I've said before and it continues to be true that I've got a special weakness for old hand-stitched baseballs, softballs, and otherwise--beautiful and resilient objects, bearing traces of every hand and bat that ever touched them, and prized enough for one reason or another to have endured (or found many years later out in far left field!). This is a hand-stitched leather softball, late-ish 19th c. I believe based on some research comparison. With a fantastic patina to the leather, and of course I love it a hundred times more for the A.H. Homan carefully spelled out in what appears to be dark green inked letters, looking roughly of the period to me.
3 7/8" in diameter and in good antique condition. Much worn and all the more beautiful for it, super rich color to the leather, stitches holding pretty tight.
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