[1][a] On March 27, 1974, the Betz family investigated a small brush fire near their residence in Fort George Island, Florida.

[3][4] The family of three, Antoine, Jerri, and son Terry, came across a small metal sphere the size of a bowling ball.

"[5] The same month, the Miami Herald reported that a similar ball in Jacksonville (near Fort George Island) had been identified as "part of a valve once used in a paper mill.

[7] A 2012 analysis by Skeptoid revealed contemporary media analysis indicating that the Betz sphere may have been a ball check valve produced by the Bell & Howell company: its size, weight, and metallurgical composition matched those of the company's ball check valve.

"[2] Skeptoid noted coverage of New Mexico artist James Durling-Jones, who had been collecting scrap metal for use in sculptures; Durling-Jones reported having loaded ball check valves into the rooftop luggage rack of his Volkswagen Bus, and having "(driven) through the Jacksonville area around Easter of 1971, at which time a few of the balls rolled off the luggage rack and were lost."