This solid gutta percha ball has a thick exterior coat of white gutta percha, which could technically be considered a cover.  The hand hammered marks are made on the white gutta percha. The dark gutta percha can be seen in some areas where the white gutta percha has chipped away. This ball represents a very creative effort to advance the progress of the golf ball and was well ahead of its time.

On this ball the coating of white gutta percha was used in an effort to achieve what was once the holy grail of gutty and early rubber core ball makers, which was to produce a golf ball that did not need to be painted, which typically required four coats.  Instead, if a ball maker could make a ball with an exterior that was white from the get go, he would reduce the time and espense it would take to make a ball.  Alas! white gutta percha wasn't so much white as it was yellow, so the ball still needed to be painted if it wanted to look good and stand out on the grass and dry ground.  Ball makers eventually would try mixing different materials with the white gutta percha but it did not achieve the goal of a ball that did not need to be painted.  But! and this was big if you were a ballmaker, white gutta percha was a money saver.  It was cheaper to buy than black (dark brown) gutta percha. The only trade off was it was not as durable, as the chips on this ball demonstrate.

All things considered, this is a fantastic golf ball.  The auctioneer has never seen such an early golf ball that was made with a coating or cover.  Gutty balls were always solid, but they could have other materials mixed in.  While this ball is also made from gutta percha, it's interior is made from a different type than its exterior.   on the inside and white gutta percha on the outside.

For those who care, dark gutta percha has a plastic-like look and will shine when a clean bare piece is exposed. Which can be seen on this ball.  If nothing is mixed with it, white gutta percha is somewhat transluscent, much like an agate, but this transluscence is only apparent when viewing an edge or a very thin piece.  It can be seen using a magnifying glass on some of the thin remains where this ball has been chipped. 

And a word about chips. They are a very good thing, a great thing on this ball!  They exposed the material used to make the ball which is very helpful in a world full of counterfeit antique balls.  Furthermore, on this ball, they demonstrate the unrequited quest of the early ballmaker. 

 In short, this is a fabulous ball! If you are a ball collector, the chances are extremely remote that you will  have one of these or what it represents.  

Hand-hammered balls typically date to the 1860s or thereafter. Given the concept and nature of its construction, this ball could have been made at any point between the 1860s and the early 1890s.