Heritage Sports - the thought never even crossed my mind. Very interesting, I'd think they'd at least try to get something right though if it were a forgery. It is ridiculous how nothing really matches any previous Reach logo, font or wording.
Thanks for the input. I also didn't think about salesmen samples. I've seen them for sale on Ebay, but they almost always seemed to be different sizes, not official sized baseballs, or at least not all the same official stamping.
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Originally Posted by william_9
If it were a forgery it would be based on something authentic. This is clearly a new style all together. A prototype isn't out of the question. Perhaps it was part of a design proposal for a new league ball for 1958 or 59 before Cronin was picked as league president?
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William, this is kind of what I was thinking. I could see them making prototypes for future years, then scrapping them for changes in presidency. I've discovered and collected quite a few prototypes, mostly from dependable sources too (here's my gallery of prototypes and misprints, with a few random baseballs from other leagues, and one or two pics I found online:
Gallery)
Anyway, it sure is a weird version compared to the typical Reach logo and league stampings. Glad this never got the green-light if it was a proposed prototype.
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Thanks to everyone who responded, always great to get different perspectives, especially from those with a lot of knowledge of vintage baseballs. I'm not sure if the seller was a reputable dealer or not. I'm going to track down their ID just to see what else they've sold.
By the way, got another ball coming that's possibly another rare one, maybe prototype, would love to get more feedback on that as well. Hope to post it tonight.