1830,s Beltball
 

I found this old ball in a very old abandoned house in Nova Scotia. Any thoughts?????

Hi,

I am far from a ball expert but what leads you to believe the ball is from the 1830s? That type of lettering and the words trade mark would lead me to guess that it's from the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Palmer shoes are made in the 19th century 1868 up through whenever. it appears that ball may be from the 1870s and the leather used is from a pair of shoes. Neat ball

Some further research on trade mark law could probably verify this, but based on the wording "Trade Mark REG" I would date this post 1880, up until 1905. That would be consistent too with the Palmer shoe co. history.

Since early baseballs were often homemade (typically with the help of a cobbler to cover the ball), you can sometimes see the prior use of the leather cover - in this case an old shoe/boot.

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Lot # 663 (of 1411) < Previous Lot | Next Lot >

1830s/1840s "Belt Balls" (2)
Starting Bid - $300.00, Sold For - $2,610.00


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to view the photos Offered are two rare "belt balls" dating to the 1830s or 1840s. During baseball's early formative years, often the greatest obstacle in playing a game was not in rounding up participants, but in finding a bat and ball. Factory-made equipment was not yet available and all of the equipment needed, particularly the ball and bat, had to be specially created. Normally, that meant by hand, with most of the early balls characterized by their crude craftsmanship and irregular design. Later, as the level of play and competition increased, balls and bats were often specially ordered from local tradesmen. While more expensive, they were also well crafted, more uniform in shape, and lasted longer than their homemade cousins. Presented here are rare examples of each type of ball. Both of these early balls are termed "belt balls" due to the nature of their design, which consisted of a "belt" of leather running along the center, to which the two side panels were attached. The earliest of the two is a homemade "Town Ball" dating from the 1830s or early 1840s. The ball, which is approximately seven inches in circumference, is heavily worn and displays separations along nearly all of its seams. The second, which is an extremely early baseball, dates from the 1840s and measures nine inches in circumference. In contrast to the first ball, this example reflects a high level of craftsmanship and, though it is heavily worn, nearly all of the stitching remains tight and intact. Balls from this era are extremely rare, with the professionally constructed 1840s ball being a particularly rare and high-quality example. Total: 2 balls. Reserve $300. Estimate $500/$1,000. SOLD FOR $2,610.00


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This is the only info I found on this ball:confused:

These balls are often misdated, as there is no way to know for sure, and are often dated earlier than they are. Just because some past auction said 1830s doesn't make it so, as I expect that AH has little basis to date it and was just guessing. Your ball has clear markings which date it later, as we have pointed out to you.

Those balls and yours are mis-dated. They are probably 1870s. Yours probably 1880s 1890. Belt styles were not made in the 1830s. Baseballs to me start around 1840s. You have lemon peels (one piece of leather, and 4,5,6,pieces, points on top and bottom ) belt styles folled. Then figure eights.

I have a modest collection
 

of early baseballs - types that follow the evolution of styles. I think the advertising makes your ball quite special because it helps to suggest a story within a story - literally reiterating the concepts of it's homemade construction.
As others have suggested your ball isn't from the 1830's - likely NOT put together before the late 1870's and more likely in the 1890's as they usually used shoes until they wore out :-) While the figure 8 ball was already in use in the 90's (and earlier) - not so easy to fabricate at home and there's always a lag time between styles coming and going......

Old ball
 

I just found this one