Rawlings Mantle Personal Model Question

[Mr. Mitt]

This one has me stumped, hopefully someone has an answer. The below MM has the newer Mantle loop signature that did not appear on Rawlings gloves until the '60's (debatable '64 or '65). That said, the MM model was issued from 1954 through 1957, followed by the MMP in 1958 and then the XGP6 in 1962. How, then, does the later signature appear on a glove that ceased to be produced about six or seven years earlier? My first thought was that this was one of the few funeral gloves given to Mickey's pallbearers. It's not, the funeral reproduction MM gloves have the old Mantle signature and not the newer, loopier one. Furthermore, the glove in question was auctioned in 1994, a full year before Mantle passed, so it couldn't be a pallbearer gift. So, is the below MM a repro? Does anyone know how many different times Rawlings issued Mantle reproductions? I find this really interesting given the fact the glove sold for $3,400!!!

[Mr. Mitt]

Here's an example of the funeral model produced in 1995.

[Number9]

The Custom Built stamp seems like a good clue, but I have no idea who it was for. It has white welting between the seams which appears to go against the grain of repros from the 90's. I'd guess late 60's to the 80's for the time frame. A gift for his HOF induction would be an obvious occasion. At that price, it must have had some history, no?

[Mr. Mitt]

No, no history on it whatsoever. Mastro sold it as an original from 1953, which is obviously a year too early for an MM. There's no photo of the back, so there's no telling what era patch was used, if any.

[swalt1234]

I have 3 MM models from 1954-56 including the 'rookie' model with a Rawlings St Louis patch; they all obviously have the old autograph. My models do not have the registered mark after the Rawlings name (under the s) in the front that appeared in the late '50s. All mine say 'Floating Heel' at the base of the 5th finger, and all of them say 'Custom Built' on the 5th finger. This one shown is a beautiful early remake maybe even '60s. Glad I didn't pay $3400!

[murphusa]

My models do not have the registered mark after the Rawlings name (under the s) in the front that appeared in the late '50s. A

Rawlings though did use the trademark in their advertisement in the early 1950's

[vintagebrett]

This conversation feels deja vu like. I'm on my phone now but when i get home tomorrow I'll do a search. Wasn't there a couple models that were remade for a Rawlings catalog cover in the early 90's??

[vintagebrett]

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3787&hilit=rawlings+catalog+reissue

[softball66]

Jerry, fellows, I'm in sort of the same dilemma with a Rawlings made for Penneys (Foremost) that I have on ebay right now. This is a glove obviously made in the 1960s with "Edge-U-Cated", "Flex-O-Matic"
basketweb etc. BUT. . .it has the older, non-looping "Ms" and resembles his original early MM, 4, 8 period. But, as one Mantle glove expert pointed , "not exactly." Why revert back to an early signature stamp?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 548wt_1141
On this glove, I think Rawlings in the 1990s might have approached Mantle or the family about doing remakes of Mantle's retail glove. Maybe this is a sample. Maybe like VB says, made later for certain reasons like catalog covers or to please a customer. "Custom Bilt" does offer a clue. What about the patch?

[murphusa]

Most of the Rawlings outlet stores have a display which include Mantle gloves as part of them. At the one in Reading PA I have tried to purchase the display a number of times

[Mr. Mitt]

Seems like there's a consensus that it's a repro and doesn't date to the original MM production years. Good theories as to when/why is was made, they're all plausible. Sweet looking glove, nonetheless.