The term “blackballed” refers to the act of “voting against or preventing a candidate of applicant”. But did you ever know where exactly this term came from?

In the 1800s, private societies, such of golf clubs, had a wooden ballot box like the one offered in this auction. When voting on whether to accept a new candidate, members would place their hand in the ballot box and secretly drop the ball on either the “Yes” side or “No” side. At the end of the voting, the drawers would be opened to see whether the new candidate was accepted or whether he was “blackballed”.

This circa 1800s ballot box is in very good condition. 10 1/2" x 6 3/8" x 4". Includes 7 white balls and 9 black balls.