Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

Just got a great looking Rawlings XPG10 Reggie Jackson WingTip back Personal model from ebay today. Fantastic Made in USA glove, classic style, great leather, broken in perfectly, very little previous owner ink on it ... but it is WAY too small for my hand! In fact, my youngest son can't even fit his hand in it! This was advertised as an 11", but the hand opening at the wrist strap is the narrowest I have ever seen!

My question - how can one tell, before purchasing, what size a glove is?

Hello there,

Something that I thought of is to ask the seller to send you a photo of the glove with a baseball next to it for scale. Maybe ask for a photo of the glove with a baseball in the pocket and a photo with a baseball by the opening of the glove down by the heel.

Or maybe ask for the seller to measure the glove in a way in which there is no mistaking its size. It seems to me that not all people measure a glove the same way. His 11" measurement of the glove might be quite different from your idea of a measured 11" glove. Some exact standard would have to be agreed upon by both of you.

But a good old-fashioned hardball next to it or in it might do the trick.

Thanks,

John

Great idea! Thank you!

Cowboy, I know exactly what you're talking about. I've got an SSK USG-50
11 1/2 " glove and I can barely, barely squeeze my hand into it. Designed that way so that the wrist opening is extremely narrow and tight. Maybe
designers did this for women's play where the hands are smaller than men's. Don't know. But you can't tell fit from a picture. And, yes, question should be asked about relating a baseball or known size object to the glove or asking them to lay a tape measure from heel to top of glove. Ask them if there hand fits comfortably into the glove.

Cowboy,

You bring up an excellent point that I think for the most part is completely over looked... there is no hand sizing reference on gloves. You have kids gloves and adult gloves and thst is it. The size reference given to the glove obviously refers to the overall glove dimensions but not to the size of the user's hand.

I have what I would consider to be an "average" hand - comparing it to batting glove sizes I would take an adult large ( though batting gloves run on the small side). I have some nice baseball gloves that don't fit right because they were made for a larger hand... yet some are perfect from the same maker... I have a bunch of Mizuno gloves and they all fit great - especially the ones made in Japan. I think because the average Japanese hands are slightly smaller than americans.

Rawlings has some Pro Prefered gloves made for smaller hands. So I think this issue has been brought up before. But I don't think manufacturers want to specify hand sizes as it would only create more problems with inventory. Plus, most buyers try the glove on at a store for fit - though with internet sales increasing I would imagine this issue comes up more often now.

I guess when buying on Ebay you should email the buyer and ask. I never have and it might of helped a few times...

I have a XXL-XXXL hand. So finding a glove that "fits" is a big problem. No pun intended.

On the gloves I use, I have taken to relacing the heel of the glove and leaving one or two eyelets open. Years ago, on an old softball glove, I just cut the laces and tied them off. Worked great, looked crappy. I don't want to do that with my "nicer" gloves. Admittedly, my gloves are not what most of us would call "nicer," but I have always had a policy as I collect gloves: I play catch with it, or I don't keep it. Well, now I may have to amend my policy

I really REALLY want one of those new Nokona Buffalo gloves; saw one at the sporting goods store the other day and tried it on; actually, I should say that three of my fingers tried it on.

I can't believe I wrote "there" hand instead of "their". But everyone says I need an editor. So their! And let's have a big hand for Cowboy!
And Mike's point is well made about "no reference" for hand size. The glove makers and sellers don't want to confuse the subject and do feel that most gloves will be sold to the buyer with a touchy feely store experience. But NOW we have the internet and no tactile reference.
Big or small hands can be a problem. And that loose fit they had before the snuggers and ristakors came along, also thumb and finger loops.
Save up your Indian Head and Buffalo coins for a Buffalo glove Cowboy.
It'll "set you free" as they usta say.

"a big hand for Cowboy ..." I get it ...