Did Musial endourse JC Higgins?

[dwknowles]

I knew he did Rawlings, Montgomery Ward and some other odd-ball labels. I figured his deal with Montgomery Ward would have kept him off the Higgins label. Then I saw this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/STAN-MUSIAL-JC-HIGG ... dZViewItem


not sure if this is legit or not, I am not implying it is, just something I haven't seen and wondered if anyone else has.

[softball66]

Wow, this one popped up! Haven't heard of one before this but Rawlings may have accommodated Sears and Higgins on this but probably only for a very short time frame. I think the same thing happened with Rawlings and Mantle where Rawlings made a few Mantles with Higgins brand.
Right Rawlings made almost exclusively for Montgomery Ward and a few for J. C. Penney in that market.

[BretMan]

The Higgins Musial is a first for me. The impression I get from that glove is that it could very well be a standard, mid-priced Rawlings pattern glove. It would be interesting to see up close, to see if there are any other stampings that might be common to a Rawlings glove. The stamped signature sure looks identical to the same era Rawlings models. Also, I wonder if the patent number would provide a clue.

The Higgins Mantle glove actually looks quite different than any Rawlings models I'm familiar with. I just had a chance to handle one of these a couple of weeks ago. It has a double row of grommeted holes for the finger laces that are oriented toward the back of the fingers, similar to the pattern I've seen on some 1950's Hutch gloves. Off the top of my head, I can't recall seeing that arrangement on any Rawlings gloves from those days.

[softball66]

Bret you could be right on that Higgins Mantle. Maybe not Rawlings but Denkert made the Mantle signature glove for Sears.

[BretMan]

Here's a shot of the Higgings Mantle (from JD's web site) that shows the finger lacing/grommets. I do not recall this style on any of the Rawlings offerings.

JC Higgins Mantle

The glove doesn't seem to have any of the obvious Denkert stampings you see on the gloves they made for other companies, such as the usual "Pro Maker" logo. It also looks quite different from the Denkert-made Mantle glove in my collection.

Chalk it up to yet another Mantle glove mystery!

[BretMan]

After doing a little research, the mystery deepens...

Check out the patent date on the wrist strap of the Higgins Mantle (#1435478). The same number appears on the heel of the Musial glove. The patent was granted November 14, 1922- just like it says on the glove. Odd, for gloves sold in the mid-50's.

That patent was issued to one Bert Kennedy, of Gloversville, New York, assignor Ken-Wel Sporting Goods!

The patent relates to a method of sewing and attaching the glove's fingers to add strength and prevent tearing of the seams.

Strange, indeed, especially when you see the grommeted finger laces that are quite similar to a Dazzy Vance model. The evidence suggests that these gloves were produced by the legendary Ken-Wel company, possibly during the time that they were known simply as "Kennedy" in the 1950's.