Beginner and 1st Time Poster

[baseballdad]

I just came across this site and it is fantastic. I'm amazed at the knowledge by people posting on this site. I'm sure that I'll learn a lot here.

Anyway, I hadn't played baseball in about 25 years, and I hadn't played softball in about 15 years. My 5-year-old just signed up for t-ball. I pulled out a Wilson A1660 glove that I had bought many years ago, thinking some friends and I might play in a league, but we never did and the glove was never used. Tossing the ball around with my son has infected me. I cannot stop thinking about baseball. I'm searching all the time online for baseball gloves and looking at vintage ones and reproductions, spending hours on this. I'm assuming this may be a bug that I have caught for which there is no cure?

What is the best way, as a beginner, for me to learn about older gloves and get into this collecting hobby, not to get ripped off, etc.?

Lastly, how do I learn about most desirable gloves out of different decades?

Are there any good books? Or everything will just come from reading online and discussing with others in the hobby, coming slowly over time?

I would also like to purchase some of the vintage reproduction gloves, ones that I could use toss the ball around a little, and get a feel for what the gloves were like and how they felt, etc., knowing that I would not do that with a true vintage glove that had been restored. Any recommendations where I could start? Do you have any of these gloves? What models, manufacturers might be good?

Any other recommendations for someone brand new?

Thanks very much! Very happy to have found this forum.

Dave

[softball66]

this is a great one-stop glove lovin' and glove info place. I'm impressed too with the knowledge and help available here.
Here's my web site for glove books and guides. (we no longer offer the nokona replicas though)
http://www.glovecollector.com/publications.html
Glover stockbuddy on this forum and Dave Cunningham by name has a great book with pictures of gloves by eras and highly recommended.
Best advice: take it slow on the purchases. Don't spend on expensive costing gloves at first. Buy some of the low ends till you get a feel for it.
Several companies now offer replica gloves that you can get a "hands on" for the old time gloves but a nice condition vintage glove can do the same,
just buy a no name glove but one in playing shape from whatever era you're interested in.

[candlestick]

For light reading try Glove Affairs by Noah Lieberman. Sign it out at the library or buy it cheaply online.


Want to learn a little about how a glove is made or undestand how it is laced? Go to a local Play It Again Sports and purchase any cheap glove, ususally < $10 and then take it apart. You can practice reconditioning on this glove and relacing as well. Who knows you just might find an interesting make/model. Now is a good time to be looking.


Just remember the 5 year old just does not have the same passion as his father!


Enjoy, you are among friends here.

[vintagebrett]

Welcome to the Forum!

I'd read as much as you can take of the posts on the forum to get a sense for different styles of gloves, etc. Also, make sure to visit http://www.baseballglovecollector.com and look at the pictures. You'll probably see some that appeal to your eye more than others. Investigate the ones you like and see if you can find some that are for sale. It takes a while before you find the niche of glove collecting that you like best but it's fun to pick up different gloves and see what suits your tastes.

[ebbets55]

Hey Dave,

Good to have you aboard. Sorry, but you're screwed. Once you got the bug, you got it. All I can say is stick to a budget and be disciplined. Hang around this site and deal with the guys on the Forum. They are all good guys. If you go to the Links section of my site, you'll see most of the main glove sites. Also, I would recommend going to the Library Link and reading as many articles and stories as you can.

Most of all, have fun and don't be shy. These guys will welcome you with open arms. Welcome aboard.

JD

[Deacon]

Hi Dave & welcome,

This site is a great source for a number of reasons. Spend some time looking through the various topics. The Glove of the Week (month) will give you an idea of some popular gloves & mitts, those in demand as well as some "recent" pricing.
There is a wealth of knowledge from the members of this forum, it amazing what this combined effort has done for the hobby.
When I first started collecting, a veteran collector told me to collect what I enjoy, I have & don't regret it.

Dave