School Me On Vintage Glove Size(s)...

[green rhino]

Mostly talking about 30s/40s split finger gloves. I know these vintage gloves are shaped differently than current gloves. For the most part - I believe they are smaller. I see a lot of vintage split fingers for sale - but how many of them are adult size gloves....?

I bought a vintage glove (Vince DiMaggio ie recent post) and I am not even sure how to measure it properly. Taking a tape measure from the tip of the inside of the middle finger going straight down to the edge of the base (9") and then opening the glove as much/flat as I can, measuring from the left part of the thumb to the right edge of the pinky finger (10"-11".) So I guess its about 9" x 10.5" if I did it correctly. (Measuring from the bottom of the base to the top of the middle finger on the back side was about 11" I think.)

I have big hands but I can get my hand in this thing, yet it is as snug as an isotoner. (I can't fit my hand in my little league glove anymore.) I suppose I could use this vintage glove.

But my real question - what are the real specs/measurements for a true adult size glove from this era? An outfielders glove I suppose to make it the largest size regular fielder's glove. It must be bigger than "9 x 10.5." Old HOF pics sometimes show seemingly huge gloves hanging off players hands. My childhood friend's father played pro. His old late-40s split finger pro model was super heavy if memory serves correct (I remember it as a kid and as a teenager.) And huge, like the ball sank right in and you could club someone with it, ya know.

I feel most vintage gloves for sale are not true adult size. My hands are big but not grotesque. I imagine a lot of the old school brute strength players had bigger hands than me. I want to buy and thoughly use a vintage glove and I want one that is comfortable and a little roomy, like current day gloves. Even though vintage gloves are smaller or average to their contemporary counterparts (I think.)

Thank you - obviously new here - trying to hit the ground running and learn from you guys.

[ebbets55]

Hey Green Rhino. Great question. I have never, ever, ever asked a seller the dimensions of a glove. I think the measurements only tell one small part of the story. The more you see, the more you get a feel for it. But, the proper way to measure is to use a soft tape measure, not a ruler, and measure from the tip of the middle finger through the pocket and to the heel.

In terms of 40's gloves, if you can get familiar with the size of a Bill Doak Model H, or a Goldsmith Elmer Riddle, or most MacGregor Goldsmiths, then you will get a good idea about the size of a professional model type glove. I bet if we took three Doak H's, we could get three different measurements because gloves, shrink, they stretch, people measure them wrong, etc.

You need to look at what kind of lining it has, what kind of piping it has, the patch, the button and the type of leather. Thicker linings, thicker leather piping, gloves with patches and nice incised buttons are typically features associated with a higher end or adult sized glove. Without checking the glove catalogs for the high end models, there are no other specific measurements that make for an adult size glove. In some model years, the highest end gloves are on the smaller side but are made of the best materials. Infielders didn't always use big gloves as you know.

Size doesn't always matter.

JD

[green rhino]

I don't really care about the measurements for measuremnts sake, I just want to buy a glove and be able to put it on and use it comfortably. These old vintage gloves are hard enough as it is to field with as it is, nevermind trying to use a mid size or youth to handle it.

Thanks for the info on models I'd be interested in. I am still not convinced that the Hutch 'DiMaggio' 360 (9" x 10-11") is an adult glove. Vince was an outfielder. Glove should be huge.

[vintagebrett]

I agree with what JD said. Also, I think you are taking a modern glove mind into thinking about vintage gloves. Unlike today, I don't think that glove companies made gloves for infielders or outfielders in the era of glove that you are looking at. They did make short finger and long finger versions.

The gloves JD mentioned are good choices - I would also add an OK MFG Co. Bobby Doerr model as well.

[okdoak]

Interesting question. Just for the heck of it I measured a few of the biggest 1940's gloves I have. The tallest was a Wilson 615 Professional Model that topped out at 10 1/4" and the widest a Goldsmith Pete Reiser JCR at 10 3/4" (probably very similar to the Riddle model JD mentioned). Instead of making the gloves larger the glove designers improved the web, made the pocket deeper, and tweaked the position of the thumb first to improve catchability. Many of the old gloves I pick up also have the finger stalls pinched. I use a slender broom handle (very carefully!) to open them up, as long as the inside leather is still good and supple. It's amazing how just doing that makes the glove feel so much bigger on your hand.

[softball66]

You guys are hitting on the answer on pre war gloves but the solutioon is tricky because the adult gloves, as one goes back in time, are smaller and smaller. Now, the key becomes is does your adult hand fit inside comfortably and even this is not accurate because the size of various adult hands vary but this is a good rule. The adult gloves progressively became wider and taller and I'm enjoying the measurements being shared on H/W.
The old ballplayers when you bring them their endorsed models to sign often will mistake them for adult gloves (most didn't know which glove their endorsed company put their name on) and they'll try to fit their big hands into some little youth models. I wrote about the hilarious "tryout" of Andy Seminick's mitt at a show when Robin Roberts was joshing with Andy trying to get his huge mitt into a not to huge Seminick Denkert.