Baseball glove collecting is catching on
Story and photos by Rusty Rae, Associate Editor, Old Stuff
Linfield University head baseball coach Dan Spencer quipped one day, “I love collecting great baseball
players and baseball mitts.”
You may not need to collect baseball players like Spencer,
but collecting baseball gloves has become, for some, a national pastime, just
as important as the game itself.
Spencer, a baseball lifer, who eats, sleeps, and drinks the
game, also enjoys the history of the sport through his collection of gloves,
some of which date back to the Babe Ruth era. Gloves give Spencer, who has been
playing and coaching the game since he was seven-years-old, insight into the
game and the talent of players of yesteryear.
The best glove of his collection is a Babe Ruth replica that
was given to him by a woman who, as he tells it, was the “health lady” for the
team, taking care of whatever ailed team members.
“She was from London and she gave me a box with this glove in it and told him, ‘I knew you would appreciate it.’” As it turns out the glove was given to her husband by his mother. But being a Brit, even with the Babe Ruth name on the glove, he had no interest in baseball or the glove. Additionally, her husband was left-handed and this was a right-handed glove.
While the Babe Ruth give is perhaps the crown jewel of his collection, Spencer,
like many sons and daughters of the
game, notes his favorite of his collection is his father’s glove — the one with
which they played catch together.
That’s probably the starting point for many who collect
baseball gloves — a glove that may not have great historical significance but
is valued for sentimental reasons. For others, collecting gloves is a way to
stay involved in the game and to cherish players whom they love and have become
heroes of the game.
Keep in mind baseball was initially played without gloves.
The first recorded use of them in a game can be traced back to the mid-1870s.
In the baseball of the late 1800s, the old[1]time
game saw early gloves, more like the gloves worn in winter weather today, sans
finger tips, designed to knock down the ball rather than actually catch it.
As glove technology improved and broken fingers declined,
even some of the hard core baseball die-hards who mocked the guys who used
gloves began to take notice. By the 1890s, almost all position players were
using some form of fielding glove.
Baseball gloves continued to improve players’ ability to
catch the ball and have gone from the web less three fingered gloves, to
Spencer’s Babe Ruth glove with five fingers, to today’s modern five-fingered
web glove, which is large enough to catch a small cantaloupe.
If you’re looking to
start a baseball glove collection, understand there are several categories of
gloves of which you should be aware. These are:
Game used: As the name suggests, these are gloves used in
games and are perhaps the most difficult to find and when you do will be
pricey. For example, if you are lucky enough to find a MacGregor model worn by
many-time all-star center-fielder and Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays, you
may see a price point of $10,000 or more. That same kind of price structure is
likely for gloves worn by any of the stars of the game, for example Mickey
Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr., or Derek Jeter.
Obviously, if you’re going to drop a load of cash on a glove
from one of the heroes of baseball, makes sure there is documentation which
will give you the confidence the glove was owned and used by the player.
Game
Model: This is the same model of the glove used by the player, but
the difference is it was never used in a game. These gloves are easier to fake,
though in modern times glove manufacturers stamp the player’s name on the
glove. As always, let the buyer beware – do your homework to make sure you know
what you’re buying. Fakes are the biggest issue and the concern is acerbated by
unscrupulous glove manufacturer execs stashing an extra game model to give away
or sell.
Store
Model: Most would consider these gloves retail models of mitts.
They’re fun to have (I can still remember the Mickey Mantle glove I used that
my mother purchased at the local sporting goods store) and readily available.
Knowledge is power, as they say, and if you’re just starting
out there are numerous online sites to assist you with all facets of
collecting, from price guides to care to repair.
= www.baseballglovecollector.com This is a great place to start your information collection. Jim Daniel, who runs the site, has collected gloves and mitts since 1994. Not only is there a ton of information about gloves, but he also has a good list of other collectors and their web sites.
= baseballia.com/ blog/beyond-card[1]board-collecting[1]vintage-baseball-gloves A nice site with gobs of information about baseball history and baseball memorabilia in general. You may have to root around the site to find additional specific information about collecting gloves, but if you’re a baseball fan, you have a good time.
= keymancollectibles.com This
site is a treasure trove for collectors of anything baseball. Included is a
baseball glove dating guide and also a how-to section on cleaning and restoring
old gloves.
= www.sportsartifacts.com/vintage.html You’ll have to search a bit
here, but the Gloves and Mitts section is pure gold for collectors. It contains
information on a number of different styles and eras of mitts and a general
price guide.
Photo cutlines:
=Collections of baseball gloves vary by who the collector
is. For example, below are some of Spencer’s gloves that include his favorite
glove, the one his dad used when they played catch. Some gloves may just be
used gloves with a nice label, such as the glove at the bottom, which appears
to have been a game glove used by a high schooler.
=At right, a game model 1940s first baseman’s glove. Unless
you’re a total Dodger fan, you may not know the name of Dolph Camilli, who
helped the then Brooklyn Dodgers to a World Series win.
=Perhaps the prize glove in Spencer’s collection is this
Babe Ruth Game Model glove with the Bambino’s name embossed in the heel of the
glove. Interestingly, the glove is marketed as a “Home Run Special” since Ruth
had hit 60 homers one season. But the glove in actual play is used to catch
potential home runs.
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Old Stuff magazine features Pacific Northwest antiques, collectibles,
antique shows, shows history and nostalgia. Published by the McMinnville
News-Register, Linfieler Rusty Rae
is the magazines associate editor, production designer and photographer. Linfielder Jeb Bladine is Old Stuff publisher and McMinnville N-R president / publisher
See the Old Stuff April-May-June 2022 edition here:
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