Vintage 'Silver King' Golf Ball Dimple Pattern, circa 1910

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Vintage 'Silver King' Golf Ball Dimple Pattern, circa 1910

About the Item

'Silver King' dimple golf ball. A good example of an early dimple patterned 'Silver King' rubber core golf ball. The ball has a simple dimple pattern is marked 'Silver King' on both poles and is made by The Silvertown Co. 108 Cannon street, London, England. The dimple design of this ball is very similar to a modern design ball and we don't know why the mesh ball was later preferred to this design. The ball is approximately 1 5/8 inch in diameter (4.1 cm). The Silvertown company has been known under several names in its history. The Rubber & Gutter Percha company, British Tire & Rubber Co. and the Telegraph Works Co. (its origin being founded around 1864). The factory at first made mostly cables but began making other products e.g. tyres and golf balls from the 1180s. The company came to the fore in the gutty ball era under the influence of Dr. Rollo Appleyard. It became hugely influential again with Albert E. Penfold (the most important figure in British golf ball manufacture in the 20th century). Penfold's early working years were under the watchful eye of the eminent scientist Dr. Rollo Appleyard. He took a prominent role in research and development and was put in charge of golf ball development in 1911. He quickly putt his own unique touch to the designs, getting a patent on his 'mesh' pattern and 'lattice' designs in 1912. Penfold assigned the 'mesh' pattern to The Silvertown Company, but he retained the rights to the 'lattice' design, this importantly would prove integral to the birth of the 'Penfold' brand. The rubber core ball (the ancestor of the modern ball) began its life in the late 1890s. The first mass produced rubber core ball was by Coburn Haskell of Cleveland, Ohio. The first core balls were hand wound with elastic thread with a Gutta-percha cover, moulded with the raised square mesh pattern of their predecessor. The slight irregularities in the early wound balls made them quite lively, it was not until the invention of the automatic winding machine by John Gammeter (an engineer at Goodrich) and the change of pattern from mesh to bramble that the balls became more consistent and predictable. In later years, the 1920s, the design went back to a mesh pattern with lattice design.

Dimensions:
Height: 1.58 in (4 cm)Diameter: 1.58 in (4 cm)
Style:
Sporting Art (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Rubber
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
1910-1919
Date of Manufacture:
1910
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Very good.
Seller Location:
Oxfordshire, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 273541stDibs: LU975714199842