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Posted By: Mike

If a fan got a foul ball in 1918 and was able to keep it , it would be highly unusual. Before 1920, only about 2-3 balls were used per game and foul balls were always returned to the field. That is , until Reuben Berman (a fan) took the Giants to court and he won. Since 1922, most parks have allowed fans to keep any ball hit into the stands. It has been reported that Cub fans began keeping foul balls in 1916, but almost all other clubs did not allow anyone to keep a ball until this court decision. You state you have supporting documents and that's good, because I don't believe Detroit would let you keep the foul ball in 1918.

Sometimes only one ball was used during a game in the deadball era ( 1901-1919).I would suspect a ball hit into the stands late into the game would be darkened and lumpy or lopsided as has been reported during this era. That's one of the main reasons it's called the "deadball era". The ball got pretty soft as the game went on.