US firm offers 24-karat gold leather baseballs
US baseball brand Rawlings recently announced a joint venture with New York-based Gold Sport Collectibles that will bring official Major League baseballs made with 24-karat gold leather to the baseball collectors’ market. Rawlings will serve an integral role in the development and marketing of the new collectible item.
Mike Thompson, senior VP of marketing for Rawlings, a subsidiary of Jarden Team Sports, said: “The partnership with Gold Sport Collectibles was a natural fit for the Rawlings brand as it allowed us to build on our existing relationship with Major League Baseball and create a unique, high-quality collectible item for baseball enthusiasts.”
The process of fusing gold into leather was mastered by Italian company, Mi Piaci – an exclusive affiliate of Gold Sport Collectibles. The process fills the leather with 24-karat gold yet leaves the leather feeling soft and untreated. Using this 24-karat leather, each ball is hand sewn to official Major League specifications, stamped with an official team logo and placed into a display case. Each ball is backed with an official certification that will be included with the finished product.
“Gold Sport Collectibles is proud to partner with Rawlings in bringing this revolutionary item to the collectibles market,” said Stefano Ongaro, senior VP of marketing and product development for Gold Sport Collectibles. “This collaboration reflects our mutual goal of creating collectibles that baseball fans can rely on to commemorate their favourite teams.”
