Jim Peake
Head of Department
Lot 25*
A very rare American glass target ball by E E Sage & Co and an A H Bogardus ball, dated 1877
23 June 2021, 10:30 BST
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £5,737.50 inc. premium
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A very rare American glass target ball by E E Sage & Co and an A H Bogardus ball, dated 1877
Of moulded globular bottle shape with short narrow necks, the first in deep amber or brown inscribed all-over 'E.E. SAGE & CO PATAPLYD/ GLASS M'F'R'S CHICAGO ILL', read from bottom to top, 7.7cm high, the other in golden amber glass moulded with a quilted diamond design, the central band inscribed 'BOGARDUS' GLASS BALL PAT'D APR 10 1877.', 7.8cm high (2)
Footnotes
Target balls were a relatively short-lived forerunner to the modern clay pigeon, with the first target ball shooting being reported in England in an issue of Bell's Life in London on 11 May 1867. They were typically filled with feathers and corked to simulate a bird being hit. Whilst the sport never fully took off in Britain, it became very popular in the United States driven most notably by Captain A H Bogardus, who patented his first ball and trap on 10 April 1877. Edwin E Sage subsequently patented a 'superior' advertising target ball on 21 August 21 1877, but a successful trademark infringement case filed by Bogardus combined with failing health caused him to close his business and he had left Chicago by late 1878. During their short time E E Sage & Co. produced balls in both blue and amber glass with moulding in three variants. Their target balls are incredibly rare, with only six or so recorded prior to the discovery of the present example, so this represents a remarkable survival.
