Question for My Fellow Vintage Collectors

[BigD-Moonlight]

Very interesting topic. I really enjoy seeing and reading about the great gloves everyone finds. As far as posting photos of the gloves I pick up it is mostly about time and lack of computer skills that cause me not to do it that much. Between Joe's newsletter, theglove forum and JD's site there are so much more to enjoy about glove collecting these days.

[ebbets55]

Great topic Brett. I have a few perspectives and opinions on this one. First, I have never posted any of my recent finds because I have stopped looking for gloves and therefore no longer find them. I haven’t found a glove on the hunt in a good five plus years. I quit going to the flea markets but still love going to antique stores. I hated that I would get to the flea markets first thing in the morning, pay my $20 entrance fee and find that everything was always held for the dealers and I wouldn’t even have a shot at it anyway. I literally haven’t bought a glove at a flea market or antique store in longer than I can remember. If I found something, anything, I would post it in a second. And no, I don’t think it’s bragging. I think we all got over that issue a long time ago. Remember that thread a long time ago when someone said he was a rookie and would love to see a bunch of gloves and he didn’t think it would be bragging? I guess I kinda took that to heart. In contrast, I think anything I buy retail on eBay or from a dealer isn’t anything to show off. In answer to your question, I think people are still buying, hoarding in fact. Prices are historically low right now. It’s still a total buyer’s market. Buying in bulk or hoarding is harder to justify showing off. Trophies you buy don’t mean as much to me as trophies you earn and I mean that in a glove sense.

Secondly, I don’t have a Photobucket account. Why should I when I pay a lot for webhosting anyway. I guess I have been lazy about taking two pictures (or resizing one), one full size for the site and one smaller sized for the Forum and where would I host it on my site anyway? I buried my Forum Avatar somewhere in the back of one of the galleries when AOL took down my free FTP space. Look what happened to poor Rob and Ricky. That sucked by the way.

Thirdly, I don’t know what size I should be resizing the pictures so they aren’t too big on the screen. I don’t like scrolling over ten times to read a post or see a pic. Is the best size 640 x 480 to avoid having to scroll over or is that too small? Please advise so I can resize pictures accordingly.

Lastly, I spend a lot of time answering random questions from the Contact Me link and uploading a lot of pictures, every night in fact. Love doing it but I haven’t even snapped a bunch of my own glove pics yet. We are up to about 6,500 pictures so far – Keep ‘em coming. Wish more collectors would get involved.

So I guess I’m just lazy or tired about not posting, but guilty nonetheless. I’ll get better. We all should. I would hate to think that the modern guys are more passionate than us vintage guys.

JD

[vintagebrett]

For all collectors who don't like the hassle of taking pictures, you are welcome to send them me and I'll take pictures and post them for you. Of course, if they are gloves that fit my collection, I can't be held responsible if they get "lost" in the mail on the way back.

One thing I've found interesting from this discussion is that it seems that if you buy a glove from a dealer/eBay it's not as significant as finding one at a show, etc. My thought is that no matter where you get a glove that is important to you or your collection, you should be excited and not feel bad about posting. I do think the thrill of finding a glove for your collection where you least expect it is more fun than buying from someone online.

Also, what's the general consensus in adding a glove to your collection - would you rather trade something you have difficultly parting with to obtain something you really want for your collection, or would you rather just overspend to get it?

[mushroomknob]

Brett,I love the today I found section.I have not found any gloves over the past two months.I do most of my searching at shops and at flea markets.The last good item I found was that ring bat.I love to see any finds that people have even when the are common finds.everyones budgets are different my collecting budget is very tight so when I find a goldsmith Buddy Kerr at the market for a few bucks Im happy and thats what collecting is all about having fun.
Dave S

[Rickybulldog]

Totally agree JD.
My finds have been very slim at the flea markets. A lot of gloves that were there the previous month are there again the next month. Every now and again I stumble upon something great, but that is at the cost of waking up at 5:00 in the morning (which I don't mind). The whole entry fee has totally turned me off to the Rose Bowl here in Cali for awhile. About 20 bucks to get in at a reasonable time and plus the price of gas as well. This isn't guaranteed a find either! Wow, I'd rather waste that cheddar on a glove on Ebay or buy it from a collector that's selling.

[stockbuddy]

Hi Guys,

Interesting topic. I enjoy seeing the gloves and mitts too. I have agree with Ricky that I just send any new finds to JD's website. I have managed to get them sent to him, but I seem to struggle, like Fred, with this new tech stuff. LOL

Anyway, I have not picked up much of anything in the way of gloves lately. I have done my fair share of trades, with many on this thread and really enjoy it. It is cool to trade and meet new folks in the hobby. I wish I had more trader gloves, but I am down to pretty much gloves in my collection.

I am not seeing a lot on ebay as of late, but maybe I am looking in the wrong place.

Dave

[Centerfield]

There's a common theme here... people like to see others' gloves, chat about them and read articles about the hobby. Let me throw out an idea that I've mentioned to the principles in the past; Jim's database of photos, Brett's forum and Joe's newsletter should be combined into one site. Would be a hell of an undertaking, but a centralized meeting place would truly help grow this hobby. Thoughts?

[okdoak]

I really enjoy looking at the posted glove pictures. Am also one who has almost completely given up on flea markets and antique malls because of my few "finds" vs. time spent looking. Unfortunately that just leaves ebay and I feel strange about posting those gloves because I assume that alot of our forum members have checked them out also. If I win one at a decent price I also assume it's one that most glovers already have in their collection. On those rare occasions when I overspend on a "gotta have it", posting a picture of it seems too much like rubbing it in. Anybody else feel this way ( or is it just my paranoia kicking in again )? I would like to post pics of a couple of gloves that were pre-ebay (for me) but don't know which category they would fit into. Do we have a Ten Years Ago I Found This...? Thanks for this topic, Brett!

[vintagebrett]

Would be a hell of an undertaking, but a centralized meeting place would truly help grow this hobby. Thoughts?

It would be a big undertaking however it is something we can look at in the future. I know that all three of use have super busy lives as it is and might not have the time to do this right now.

As for growing the hobby, it's going to be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of years. As you've stated Centerfield, a lot of the veteran glove collectors are getting on in age. It seems that the newer collectors are gravitating towards the modern stuff. Are people going to be interested in vintage gloves anymore?

okdoak, you're welcome to posts your "Ten Years Ago I Found This..." in the vintage glove picture section - would love to see them.

[Cowboy7130]

Let me pipe up and say I DON'T want the sites combined. I like each of them for different reasons, and I like visiting each of the sites individually. Just my two cents' worth ...

I kind of waver back and forth between the vintage and the modern gloves. I like the idea of finding something nice, being proud of it, perhaps working on it a little bit and making it nicer, and then sharing it with my friends in this forum. Unfortunately, three big issues have kept my gloving life on hold: a busy football season, unforeseen household and medical expenses, and spending more money at the grocery store than I really wanted to but can't avoid because I have two growing, ravenous sons. *marking myself down for a run-on sentence, there* Oh, and a fourth issue ... there just aren't any good vintage gloves to be found around here!

[GloveCrazy]

I enjoy seeing pictures and hearing the background stories of finds that people are really happy with. Their joy is sort of contageous, even if the glove itself may not be something I collect. I don't go out searching as much as I used to so it's good to hear what other people have turned up. I also really miss the regular updates to the glove of the week section.

Of course, I say this knowing that I haven't contributed much to the forum other than being a strong advocate. There are many excuses why I don't post, but few real reasons.

I'll say to myself that I don't have the time right now, that I'm sort of duplicating stuff I may have already said on my site (in theory), or that an ebay win isn't really a find as much as just willing to pay more than everybody else, but the reality is that it is more laziness than anything else. Even on just ebay wins I do like reading about gloves that turned out nicer than expected, or when hidden endorsements emerged through cleaning, etc.

Thanks to all of those who do the work to keep this going. Hopefully we all try a little harded to contribute.

[Studboy]

I also love checking out others finds. I myself haven't run across much for pre 30's gloves lately. Most of my "finds" the last few years have been 40's & 50's stuff. I guess my main interest is in the older stuff & didn't want to boar the forum members with my less that spectacular finds.

[No-Lite-Toe]

I love to see the vintage/modern gloves and mitts of other members. I have nice items I'm desperate to share, but I'm immensely fustrated trying to get the pics on the site. Just not as easy as it sounds. At least to me. :

[ScottWNJ]

I've only been at this for a month or so, but I really enjoy seeing everyone's gloves. Being a rookie, I don't have much to show so far. I'm a little reluctant to post my finds or Ebay wins, simply because I don't think that they measure up to the great gloves that many of you are finding. That could be due to my making rookie mistakes, or the fact that I just cannot afford to spend $100+ on one glove. I have purchased 3 nice gloves from JD on Ebay and another from Brett, so at least I know i have a few good things to start off with. Some of my other Ebay wins haven't turned out so great. (just purchased a 1"web off brand glove and when it arrived it was very tiny and much dirtier than the Ebay photo showed.) When I find something nice, I will post it. Not to brag, but to share. What good is having a collection if no one gets to see it? My friends might say "that's cool" if I showed them my gloves, but I think that sharing them on the Forum with other collectors will initiate both positive comments and constructive criticism. I check the Forum at least once a day and I'll admit to being disappointed when there are no new photos to check out. Please keep sharing your stuff. Until I can hone my glove collecting skills, I can live vicariously through your collections!