Quote:
Originally Posted by vintagesportscollector
Good questions, but I think you are seeing what you want to see. What about the other 100 examples on that site that look nothing like your ball?? It doesn't come down to provenance, it basically comes down to condition and age of the leather and thread, and yours looks like it was made yesterday. I thought you might hone in on those two examples. To be honest not sure the authenticity of everything on that site can be confirmed, but the top ball picture is blurry so you can't really tell the condition, and I don't think the bottom ball looks like yours - it at least shows some age.
You should also know that these balls are reproduced a lot today for use in playing vintage rules ball - as a couple people have told you.
Hope this helps some.
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While it's true I want to see this as a nice example of an 1860s ball, I really want to know more about what to look for. Generally with these types of things, the simplest answer is the truth. But on the off chance this ball was never used and always kept in a box all those years, i don't imagine the leather would have aged much at all. Now the likelihood of that being the case is low, but it does seem plausible.
Am I hearing that this ball is not authentic because it's in too good of condition? Or is there something else that is more concrete like the way it was stitched or the tanning of the leather?
I have come across many of the reproductions in my research, but none of them matched the same leather or stitching of this one.