Frederick Ratsch and Chicago Sporting Goods

[mikesglove]

This was the flagship model of Chicago Sporting Goods as far as catchers mitts. The mitt was also supplied to other retailers such as FOK, Sears and Wards.


The Mitt below from JD's site is in the "early gloves" section. It has all the features in the ad above. One aspect I like about the Ratsch mitts is the incorporation of the bottom of the crescent pad with the heel stitching. Most other mitts have the crescent pad independent of the heel.



Here are a few others.




And for the collector who has everything, from pixel.com
they also have other vintage baseball images to put on t-shirts.

[mikesglove]

Another great looking Chicago Sporting Goods mitt.

[mikesglove]

In 1919 Frederich Ratsch of Chicago Sporting Goods began construction of a new factory on Charleston and Powell Sts. in Chicago. Thomas Wilson bought Chicago Sporting Goods as the factory was being completed in 1921. Wilson installed Ratsch as the supervisor of the new factory. Below is an illustration of the factory from the back cover of a Wilson catalog.