Lemon ball too good to be true?

[Ghumbs]

Thanks, that's a really good link. When I come across balls like these, it makes me doubt my doubts. Mine doesn't appear to be too far off of the examples below. Now obviously I'm going to be the most biased here, but does it basically come down to provenance on these since they aren't marked? Or are there certain attributes to look for other than condition like materials, techniques, etc?

[vintagesportscollector]

Originally Posted by Ghumbs

Thanks, that's a really good link. When I come across balls like these, it makes me doubt my doubts. Mine doesn't appear to be too far off of the examples below. Now obviously I'm going to be the most biased here, but does it basically come down to provenance on these since they aren't marked? Or are there certain attributes to look for other than condition like materials, techniques, etc?

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.

[Ghumbs]

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.

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.

[Baseball Glove Collector]

Great thread guys. Grant, unfortunately, I agree with the consensus. I know you are looking for concrete explanations on how to tell if a ball is that old but I don't think any of us can tell you definitively. You just have to familiarize yourself with all the known exemplars I guess or see a bunch in person.

More often than not, they are crude, not uniform and nowhere near perfectly stitched. They were all handmade in different fashions by spouses of players, blacksmiths, saddle makers, etc.

I have a number of reproductions because they are so cool looking and they display well. Fun to talk to others about the evolution of the ball.

I would respect William's opinion above all else as I consider him an expert in this matter. You and Joe brought up a good point about those two suspect balls on my site. Now that I look back, I have my doubts too.

So, should I take those down guys? If you see any others that may be reproductions, please let me know so I can remove them. Appreciate it.

JD
www.baseballglovecollector.com