Why Glove Collecting?

[vintagebrett]

I'm looking to do some promotional work for the National to get more people excited about glove collecting and I need your help. I'm looking for reasons why it's great to be a glove collector. Of course, I have mine but I'd like to have a wide range of opinions to make the argument stronger. I plan on resurrecting my VintageBrett you tube videos in preparation for the show in Baltimore and then have some displays in our booth that include your thoughts. I won't use your full name if you don't want - I can use first name, last initial or your username - whatever you prefer. I'm also seeking any other ideas you may have to get people interested while we are at the show - we'll be having a drawing each day for a free glove but I'm hoping you guys have some other ideas as well. Thanks.

[softball66]

Brett, I think the main allure to glove collecting is that the glove holds such fond remembrances as something we cherished in our youth, something personal, that belonged to us alone. And, it made us feel good to make the play and catch with to further enjoy the game of baseball. Of course there are wider aspects such as collecting gloves with players names that adds the thrill of completing theme or team collectibles. Distinctive or favored types, quality of the gloves all favor the collectibility of this wonderful piece of the game.
Joe P.

[murphusa]

It is what you brought with you when you went to a game, be it a professional game or a sandlot one. It was your glove that you needed to play catch with your father, brother or friends. It was your glove that you keep by your side when you laid in bed and listened to the game on the radio.

It was YOUR glove

[Mr. Mitt]

Joe's thoughts are the primary reason for the love of collecting gloves, but looking back to why I switched from cards to gloves back in the late 80's is because collecting gloves is still a hobby, not a business. I'm sure most of us have an innate desire to collect, it's in our genes. Furthermore, our love of the game likely resulted in collecting cards, autographs, etc. These common childhood activities, which we carried with us into adulthood, were shattered in the 80's with the overproduction of product, fakes, forgeries, and authentication. I couldn't stand big business getting involved and the lies they spewed. You can't hold a card any longer, god-forbid you drop one and ding a corner. You can cozy up to a glove, slip it on, handle it, caress it. You can even clean a glove and not be shunned by society. There's no grading company to tell you what you have, it's condition and ultimately determine its value. More importantly, though, at least for me, is rarity. Gloves were meant to be used, and as such, few have survived compared to what was produced. Sure, that's great for potential profitability, but it makes the "hunt" much more exciting. Let's face it, if you have the cash, you could purchase each and every card ever produced in a few hours. Want a T206 Wagner, you could buy one if you can afford one, at any time. That's not the case with gloves. There are so few examples of certain models known to exist that it could take years, if ever, to acquire one. You negotiate over and over with other collectors resulting in deals that rival general managers! Or, you hit the pavement and scrounge through garage sales, estate sales and flea markets with fantasies of making a huge find! Flipping through a manufacturer's catalog from the 1920's and coming across a model that's never surfaced, hoping that one day one will be discovered (obviously by you!). Picking up a glove at an open air market and noticing an odd construction, a pattern that's never been seen before, the missing link, so to speak, between different glove eras. There is effort involved with collecting gloves, and ultimately, at least for me, the hunt is what makes it enjoyable. The process of acquiring a glove is as enjoyable to me as the glove itself.

[Mr. Mitt]

From a totally different perspective from my last post, this time focusing on the gloves themselves, is the connections through generations. Yes, Joe and Murph made great points about the personal aspect of gloves. There's no denying that attraction. However, I have no personal connection to a 19th century crescent nor a full web from the teens. It's the romanticism that grabs me. The evolution of the tools of the game that I can literally hold in my hands. The curiosity of prior owners... their skills, their abilities, their lives, and ultimately their fates. To wonder, "where has this glove been?" A sandlot in Brooklyn, a field in Indiana, a stadium... majors or southern league? There's a romance associated with holding a glove that grabs me and keeps me coming back for more.

[jpop43]

Collecting gloves/ equipment has been something that, as a family, we have been able to share with eachother for over 20 years now. Like Jerry said, you can't handle cards these days, and autographs and game used stuff is just too shady for a lot of us....equipment is tangible...we can touch it, clean it, smell it, and in some cases, use it without damaging it or hurting its value. My Dad taught my brother and I about collecting with this hobby...we learned that thru leg work, perseverence, and networking we just might find a glove or two here and there....its the hunt that makes it so great. Again, I'm with Jerry...with enough $$$ you can buy yourself any card or autograph out there in a weeks time...try to find the obscure glove you need to fill a niche and you've got yourself a potentially life long search that may end at a flea market for $10. What makes glove collecting so great these days for us has been the other collectors we have met along the way, and those who we now share the collection with on a more regular basis. I am truly looking forward to meeting many of you for the very first time at the National in August, and think that this endeavor to grow the hobby and outreach to more collectors is a great idea.
Jonathan
http://www.dugouttreasures.com

[Mr. Mitt]

One thing I’ve always told friends when they’ve commented on my glove display is that they’re like sculptures. The combination of artisanship and craftsmanship (with a little engineering thrown in) is completely unique in the sports memorabilia hobby. Sure, cards are works of art, but they’re two-dimensional. Gloves are three-dimensional as well as tangible. I was recently in Paris and this comparison between genres arose. Viewing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre was spectacular. After seeing it in person I can understand why it’s considered a masterpiece as no other painting in their vast collection can compare to it. On the other hand, my experience at the Musee Rodin was completely different. Walking around his sculptures and viewing them from different angles was awe inspiring. The pure genius of what he was able to create is indescribable. The analogy can be taken a step further. The Mona Lisa is behind glass (a la PSA holders), but you’re encouraged to touch Rodin’s work. That tactile connection to the artist when caressing the marble of “The Kiss” or the bronze of “The Gates of Hell” has no comparison in the art world (though I’m sure glove collectors can relate to this connection). I’ve always gravitated toward sculpture when appreciating or buying art, now am wondering if this has translated into my affection toward gloves.

[Number9]

Great comparison Jerry. As an artist, that's exactly the way I feel. I love the look of a nicely designed 2d object, could be anything - baseball card or photograph, but a finely crafted dimensional object is far more interesting. One is designed or composed, the other is crafted or built. You can get lost in a painting but everyone knows how it was made. With a sculptural object, there is always the wonder of....how was it made?

I think it's much more human to be drawn to a 3d object. The hand was meant to hold objects so we naturally gravitate toward things that are useful. A card or flat object is meant to be enjoyed with the eyes and the mind only. A point that is only further proven by the current craze to encase everything, either behind glass or entombed in plastic. If we didn't have a natural desire to hold things that are special to us, we'd be allowed to enjoy card collecting with our hands as well as our eyes. With gloves, not only can you collect and appreciate them for their visual qualities (the same qualities that appeal to all collectors), but also, the visceral element is not only accepted but strongly encouraged.

In short, you've got a physical reminder of history, an object with functionality and beauty, and a bit of wonder. That's what draws me in.

[okdoak]

For me it started as just an offshoot of collecting Milwaukee Braves memorabilia. I read that SCD (or was it Tuff Stuff) article on collecting gloves and thought that a couple of them might look good with my Braves stuff. After finding out about Joe's newsletter and seeing the pictures of collectors' flea market and antique store finds I became hooked on trying to hunt some down myself. If TGC mentioned that Warren Spahn actually used a Rawlings HH, man I had to find one of those. The fact that I could put the same model on my hand that Spahnie or Pete Reiser or Carl Hubbell played with was tremendously appealing. As much as I enjoy cards, photographs, pennants, etc., I just don't make that same connection with the history of the game as I do when I put a glove on. One of my first finds was a Rawlings PM 1 Playmaker bought at an antique store for $20. When I got home, I put it on, hit the pocket a few times, marveled at that great "cloud" patch and shield button and set it down on my bookshelf. Ten minutes later, I got up and did it again. And again. What other piece of memorabilia can draw you to it like a glove? And beside the feel and eye appeal, there are so many different ways to collect; whether it's by endorsement, era, maker, style, etc. that it never gets old. It's been about 16 years for me now, and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. Don't get me started on the joys of cleaning them now...

[vintagebrett]

Great stuff so far - would like to hear others chime in. Thanks.

[stockbuddy]

Hi Guys,

Brett, the other day I tried posting to the thread and it seemed like I might have had the post saved as a draft. I can not seem to even find where my drafts are located. Might you or someone be able to point me in the right direction. Thanks.

Dave

[rosajr]

I would have to say, that I started collecting gloves 11 years ago because I was trying to find a glove of a player I had read about and greatly admired, Charlie Gehringer and then it just took off. Collecting gloves allows you to connect with all those players you watched and listened to, and don't forget all those BB cards. A glove brings all those feelings back, you can smell the field, feel the hot sun on your back (or in your eyes), taste the bubblegum and remember all your friends that you played with. Yes, it brings back the memories of your Dad helping you pick out a glove at the hardware store and showing you how to break it in, playing catch and telling you how to play the game right. As you expand your collection, you have the ability to collect gloves of players your Dad talked about and admired. If you a history buff of the game it allows you to connect with all those great and not so great players of the distant past. I truly believe this hobby is amazing, since when you put on an old glove, it brings you to that era of professional ball but also, who wore that glove then and what position, team, league, etc did he play and how good was he. So, for me, that's the reason I collect baseball gloves.

[ScottWNJ]

Reading all these posts, I feel like a rookie. I've only been at this for a bit over a year. As to "why" glove collecting, I think it's been covered pretty well here. For me, a glove is a much more personal connection to the players of old than any baseball card could be. For example, a 50's Mickey Mantle card is a flat piece of cardboard with Mantle's image on it. But a Mantle endorsed glove, in a way, allows you to "become" The Mick. What kid hasn't slipped on his glove and imagined himself as a star player on his favorite team? As an adult, putting on that glove allows you to recapture that feeling. It is "time machine" that brings us back to an era of innocence and wonder. A tactile connection to the past, that you cannot get from a little piece of cardboard. Aside from the sense of nostalgia that old gloves provide, collecting gloves is a fairly unique hobby. Outside of this forum, I have never met anyone who collects gloves. And, as it has been said elsewhere here, you can take them off the shelf and maybe even have a catch with them. I've collected cameras, model cars, movie memorabilia, and comic books. And they sit on shelves or in cabinets and you look at them. Eventually, they become part of the furniture. But with gloves, you can't ignore them. They stand out in a display. They may look similar, but each one is different. Sometimes, I'll just go upstairs and pull one or two off the shelf and examine them, smell the leather, study the lacing, try one on, or give it a light cleaning. Finally, gloves are affordable. A 50's Mantle card might set you back several hundred dollars. But a 50's era Mantle glove can still be found at flea market prices. And never knowing what you'll find at the next estate sale or antique mall, makes the hunt that much more exciting.

[vintagebrett]

Keep them coming guys! Thanks.

[candlestick]

why glove collecting? for me there would be two reasons. baseball provided me with some of the first realizations that i could do something athletic. and not only that i could do it but that my peers thought i was pretty good. for me it was not the batting or throwing that came first but the fielding, esp balls hit to the outfield. i was relentless, a lot like my retriever, i could shag fly balls all day and enjoy myself. still do. and of course you cannot make catches like that without a glove.

secondly gloves are a tool for doing a job. and if you appreciate tools, i.e. the thought that goes into making a better tool, or the craftsmanship needed to make a great tool, or how a simple modification makes the job easier for the person doing the job, then you can appreciate a glove or a mitt and the time frame it came from.