We could go back and forth (which would be a fun and worthy discussion) but the truth is that we'll never know for sure the exact history of most of the Federal League balls that come up. My opinion is that there is a huge difference between retail products and mementos during this time. An item purchased at retail and intended to be used has a far greater chance of being used up and lost or thrown away, versus something that was obtained at a game or has a memory or meaning attached to it. And, with a very limited retail window of only two years (possibly slightly more or less due to overstock or shortage) there would have been far fewer FL balls sold when compared to AL/NL which had a much longer production run for each model (mostly), and far fewer when compared to cheaper off-brands and private label offerings. It is good to know that FL balls were sold at retail (I assumed they were, but never had a reason to check).
I will also say (and clarify) that any used FL ball that comes up should not automatically be assumed "game used", at least not in the Federal League. Without the details that are lost to time it would be impossible to say for certain. It could very well have been purchased and used by a kid and stashed away and forgotten about. We'll never know.
Lastly, it is possible that Gilmore's stamp was on the ball at one time. You can see that the original writing over the area where the stamp would have been placed is minimal, which suggests (to me anyway), that there was something stamped there. The rest of the ball appears to have been traced over. The original writing may have been too faded or faint to trace. I can't tell in the photos. Also, since the Gilmore stamp was a teal color it may have simply faded away. Look at the stitching, which should be a similar teal color, and you will see that it is very washed out.
Congrats on owning one by the way! They're a rare ball no matter how you look at it.
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06-15-2013, 01:14 PM
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