Hand Stitched Baseball: Opinions wanted
 

Just picked this up at an estate sale today in a box that had assorted baseballs, and an old Jack Wilson splitfinger glove...was wondering what you guys thought about this hand stitched ball..it is very close in size to a modern baseball..perhaps slightly smaller...age? Value? Thanks!

The fact that it's a homemade ball (or cover, at least) makes it tough to date. It could be late 19c, could be early 20c, could be 1930s. Without an x-ray it's almost impossible to tell how old it is. However, it appears to have been re-stitched at least once. I'd guess 20c, probably the 1920's give or take a few years. It could have easily started life as a playground ball that was recovered by some kid's mom during the depression.