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1867 Americus vs. Sparta Game Used Lemon Peel Trophy Baseball
Incredible circa 1867 game used "base ball" predates organized pro ball, and is very early for a dated ball of its type. The first item of note is its "Lemon Peel" design; unlike the current curved seam pattern that has been used for over a century, these featured sewn seams that converged at either end of the ball, thus approximating the appearance of a lemon. In that era, it was typical for only one ball to be used for a game - as this one was - after which it was coated and inscribed with the details of the game before being presented to the winner. There is some chipping to the white coating on this specimen but the wording remains clear, reading, "Americus vs Sparta, NY - July 23, 1867," beneath which is the eye-popping final score, "50-16." As there was no formal league structure (the National League was not created until nearly a decade later), records from the era are understandably difficult to come by. Research indicates that Americus, of Newark, NJ, was a key team in 1866, and it is possible that they played a club team from Sparta, NY during their '67 schedule; that would lend some context to the lopsided score as Sparta is not listed among the era's top squads. Fine artifact dating over a century and a half in age.
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