Hello all, Before I begin, you might have seen a few of my posts on Reddit, Craigslist, Facebook, etc. I have gotten a bit of flap for looking for such soccer balls. Yes, its a bit odd, but it is what I collect, and I'm not going to let up until I have acquired a few more to my collection. So, what am I looking for? Old soccer balls, that were made of artificial or synthetic rubber. We are all familiar with today's vulcanized rubber soccer balls, that are made in China, Taiwan, Indonesia. Synthetic rubber soccer balls were all made in Japan between 1965 and and 1985. What Is Synthetic rubber? This leather like rubber composite can be either polyvinyl chloride ( PVC ) or Polyurethane (PU ). Its very similar to what is known as faux leather, in the upholstery industry. These soccer balls were very common in in the 1970s, and used all over the world. If you played School soccer in the 1970s, there's a very good chance you made a goal or two with one of these soccer balls. These balls were commonly used in High School and College soccer, as well as youth and adult soccer leagues. I'm looking for very old balls from the 1970s and 1980's, and those that had been "game used". They are not exactly easy to find ( depending on your location ). They were most common in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, and USA. What makes them so difficult to find, is that they look exactly like you standard rubber soccer ball. I'd be willing to offer up to $300 for the oldest, most used ball, I can find. Most balls though, will usually fall within $125 to $200 range. I don't care how beat up the ball is, or if it retains air or not, I still want it. Scuffs, scratches, small rips or tears, writing, broken needle valve, small puncture in carcass, etc don't bother me. I expect these with old game balls. We can over the detailed logistics of game wear and condition later. Size 5 are preferred. Size 4 will be considered depending on age and wear. To complicate matters, and depending on composite and manufacturer / brand, they made two types of carcass's. A thick carcass and a thin carcass. I will take either type, but a thin carcass is "highly wanted", as these were the most common.
I'm increasing my offering price to "up to" $400 USD or roughly C$600 CAD. I purchased this ball ( pictured ) a while back, and was told the original owner played soccer in Canada and Germany in the 1970s. I would like to find a few more exactly like it. This isn't vulcanized rubber!! I know, it looks like rubber, and it is, but its synthetic, maybe polyurethane rubber. If you look very closely, you will see its discolored in certain spots. This is one inherent and positive indication of synthetic rubber. Its hard to pinpoint exactly what country this ball came from, as these were used in amateur soccer leagues in both Canada and Germany. Lastly, these were definitely used in American High schools, in Germany. Mostly in girls soccer, but also boys soccer games as well in the 1970s and early 1980's.