Museum: MLB All-Star Game. The Mid-Summer Classic: home of glorious multi-colored stitching! Here we’ll find Major League Baseball’s most colorful modern game balls. Every official MLB All-Star baseball used in the Bigs is pictured, from 1979 – 2024.
Reprinted versions of older ASG balls have been made in recent years. When possible, we’ll showcase both the original on-field game ball and the more modern reprint counterparts. The most notable differences between reprints and originals, aside from aging or toning of the leather, is the country of origin stamp, or lack the of these stamps on modern reprints. The earliest iterations of the All-Star Game ball contain a Haiti hand stamp on the reverse sweet spot. For a few from the mid-80s, “Haiti” is part of the Rawlings factory logo stamp on the top panel.
Several seasons’ baseballs feature a Costa Rica hand stamp, also typically on the sweet spot or just at the edge of the seam near the sweet spot. Rawlings opened its Costa Rica factory in 1987, and didn’t officially close its Haiti operation until the early 1990s. So collectors can find MLB baseballs from the same events with either a Costa Rica or Haiti stamp from about 1987 to 1992. Sometime in 1993, Rawlings stopped placing country of origin stamps on balls.
Discover more from OfficialGameBalls.com: The global database and museum showcasing the history of MLB and pro league baseballs
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