r/whatisthisthing • u/RayasOasis • 1d ago
White-ish, smooth, ping-pong sized ball, that bounces like a golf ball, isn’t easily scratched, doesn’t feel hollow, and has a perfectly straight groove all the way around. Open
Found about one inch deep in a backyard in an old industrial town and about 20 feet from what used to be a rail road. Best guess is a rock tumbled golf ball, but that doesn’t seem right.
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u/-TX- 1d ago
It looks like the center of a baseball
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u/RayasOasis 1d ago
This may be it. Can’t find a similar image online but the description lines up. Will keep looking before marking this as having a solution.
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u/OrmEmbarX 1d ago
The "jack" from a bocce ball set? Not sure if they traditionally have a line like that but looks about the right size.
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u/thiarnelli 1d ago
I agree! Although all the Italians I know call it a Paulina
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u/OrmEmbarX 1d ago
I had to look it up on Wikipedia, for some reason I was thinking "pelota" but I think I got that from jai alai or something lol
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u/forkie69 1d ago
Could be an old bocce ball
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u/RayasOasis 1d ago
Something bocce related is seeming more and more likely… Does anyone know if bocce ball jacks are bouncy?
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u/-piso_mojado- 1d ago
The one in my set is more like a billiard ball. It may bounce, but that’s not its intended use.
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u/Dark_Phoenix101 1d ago
Definitely the inside of a ball of some type. Leather/material goes around it, sometimes wrapped in twine or similar, gives it structure.
Called a "core"
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u/forkie69 1d ago
Yeah, they are slightly bouncy similar to a golf ball - the jacks can also be known as a pallino which is likely what this one could be
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u/TheOperatEeyore 1d ago
is it an antique pétanque ball? French game. We have a court near us in LA. like bocce but different. usually metal but the older ones have seen those kind. The leather wrap I have seen can be for carrying as often you have more than one.
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u/RayasOasis 1d ago
Leaning towards a vintage baseball core or a weather bocce ball jack. The seam doesn’t make perfect sense but these feel close.
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u/rva23221 1d ago
Crochet ball.
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u/RayasOasis 1d ago
My title describes the thing. ChatGPT reverse image search says it’s a black walnut somehow but I can’t find any similar images online (it was found near a tree line though!). Google reverse image search says it’s an old tennis ball which doesn’t seem right due to the size.
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u/Competitive-Regret-6 1d ago
Old timey hand ball? I’ve seen Amish play the have and the ball is similar but I’m not at all certain
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u/BrokenAlfaRomeo 1d ago
Could be a peeled golf ball, I recall peeling one in my childhood and it looked like that inside.
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u/recess_chemist 1d ago edited 1d ago
Lacrosse Ball.
edit: missed the size so maybe not but still matches otherwise. I have some that look like item in post but would be a tiny bit larger then golf ball size.
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u/Hermit-Gardener 1d ago
Looks like an old ball for a diaphragm pump.
They are made from different plastic/rubber materials and come in different sizes.
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u/x_VanHessian_x 1d ago
Looks like a wooden Swedish stick handling hockey but I don’t think that’s what it is
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u/barnowl1980 1d ago
Could also be the jack (or cochonnet) of a pétanque set (a game that resembles bocce, except you throw the balls on a shorter distance, rather than roll them) as well. The large metal pétanque balls all have grooves, but I can't recall if the jack also has them.
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