Unembossed Target Ball

Unembossed Target Ball


American

Medium Olive Green

Provenance: Ex: Ralph Finch Collection, American Glass Gallery

In antique bottle and glass collecting, there are always examples of unembossed pieces that challenge the researcher when trying to ascertain the contents, proprietor, or glasshouse manufacturer. With these pieces, you look for period advertising and with bottles, you look for labeled examples to help with identification. Of course, in most cases, the labels did not survive.

Unembossed lady’s leg cylinder bottle. Probably for a bitters or spirits product.

We are looking at an “Unembossed Target Ball” that is 2-5/8 inches in diameter, which is a typical target ball dimension. The glass color is clear, medium olive green. The ball was made in a 3-piece mold and has a rough-sheared mouth. The horizontal and vertical mold seams and two bubbles in the glass merit attention. In the most recent auction write-up, the target ball was described as being a “fantastic, rare color, nice clarity. This is a color you just don’t find very often in a target ball, and this is a real eye-appealing example.”

Museum example of an Unembossed Target Ball.

There are many target balls without embossed copy. Many times you will see a quilted diamond or geometric pattern, or concentric rings, or circles and even a sanded or mottled surface target balls. Target balls with surface relief assist in making the ball break when hit by shot. A smooth ball has more chance to deflect the shot which makes this ball a bit odd.

When looking at other glass orbs such as antique Christmas ornaments, lightning rod balls, witch balls, fishing floats, and even marbles and paperweights, there are one color examples. They are just as collectible and can have some great eye appeal. We have pictured a few examples below.

See the museum example of an Unembossed Gallery Ball.

Unembossed plain round, 4.5″ dark ruby lightning rod ball. – Meyer collection.
Unembossed New England witch balls set in unembossed utility jars. – Rick Ciralli collection
Unembossed small glass float from the southern tip of Taiwan

Primary Image: The unembossed target ball imaged on location by the FOHBC Virtual Museum midwest studio led by Alan DeMaison.

Primary Image: Auction Lot 623: Unembossed Target Ball, America, 1875-1900. Clear, medium olive green, 3-piece mold, rough sheared mouth, dia. 2 5/8”, perfect. Fantastic, rare color, nice clarity. This is a color you just don’t find very often in a target ball, and this is a real eye-appealing example. – The Ralph Finch Collection of Target Balls, Traps and Shooting Ephemera, An Absentee Auction in Six Parts – 2017-2019, John Pastor and American Glass Gallery

Secondary Image: Unembossed cabin figural bottle with our unembossed target ball.

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