Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

First let me say "hello" to one and all, since this is my first post.

I get emails from Lelands auction house from time to time. The most recent one has a item that is questionable to me. It is lot #965, a Willie Mays gamer from 1954. It's up to around $6000 last I looked. Anyway, my questions are. I was under the impression he used a Rawlings HH early in his playing career. This glove is a Wilson. Also it appears to be a Wilson from the late 50's.

I could be wrong on both points. So I am asking the forum for the answers, or comments. So take a look at it and let me know what you think. It's at; Lelands.com and it is lot #965. Thanks

Hello and Welcome!

Thanks for bringing that glove up. If you look click on the pictures, especially the one that shows the palm, you can distinctly see the shooting star that was seen on the A2000 models in the late 1950's early 1960's. I can't make out a model number on it. I don't think Wilson was making Pro Model shooting star gloves in the mid 1950's but I don't know for sure. Maybe the guy who received the glove had his dates mixed up, maybe Wilson was making these for pro players?

I can't believe Lelands let this get out described that way. I'm virtually certain that the shooting star didn't appear until about the time the A2000 came out and it didn't appear in the pros until 1957. So NOT 1954. Mays
1954 gamer that he made the catch with is a Rawlings HH and is in the Hall of Fame Museum, donated there by one of Mays teammates sons who owned it. We did a story on this in our newsletter.
I'm surprised Lelands didn't contact Dennis Esken who sometimes authenticates their items or check their facts as Dennis would have known this was a later model.
No Wilsons have shown up as Mays gamers previously that I know of.
Just Rawlings and MacGregors. I would look into the provenance of the glove and/or try to find photo matches of Mays wearing the Wilson glove.

In their last auction they had a Paul Waner, game used glove and someone pointed out that it was for the wrong hand. They pulled it down very fast.

FYI, this glove closed at a realized price of $22310.28!
http://www.lelands.com/bid.aspx?lot=965&auctionid=605