Incredible Piece Sold on EBay - 19th century lemonpeel silver presentation baseball
 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221157307685...84.m1435.l2649
:cool:
Indians and baseball - awesome

It was a great piece- congrats to whoever picked it up

I saw that looking around on the Bay. GORGEOUS

Presentation ball
 

Wow, What a stunning piece.

I guess I am the only one who saw it and thought it was kinda ugly.

Not the only one... I took note of it early on, but it didn't float my boat either. The numerous dents would have bugged me, and I might have dwelled on them more than the ball itself. Interesting piece though.

good lord, you will probably never see another. especially a H style. never seen that before.

Dents can be taken out nice and easy, though at a real cost, likely $1500. I was very tempted to buy, I bid pretty high. What are everyone's thoughts on value? The ball dates to c.1870 not c.1890 I would think, despite the history provided, given H style, size, "base ball", and content.

I thought 2 to 2500. Worth getting repaired. Definitely earlier than described. 1870s when that type of ball was being used.

Who bought it?

It is very nice. I would polish it but otherwise not touch it as I think it has nice character as-is.

http://i.imgur.com/krvmQ.jpg

That's a fun show to watch, but I wouldn't let him touch it with a 10' pole.

Everything he restores looks ridiculously new... like it was just created yesterday. I guess it's great for Coke Machines and Cars... but (if restored) this piece would need to go to a real specialist.

We were enthralled by this piece from the moment it hit ebay and toyed with the idea of bidding all along.

For some historical perspective and for the sake of dating, we believe that the scene engraved on the ball depicts the Great Sioux Uprising that took place in Minnesota in 1862. If so, than the size and style of the ball matches perfectly to the era in which it was created...within a few years for sure.

I would like to believe that with some research into Minnesota's state history the new owner will be able to come up with some rich history behind their new acquisition.

JP
www.dugouttreaures.com

The engraving has NOTHING to do with the Great Sioux Uprising of 1862. It is simply the state seal and motto of Minnesota "L etoile du nord" (Star of the North) adopted in 1861. I agree with your approximate date but not the reasoning for the image on the ball. It's the state seal, nothing more.

http://www.netstate.com/states/mottoes/mn_motto.htm

Thanks for that informative, if not forcefull correction...I'm sure we all appreciate it.

;):)

It appears the seal changed over time from a number of Indians to one, and from more threatening to less threatening postures; it appears you could indeed set a more precise date on that ball. I now wish I bid more. I was at 2k. I do not think there is another piece of baseball memorabilia from the true West depicting true then-contemporary Indians. It is a very very cool piece. If it were mine, I would pay $1500 to have the dents expertly removed, and I actually would have it professionally cleaned, so that the patina might age more evenly. If someone on this forum purchased the ball, and is looking for a quick profit, please PM me.

Sorry, it's early Saturday morning and the post touched a nerve. I loathe the portrayal of Native Americans as fierce warriors and did not wish to perpetuate that stereotype with further dialogue on the subject.

The ball and engraving are absolutely beautiful. I am envious of the person who now owns it.