Due to their smooth surface, the earliest gutty balls had difficulties flying. Golfers figured out that a cut-up ball flew better than a smooth ball, so ballmakers began to mark up the surface of the gutta percha balls they produced.

In the December 27, 1907 issue of Golf Illustrated, Robert Forgan is credited with being the individual who (by some point in the 1860s) was the first to form a regular pattern on hand-hammered balls, "and the same pattern has now continued ever since (13)."

To hand hammer a ball, the ball maker needed to strike the ball with the claw of a hammer about a bazillion times, turning it slightly before each whack. Anything for a new golf ball! 

This c.1865 ball offered here bears Forgan's hammering pattern, though with its own style, which is actually very neat and a bit different from most. It remains in excellent condition, the hammering pattern still clear and present throughout the entire ball. The ball bears strike marks, as shown in the images, but still looks great, the original paint remaining in relatively bright condition.

This ball is a wonderful game-used piece of history!  It would be a terrific addition to any ball collection.