After a detailed inspection, the auctioneer has no question that this is a genuine gutta percha ball in superb unused condition. The gutta percha is visible in a few tiny "paint chipped" areas when viewed with a magnifying glass—plus the ball has the telltale click of gutta percha when lightly bounced from 1/4" above a solid surface.

The surface is hand-stamped stamped "27 1/2" and there are a number of places where the original paint, when viewed under a magnifying glass, has the crazing one would expect on a ball painted decades ago. The maker of this ball is unknown, but the pattern is similar to that of the Eclipse.  It should also be noted that there were a few other gutty balls that were ink stamped, including no less that the original Patterson gutty ball. An ink stamp, however, speaks to a small number of balls being marked in that fashion.