Colchester Rubber Co. estate sale in Vista, California. The sale was from a Victorian estate in Denver, Colorado. It is known that Dr. James Naismith relocated to Denver in 1895 to attend Gross Medical College and therefore, these original Colchester Rubber Company basketball sneakers are believed to be a prototype sample made for Dr. James Naismith. The basketball shoes which Irving Watkinson created were canvas high top shoes having a rubber sole which featured a turkey feather design to aids traction and jumping, a rubber toe guard cap and a ball logo at the ankle ball which provides protection. The design of these
James Naismith could help its track athletes to keep in shape and explicitly emphasized to "make it fair for all players and not too rough." In his attempt to think up a new game, Naismith was guided by three main thoughts. Firstly, he analyzed the most popular games of those times (rugby, lacrosse, soccer, football, hockey, and baseball); Naismith noticed the hazards of a ball and concluded that the big soft soccer ball was safest. Secondly, he saw that most physical contact occurred while running with the ball, dribbling or hitting it, so he decided that passing was the only legal option.