Marked "The Paragon 27 1/2" on both poles and made by JP Cochrane, this circa 1900 gutty ball is unused. And it is a gorgeous ball.  Neither the slight blemish in the paint near one pole nor the fine cracks in the paint are a big deal. Not at all.

inasmuch as this website allows the ball to be viewed under magnification—at several times its actual size—the paint cracks can seem significant. They are there, but when the ball is viewed in real life these tiny hairlines are so thin that they are not really noticed other than as evidence that the ball is in its original 120-year-old paint.  What a great ball!