brittle condition,  it was completely intact and with the original unfaded colors. 

Auto Pushball (ca. 1910s). Fine+ on Linen. Advertising Poster (27.75" X 42.5"). 
This vibrant vintage poster advertises "Auto Pushball," a high-speed motorized variation of Pushball-created in 1891 and most popular in the early 1910s-depicting drivers racing to shove a massive six-foot, fifty-pound ball across the field in a thrilling but ultimately short-lived sport abandoned due to safety and damage concerns. A restored poster with good color and an overall very presentable appearance. Touchup, and some replacement has restored edge and fold wear, creases, fold and crossfold separation. It now presents quite well. 


Auto Pushball History:

Auto pushball was a wildly dangerous exhibition sport where early automobiles shoved a massive ball around an arena for crowd entertainment at the dawn of the automotive age.

Auto pushball emerged in the early 1900s as a spectacular offshoot of the older game of pushball, reflecting the public’s fascination with the newly invented automobile. Played primarily at state fairs, racetracks, and exhibition grounds between roughly 1904 and the mid-1910s, the sport featured teams of early cars ramming and shoving an enormous leather ball—often six to eight feet in diameter—toward opposing goals. It was less an organized sport than a crowd-pleasing novelty, marketed for its noise, danger, and visual chaos at a time when automobiles themselves were still rare and thrilling machines. Auto pushball symbolized the era’s enthusiasm for mechanization and speed, but its extreme risk, frequent injuries, and high cost of wrecked vehicles quickly led to its decline as auto racing became more regulated and safety standards increased, leaving auto pushball as a brief, colorful chapter in early automotive and fairground history.

Auto pushball fused the thrill of sport with the danger and excitement of early auto racing, turning competition into pure spectacle. Teams of roaring race cars battled for control of an oversized ball, combining strategy, speed, and brute force in front of cheering crowds. More than a novelty, the game reflected a historical crossroads where athletic tradition collided with technological innovation, showcasing how automobiles were rapidly reshaping both entertainment and public imagination in the early 1900s.

Note: CVtreasures stamp Not on original