Ball Collection

[Jeff Hess]

I have been asked to post the entire Ball Family collection on line for all to see in a "more cohesive" manner.

So here goes. (All hae original Ball hand written tags. Some written by Webb and some by Sidney)

1. 18k Gold 12 size Illinois white gold with gold inlay Illinois. Tag marked WCB personal. (some folks wonder about he serial number 404803 being after Webbs passing. I have no idea why this is marked with Webb's initials and with WCB personal.

2. 18k gold 16s Hamilton Ball This one is also inlayed with yellow gold on dust cover. ALso has certificate from the US Bureau of STandards. Interestin dial. This one belonged to Sidney Y. Ball (note initials) 23J.


#4 WEbb C. Balls Frist pocket watch. Circa 1860 . A silver Hugenin keywind

#7 WEbb C. Ball first Gold watch. an 18k gold Illinois Miller. Looks to be virtually unused.

#7 (this is also marked number 7) The first Howard 18s open face brotherhood watch ever made for Ball. First serial number in the run. 307401

unumbered: In line 14k gold watch made Mr. Abel for Mr. Ball to give away to RR executives. Mr. Abel said in a note that he made "5 or 6" of them.

Unumbered: Hamilton serial number 603 with rare 999 dial.

This is the first group. There are another 9 of them I obtained from the Ball family to be shown later.

Jeff Hess

[Jeff Hess]

12 size Illinois

[Jeff Hess]

16s 23j hamilton for Sidney Y Ball. hardly used. creaks when you open it.

[Jeff Hess]

Webbs first pocket watch: Huguenin KWKS

[Jeff Hess]

WEbbs Frist gold watch. Mint Illinois 18k Miller

[richiec]

Jeff, thanks for the photos, WOW.

[crsides]

each one just fantastic. Thanks for sharing them here, Jeff.


Charlie

[Jeff Hess]

Howard first Ball brotherhood. first in run too of course.

[Peepaw]

Wow, talk about eye candy, thanks Jeff.

[Kent]

Thanks Jeff!!!!

[Jeff Hess]

Ball In line 14k gold long watch for RR execs.

Jeff

Thanks to Kent for the info he found on this one!

[Jeff Hess]

Ball Hamilton number 603 with much talked about 999 dial. Marked First of our own design

[RON in PA]

Thanks for posting Jeff. Do you know the maker of the inline watch?

[Jeff Hess]

Webb C. Ball had these made by his top technicians, Mr. Cobb and Mr. Abel, for the Ball Family to be used not for salesmans samples but for gifts for Railroad executives according to a letter unearthed by Mr. Kent Singer recently in the NAWCC's possession and signed by Mr. Abel.

Abel says 2 were made by Mr. Cobb and 3 ro 4 were made by Mr. Abel.

Jeff Hess

[Jeff Hess]

Evidently, Ball had them made from scratch but with a Walthan escapement.

Jeff Hess

interesting watch

[Kent]

As much as I would like the credit for unearthing Mr. Abel's letter, it was actually sent to me out of the blue by our Bulletin editor, Diana De Lucca.

[Bryan Eyring]

Thanks Jeff! - This thread depicts a very interesting portrait of WCB's progress from his formative to later years. Is the tag on #603 marked with any additional information?
Also, wondered what you knew of #601 - word has it that this was carried by WCB - is this your understanding as well?

Regards,
Bryan

[Jeff Hess]

TAg on 603 says "first of our own make".

One would think that 601 would be "first" though.

601 is in an NAWCC's hands, (so I am told) in the Cleveland area. Mr. Ball, legend has it, gave 601 to a long time employee. not sure if the story is credible or not.

Jeff Hess

Will post the last 9 watches of the Ball Family collection on this thread later this week.

[Kent]

TAg on 603 says "first of our own make".

...

What do the Hamilton ledgers say about when 601 and 603 were finished and sold?

[BILL KAPP]

Jeff,

Is this a new tag? In a previous post I think you show a different tag. Perhaps the refernece to first of our own make relates to the 936 in a general sense.





Happy hunting,

[Jeff Hess]

Bill,

i answered that from memory. I will check BOTH sides of the tag tomorrow. I have not messed with the tags. They are still in the writing of WEbb and Sidney.
(mostly Sidney)

The note "first of our own make" might have been on the "Evolution of the Ball Watch Company" ledger that the family kept for describing the collection.

jeff

[BILL KAPP]

Jeff,

I understand.:) its been a while since you acquired these. You have been fair in describing the provenance as family recollection, legend, folklore, ledger etc. Some of those entries must have been made decades after the actual events and represent their best efforts.

At my age, I have to be retrained after each coffee break!:(


Thanks for posting the neat pics and sharing.


happy hunting,

[pocketwatchdog1]

Hello Jeff:
Thank you for posting this! I have not looked at this board for a while. I get busy on G. H. and have not paid attention here as I should. We should make a thread of all the existing watches in the 601 series.
Cheers!
Joel W. SarichLasser's List

[Clint Geller]

Jeff,

Great pics, great thread! Congrats.

Clint

[BILL KAPP]

Joel,

I have links to your 608 and Jeff's 603 and 8630. There are also pics of 6105 and my 8629 at:

http://williamkapp.tripod.com/id37.htm

601 is not at an acceptable web link, but if you have the watches of the 99 Natl disk, there are great pics of it there. Jack Goldberg has the copyright on that disk. I believe the watch is in Don Barrett's collection. Maybe Jack or Don could post a pic in this thread.

The other 3 936's known to me are 611, 6019 and 8619. I have never seen pics of these. Maybe someone reading this can get us the pics.

Anyone know of any other 936's?

Jeff, The link to 8630 has pics with a tag that suggest that there are two different watches there. Is one a Howard with a Webb Ball dial?


happy hunting,

[Jeff Hess]

That tag was a mis applyed tag by the family. That watch is actually an Aurora Ball with a totally different serial number.

The ORC Ball that the Tag refers to is one of the two "missing links" in the Ball family collection.

Before I got to it, it and one other watch had been sold by the Great Grandson of Webb C. Ball. It is a Howard. Unfortunatley it was sold two years prior to me getting the collectin to a dealer who sold it to another dealer who recased it and sold it once again. It is now in the hands of a collector and I am negotiating to get it back into the collection.

Jeff

I will post the remaining watches of the collection soon. Here.

[Douglas Romero]

Jeff,

Wow that is some collection. Nice 603 !! Look forward to more posts on these. Be something to get the Howard to go with them.

[GD1]

I was wondering when the 999 dial watch you show was made to determine if it predates the Illinois private label {not Ball} I have with the 999 marked dial? Would be interesting if the Illinois private label was first.

[BILL KAPP]

GD1,

Can you post a picture of that dial?

Jeff,

Could you include a scan or pic of the family ledger?

thx,

[GD1]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/emole/999.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/emole/9992.jpg

[terry hall]

GD1
Beautiful 179 tu tone there!! and a private label marking.

Russ' database shows 1896 for your example...

Dial is interesting indeed...

[Jeff Hess]

Billl

if course!

Let me slog through the stuff.

i think i put both of the family ledgers in one book. (I hope)

will try to get to it tomorrow.

(Going to Basel Watch Fair Wednesday so have to get this done before I go!)

jeff

nice 999!

[BILL KAPP]

Jeff,

I think I found the ledger in another post! Tag # 10 is your 603. Flip side of the tag can be seen at:

http://www.awco.org/Seminar2006/WebbCBall/BallWatchCo/collection/999dial/first_999.htm

Have a great trip

[Jeff Hess]

Bill, yes that is one of the lists.

I forgot where I posted that.

Jeff

Other correspondence calls this collection "the evolution of the Ball watch company".

I also have stacks of letters from both the smithsonian and the henry ford museum negotiating to get this collection.