As the first half of 2018 nears completion it’s time for a museum update!  Here are the new arrivals:

A 2016 Atlantic League ball.  This one is from the Sugarland Skeeters and completes my set of 2016 balls.

A brand-new Pioneer League ball

A Billy Hitchcock Southern League ball, circa the late 1970s.

A Harold Cooper Int’l League ball.  This one is similar to one that’s already in the museum, the difference being the “Leather Cover” stamp on the north panel.  This is from shortly after they switched from horsehide.

Finally an early-1980s South Atlantic League ball.

My prediction that the last post represented my final acquisitions of the year was a bit off. Way off, in fact. I should’ve known better. So here are the final additions to the museum for 2017, including a couple of the coolest balls so far.

First up we have Senior Professional Baseball League ball from the ill-fated, Curt Flood-led 1989-1990 league for ex-major leaguers.  Two versions exist (see SPBA museum page).  I now have both.

Next is a doozy:  a mid-1930s International League baseball.

This is one of those that’s on a National League baseball, with the IL stamp on the sweet spot rather than the East panel where it’s found on most NL balls that were used by the minors.

Next to the doorstep is a special find, as I love All-Star Game balls.  Here’s a 1995 Midwest League ball in pristine condition.

I also picked up a 2017 Frontier League ball, which was the league’s 25th Anniversary.

Back to the minor league boom of the 1990s, I found a Western Baseball League ball.  This one makes the second version I’ve obtained (see WBL page).

I managed to fill a hole in my Atlantic League collection by picking up a 2016 ball from the Sugarland Skeeters.  The league used six different balls that year, and now I’ve got an example of each.

That puts a lid on 2017.  Stay tuned for more updates, I’ve already received two baseballs this month…

Happy collecting!

-Tony Baseballs.

Time for an update!  Here are the acquisitions for the Museum of Minor League Baseballs, Fall 2017.

First up we have a 2001 Southern League ball.

All affiliated league balls featured the MiLB 100th Anniversary logo that year.  I’ve been searching for this one (and a couple of other leagues) for, well, 16 years I guess.

Next an independent:  a 2017 United Shore Professional League ball.

These have been hard to come by for me, so I had to settle for a game-used one.  I’m also still in search of the inaugural season balls, which feature a special Inaugural Season logo on the south panel.

In October I was able to snag a late-’40s Inter-State League ball.

The stamping is extremely faded, but I couldn’t pass it up.

And probably the final addition for 2017, I snagged a 1948 North Atlantic League ball in pretty great shape.

This was one of the leagues that came and went with the minor league golden age, post-WWII.  It only played 5 seasons, 1946-1950.  This one is signed by the 1948 Carbondale Pioneers, a Phillies farm team, who won that year’s league championship by sweeping a four-game series versus the Peekskill Highlanders (a St. Louis Browns affiliate in 1948).

New to the collection this month:

Early-1990s Pacific Coast League ball.   This is a William S. Cutler Rawlings ball.  Note the black ink, there aren’t many Rawlings balls from the ’90s with black ink.  Also note “Haiti” stamped beneath the Rawlings logo, so this means this ball can be dated no later than 1990.

Mid-2000s California League ball.  A standard Rawlings ball, prior to the change in the font used for the league stamp that occurred in the mid- to late-2000s.

Late-1990s Pioneer League ball.  Note the absence of the circled-R in the Rawlings logo.  That and the light-blue stamping date this ball to the late-1990s.

1950s (?) Eastern League ball.  It’s tough to date this one with any precision.  Thomas H. Richardson was league president from 1938-1960.  It’s unknown exactly which years Wilson manufactured EL baseballs.

First, to the All-Star Games scheduled for this month:  on the 12th there four games scheduled:

Atlantic League (hosted by the Somerset Patriots);

Eastern League, hosted by the New Hampshire Fisher Cats;

Frontier League, hosted by the Joliet Slammers;

Triple-A, hosted by the Tacoma Rainers.

I’m told the Atlantic League will use a special ball for the game, and the Frontier League will not.  The Rainiers are selling Official ASG balls on their website while they last; there was also a unique ball used for the Home Run Derby, but those are not being sold to the public.  The Eastern League will also use a special game ball.  Keep an eye on the All-Star Game page in My Collection for updates.

Rounding out July, on the 25th the American Association and the Can-Am League will play a combined ASG, hosted by the Ottawa Champions.  No word yet on a special game ball.

Finally, I’ve updated the Master List of Minor League Commemoratives with the 2017 baseballs (see the Information Warehouse page).  As always, please let me know if you see anything in error.

-TB

If it’s mid-June, there’s a minor league All-Star game somewhere.

The Florida State League kicked off the parade this year on the 17th in Lakeland, Florida, home of the Flying Tigers.  I’m still trying to figure out if they used a commemorative game ball.

On the 20th there are no fewer than five ASGs!  Here’s a breakdown in terms of game ball availability:

The California League reportedly did not commission a game ball, and neither did the Midwest League.  This is a missed opportunity for the Cali League, as 2017 is the first year they’ve not teamed with the Carolina League for the event since 1995.

The Columbia Fireflies are playing host to this year’s Sally League ASG, and they’ve made the game balls available in their online store.  Kudos to the Fireflies!

Rounding out this busy Tuesday are the aforementioned Carolina League, hosted by the Salem Red Sox, and the Southern League, hosted by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.  Availability of those balls (or even their existence) is pending confirmation.

Finally on June 27th the Texas League wraps up the month in Frisco, Texas, home of the RoughRiders.  A special ASG ball will be used, but apparently will not be made available online, so call the store the day of the game.

Check back in a couple of weeks and I’ll have updates on the ASGs coming in July.

Stay tuned, it’s All-Star Game season!  I’ll be pestering the host teams for all the minor league games in the coming weeks to see who’s playing with commemorative baseballs, and who’s selling them.

Some organizational changes were made:  I split out defunct leagues from the Affiliated and Independent pages and created a separate page for them, and here it is.

Today the independent Atlantic League unveiled its 20th Anniversary logo, to be used on all kinds of things in 2017.  Read the full story over at Ballpark Digest.

What does that mean to us baseball collectors?  This:

“The 20th Anniversary Season logo will be displayed as a patch on all team jerseys throughout 2017. In addition, every baseball used during each game this year will showcase the official logo. Fans will be able to purchase merchandise at team stores for all eight clubs featuring the 20th Anniversary Logo.”

Open up some shelf space, friends!  The Atlantic League already features different game balls for its teams (see here), now we’ll have five more to get!

-Tony Baseballs

Collectors love mysteries, right?  We find something that we can’t immediately identify, and the chase is on.  Researching an item can be a lot of fun, and finding something ‘new’ is exciting.

I’ll occasionally post here about a couple of minor oddities in my collection, baseballs that required some research to identify.

The first installment of Mystery Ball is also my latest acquisition.  It’s a 1997 Official American Association ball.  On the south panel is a logo for the inaugural season of the New Orleans Zephyrs, fresh from their displacement from Denver by the MLB expansion Rockies.

The evidence:

1. The ball is leather, not vinyl
2. It’s stamped as an official American Association regular season ball
3. The logo on the south panel is multi-colored
4. The logo says “Inaugural Season”, but the inaugural game date is stamped beneath it

Balls produced for promotional giveaways are typically vinyl, as are most all team logo balls.  They’re much cheaper to produce and retail for around $5 at the ballpark or online.  When leather balls are produced for promotional giveaways or special events, they are usually limited in number.  In addition, it is extremely rare to find a leather ball with multi-colored stamping.

I suspect this ball was either a very limited promo item, perhaps for season ticket holders, or (judging by the fact that the game date is on it) it was one of an even smaller number made for the ceremonial first pitch.

I’m continuing to research it.  If anyone has any information on this ball, please contact me.  I’ll post an update when I get one.

-Tony Baseballs

A community forum has been added.  It’s rudimentary, but like everything else on this site, it will improve with time.  Drop by and start a conversation!

-Tony Baseballs