Dating a NFL Game Used Duke Football

[cohibasmoker]

To begin, I am not saying this football is anything less than what the Seller is saying - all I am saying is, the stamping and/or handwritten initials on the football MAY NOT match-up with a football used on October 7, 2012. Is it possible that the Saints recycled a football and used it in this game? Absolutely - so I emailed the Seller and I am awaiting his response. The question is, is it possible to date a football by the referee markings on a football? That answer is maybe.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181020313070...84.m1423.l2649

Step 1 - Referees use very specific stamps and/or markings to mark a football ready for game use - know what each referee does. JO Sports has a ton of footballs they got from the teams and as such, it is a terrific reference point.
http://www.josportsco.com/list_produ...NewSearch=True

Step 2 - Its important to know what referees worked what games.
http://www.football-refs.com/

Step 3 - Match the referee markings on the football to the specific game the referee worked.

That's it. Sometimes LOA's are not available but at least we can match a football to a specific game just by looking at referee markings.


Now, the football on eBay. This is a very specific football. Breast cancer awareness footballs, since 2009, are only used in October so we only need to search games in October. From the stamp and/or markings on the football, there seems to be three referee stamps on it - a Nautical stamp, a handwritten "JP" and handwritten initials by the laces. Multiple referee stamping usually means a football was used in more than 1 game. Some QB's like used footballs and the teams will recycle footballs. Some QB's like new footballs.

In checking the JO Sports website, it appears that the nautical stamp belongs to Tony Corrente, "JP" belongs to Jim Parry and the initials by the laces may belong to Clete Blakeman.
http://www.josportsco.com/view_produ...ProductID=4295
http://www.josportsco.com/view_produ...ProductID=5870
http://www.josportsco.com/view_produ...ProductID=7389

Since we have an idea what the referee markings look like, we go to the referee website and check 10/7/12 and/or week 5 (which is the game the ball is supposed to be from). It appears that neither Tony Corrente, Jim Parry or Clete Blakeman worked the game so that specific game MAY BE out. In checking the entire Month of October, neither Corrente, Perry or Blakeman worked a single Saints game in October, 2012.

Now, we'll check 2011 so its back to the referee website. In week 5, Jim Parry worked a Saints game but Corrente and Blakeman didn't work a single Saints game in October 2011 so, 2011 MAY BE out.

Now, we'll check 2010 so it's back to the referee website. In Week 4, Jim Parry worked a Saints game, the following week 5, Tony Corrente worked a Saints game and in week 6 Clete Blakeman worked a Saints game. That MAY mean, with the markings on the football, this football MAY HAVE BEEN used in Week 4, Week 5 and in Week 6 of the 2010 season.

Again, I am NOT SAYING the eBay football is in any way a bogus football nor am I saying it is anything less than what the Seller is advertising. Again, teams do recycle their footballs and I have learned that the only thing consistent about the hobby is it's inconsistency. I am posting this thread so you guys can double-check my research and have a little fun trying to date NFL game used footballs.

Jim

flaa1a@comcast.net

[slab0meat]

Did it put out?

[BrianK]

Interesting topic. I've dated a few footballs ... using precisely the method you've described. I think you've correctly identified the referees for the 3 marks in question. Seems we need to know the Wilson date code in order to help pin down the year. Can't make it out from the ebay photos.

[cohibasmoker]

Interesting topic. I've dated a few footballs ... using precisely the method you've described. I think you've correctly identified the referees for the 3 marks in question. Seems we need to know the Wilson date code in order to help pin down the year. Can't make it out from the ebay photos.

I purposely left the date code out of the original thread. I felt it may have been too much to digest. With that said, that is one of the questions I asked the Seller. Seems he sold the eBay football so we'll see if he gets back to me.

As for the date code, it can be found under the MADE IN USA stamp on the opposite panel of the NFL shield. A note on date codes, they are applied to the football when the football leaves the Wilson factory so it is possible that footballs delivered late in the season could be stored inside a team facility and used the following year.

The code is the same Wilson has been using for years - the first letter designates the last digit for the year of manufacture. The second digit represents the Month.

Jim