This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 5/13/2011.
This 8-panel basketball is made of laced leather, consistent with basketballs used during the 1890s. The leather on this ball is smooth as opposed to pebble grain leather which was used on “Official” Spalding basketballs in 1899. The ball measures 35.5” in circumference, 3.5” larger than the first basketball manufactured in 1894. The rubber bladder and the stitching are not original. There are two circular panels on the sides of the basketball where the panels come together, each measuring 3.75” in diameter. Pictured here is a photo from the 1898 Spalding Guide showing the Rochester Y.M.C.A. Basketball team with a ball of similar design. After extensive research at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, this was the only photo we could come up with matching the style of this ball. We were told by our consignor that this basketball was acquired by a Yugoslav immigrant in the 1950s in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Basketball was introduced into South America in 1896 by a missionary stationed in São Paolo where Mackenzie College organized Brazil’s first men’s basketball team that same year. This is the oldest ball we have ever seen. In fact, the Basketball Hall of Fame’s earliest is from 1904. The winner of this lot will also get a copy of a letter of endorsement of our consignor from the former President of the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame.