Dating to 1890, this Thornton Patent 27, was not used much, but it took a couple of serious hits. Consequently, the surface of this ball shows significant damage. Some rather large chips/chunks are missing, as shown in the images. The ball can still display well, as shown, and it is not listed in McGimpseys books, which only lists a "Thornton Patent 27 1/2" but not a 27.