Posted By:
Paul MuchinskyI can't make out from the picture whether this is a flat medallion, or a hollow metal baseball that has two halves that fit together. If the former, I have never seen it before, and I wonder how the ribbon remains affixed to it. Glue? Tape? If the latter, such an item would be consistent with other mementoes of the era. Usually in fine print somewhere on the ball is "Made in Germany". Very unusual regarding this specimen is the reversal of its role compared to other specimens I have seen. Usually there is a celluloid pin, from which hangs a ribbon, and the ball dangles beneath the pin. The ribbon is affixed to the pinback by placing the ribbon under the springpin on the pinback, and is affixed to the ball by placing the ribbon in between the two halves of the ball before snapping it closed. The writing on the ball is probably vintage, was probably done with a fountain pen, and was written most likely by the buyer, not the vendor. The vendor probably sold the item within or outside of the stadium. What is unusual about this specimen is there is no pin, but now a small plastic or metal bat hangs beneath the ball via an attached ribbon. In essence, a reversal of the usual construction of this item. I believe the writing on the ball is vintage, but the hanging bat is not. My guess is that at some point in time this ball (if it is a ball) hung below a pinback. Over the years the ribbon wore away, detaching the pinback from the ball. Then someone opened the ball, removed the frayed ribbon from the top part of the ball (where it originally was), and added the dangling bat beneath it. The ribbon holding the bat to the ball looks too new to be 80 years old. In short, I think this is a hybrid item, created from original and newer parts. Fortunately, the most important part is original.