About Hanford Base Ball Company

About Hanford Base Ball Company and Owner Mike "Marbles" Fini

Hanford Base Ball Company was born from a love of vintage base ball—a game I first encountered at the Henry Ford Museum in the early 2000s. As an attendee of the first World Tournament of Historic Base Ball, my fascination with the sport’s origins eventually led me onto the field. I began playing in 2014 with the Walker Tavern Wheels and Richmond Bees, later founding the Canton Cornshuckers, where I still serve as captain. Since 2023, I’ve also regularly played with Greenfield Village’s Historic Base Ball Program clubs the Lah-De-Dahs and Nationals. 

My passion has taken me across the nation—Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Iowa, New York, Florida, and beyond—averaging 50 games a season. I’ve played at every World Tournament since 2014 and helped coordinate events like the Frankenmuth Vintage Base Ball Festival.

In 2022, I founded Hanford Base Ball Company to craft authentic 19th-century baseballs. Our first official event was supplying the Frankenmuth Festival. Since then, our balls have been used at the Gettysburg National Festival, Portage Festival, Field of Freams in Dyersville, Iowa, Akron Cup, Doc Adams Festival, and at iconic venues like the Henry Ford Museum and Rocky Point Park. From California to Maine, and even now Hawaii our balls are on fields across the country.

My favorite ball is the "Tournament" Style ball due to the crack of the bat, and my preferred rule set is 1867 following Haney's Base Ball Book of Reference.

At Hanford Base Ball Company, we don’t just make baseballs—we preserve the soul of the game.