This ball is special. It is much larger than normal, and most historians calculate that the largest feather balls are the oldest. The diameter of this particular ball is 1.90" at the equator and 1.82" at the poles.  Truly a Big Mamma Jamma. Definitely older than most remaining feather balls.

Love the black color of the exposed leather. That is also a marked difference from the feather balls produced towards the middle of the 19th century. Notice that the leather itself, to the left of the center seam in the main image, is torn, pulled apart over the centuries. This has exposed the stitches and is the kind of wear that looks killer on display—it speaks to great age. The ball simply looks ancient. Eveything about this ball indicates it could be really old. 

The last image of this ball includes the small feather ball available as its own lot in this auction.