Were lemon peal baseballs before 1850?

Answer 1

Lemon Peel Baseball are dated to the 1850 - 1860 era, and some were most likely made before this time. Not being made by a major manufacturer it is difficult to trace the date of the baseball to a specific year. Most Lemon peel baseballs are dated by an educated guess. It is known that the baseballs popularity and use fall between the 1850- 1860 era. The size of the baseball helps in dating. The 4 piece hand stitched leather skinned baseballwas one of the first style baseball used. Dark leather was used for the cover because it was readily available and easier for the players to see when the ball was hit in the air on a clear day. In fact, famed baseball writer Henry Chadwick advocated using a dark red leather base ball as late as 1875 and stated so in the 1875 DeWitt's Baseball Umpire's Guide. White baseballs were later introduced (1861) because most ball fields at the time had heavily wooded area back drops, and it was easier to see the white ball.