Barton & Son’s Unembossed ‘Sanded’ Target Ball

Barton & Son’s

Unembossed ‘Sanded’ Target Ball

E. Barton & Son’s, Stourbridge, England

Mottled Light Blue and Turquoise

Provenance: Ex: Ralph Finch Collection, American Glass Gallery

This interesting specimen is the second of three examples in our museum of the previously unknown Barton & Son’s unembossed “Sanded” target ball from England. Quite a few of these target balls were found in a wooden box in an old storage building under renovation in England in 2005. No other examples have shown up to date.

This 2-5/8″ diameter glass ball is in an interesting mottled light blue and turquoise coloration with specks of green scattered throughout. It has a rough sanded finish and was made in a 2-piece mold with a wide neck with a sheared and factory ground mouth. The ball is in perfect condition.

See a second museum example of a Barton & Son’s Unembossed Cobalt Blue Target Ball. Our third light blue museum example is pictured below. You can see it rotating here.

Mike O’Malley reported on this find and the four variants in an article in the September October 2008 issue of the FOHBC Bottles and Extras magazine. [click to read]

Read: Barton Balls Exciting Find of Rare Target Balls By Mike O’Malley

Read: What are target balls? I’m glad you asked! By Ralph Finch

Support: Reference to American Glass Gallery, The Ralph Finch Collection of Target Balls, Traps and Shooting Ephemera, An Absentee Auction in Six Parts – 2017-2019