Vintage Ball Guys

[Shoeless Moe]

Just picked up this neat ball.

Red & Black stitched. Official National League across the front. Now here comes the good/bad part, depending on how you look at it.

It has a silver cap on it, and I'm not talking just the color, per the previous owner it is not steel, but rather made of silver.

On the cap it reads H. W. Corning. 1911. I was told by the owner that his family used to live in a Mansion in Cleveland, a 13,000 squre foot mansion on Lake Erie (which is still there)
built by Corning who was a wealthy Cleveland Industrialist, built in the late 1890's or early 1900's. He believes the ball was given to his grandfather or grandmother from Corning, or it was just left
in the mansion when his family took residence there.

The story is backed by a link he sent me which tells the story of the mansion, and that Cole Porter and Duke Ellington dropped in to play. The article goes on to say the mansion's
current owners plan on continuing the tradition by hosting concerts there. There being the Bratenahl mansion, formerly the Corning Mansion. So that's the good or bad news depending
on how you look at it. Gives me a history of the ball, however I believe the silver cap on it possible covers up a Pulium (1903-1909), Heydler (1909-1910), or most likely a Lynch
(1910-1913) stamped signature. That is the key to the balls value.

But the cap is cemented or glued on, and even if I were to pop it off, 1. I could damage the ball, 2. It loses it's history, 3. no guarantee any sig is there, or if it is there will it be legible due to
glue/cement damage. But........say it pops off and there is the signature. Hmmmmmm.