Carlton, thanks, Yes it was an estate auction pickup. I used to hit 2 to 3 estate auctions a week, but having our first child this past year has made them alot tougher to get to; but my dad has been picking up the slack hitting alot of them lately. In the past month he has picked up this lemon peel, and a ring bat (the one I showed a couple of weeks ago - the reach red ring)
When I was researching lemon peels, I couldn't find many recent auction house results on them; but found some in hunts and lelands auctions in the 2000-2002 time frame. The prices varied alot in those auctions, and I am not sure if the 7-9 years would change their value much.
As to the plate, yes there is a football on it. I included a larger photo below. The plate reads: Cornell Champions 1915. Also in the photo are a couple of newer pickups: A 1933 Princeton Spalding Trophy ball with all of their undefeated season's scores painted on it, and a 1919 trophy ball (bottom right) from the post WWI Military Football Teams Tournament in Paris France. This 1919 ball is pretty neat, and its makers mark is actually that of the YMCA, who sponsored the tournament.
