Spalding DiMaggio Embellishment

[Mr. Mitt]

I feel sick after reading the bs this guy's pouring on in this lot's description.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... MyEbayBeta

It rivals the Rawlings MM Mantle listing that's been on eBay for months in that it poorly spins an authority's opinion. I mean, seriously, he is clearly trying to take advantage of those who don't know better in order to extract a few hundred dollars more than what the glove's worth. It's appalling and unethical at a minimum and bordering on criminal.

[Mr. Mitt]

I have a pair of Haines tighty-whities that came with a tag printed with a 23. Even though common sense suggests that they passed the quality control of inspector 23, perhaps I can sucker some yokel into believing they were Michael Jordan’s. I mean, he does endorse Haines. I’m absolutely disgusted by this!

[vintagebrett]

I've had some gloves with labels sewn on the wrist strap both outside and inside - a Nokona, a Rawlings and a few others that escape my memory at this time. I've not had one with a number but with names of the owner. The labels were professionally done so it's entirely possible that whoever owned this glove could have had someone sew the number in as a way of identifying it as theirs.

[Mr. Mitt]

Brett... Please don't try to justify it. There's salesmanship and then there's flat out unethical spinning. There is a difference and this is blatant.

[AkBandit]

It appears to me that he is offering the glove at high book price. The Vintage Baseball Glove Price Guide lists the following for the Spalding Joe DiMaggio "75th Anniversary" glove

VG - $250
EX - $350
NM - $500

If only he could spell Spalding......

[vintagebrett]

Not trying to justify it - just saying that I've had gloves with tags sewn on that were not factory installed - just pointing out that it could have been added by anyone who bought it. All the gloves I had with the additional tags were just random people - they just decided to add a professional looking tag rather than writing their name on the glove. Was actually trying to help you out and was no way defending the description - sorry if it came across that way.

[briggs86]

I recommend that everyone goes to the link and keeps making ridiculous low ball offers to get the point across. $1, $5, maybe $10. lol! Sounds childish, but maybe it will make him understand that this is a very unethical way to describe a glove. Like Mr. Mitt stated, hes trying to get someone whos not 100% knowledgable of vintage mitts to buy the mitt at much a higer value! Its very misleading. Does anyone understand why the picture for the tag isn't really visible, probably because it doesnt look like something a factory would have sewn on the glove.

[Mr. Mitt]

Sorry Brett... I'm just pissed off at this and looking for a fight! Didn't intend for it to be with you...

Joe, he clearly went to you for some answers. Because those answers couldn't be concrete, the floodgates of misleading speculation (on his part) opened. Could you please reach out to him and, at the very least, discourage his use of your name in his games.

[Mike**Mize]

Just to bring up the other side. Ive bought a few gloves from this seller over the years. He's been selling and collecting for a long time. I think he's a good guy. I've always liked the gloves I've bought from him. I don't see his pointing out that the glove has a number 5 label on it as that big a deal. How many of these come up? I think he's very clear that it might mean something special and then again it might not. I'm sure if there are no takers at $500 you'll either not see the glove again or he'll drop the price. He's entitled to promote his glove. It's a free marketplace. If he can sell it for $500, good for him. I know he's sold hundreds over the years and provided collectors with lots of gloves to look at.

[softball66]

I think that puts this auction and the glove in a clearer perspective. This seller is a long time glover and though maybe a bit over exuberant and bit heavy on the praise of J P, I think he's mostly on track. I didn't see his glove just commented that I'd not heard nor seen a number like that on a Joe D glove. Nor, I guess, has anyone else. Didn't comment on what it meant or signified. Didn't know what he was gonna do with it. The glove may have meaning to someone and like Mike says, maybe not.
If you have a problem with what and how he's written his description then drop him a line.

[ScottWNJ]

SOLD! I see that someone offered $350 and he accepted it. It wasn't me. Anybody here get it?

[glove-works]

Just happened to be inspector #5. I have seen these on countless gloves.

[softball66]

The only time I remember coming across inspector tags on gloves was on the wartime (WWII) gloves where outside inspectors were called in to inspect the glove before shipping to the military and provided a note with the glove or a tag like this to denote it had been inspected.
Fill us in on some type gloves or eras for these inspection tags, please.
Might be helpful to us. I know you're used to getting into the gloves in a little more detail
Thanks

[s_esco]

Great post. Made me go back and check my gloves under the wrist strap. I found many of my Spalding, Reach and Wilson gloves from the 1940's with this same, little white tag with a red number. It is definitely factory, and I would agree, it's an inspector tag.

[Mike**Mize]

It seems it's not just the 40's. Just checked a couple Wilson Hornsbys; a 648LO and a 648L, both from the 30's. Sure enough, there was a frayed tag on the more used one and a pristine #1 tag on the Near Mint one. Learn somthing new every day. I sure hope the buyer of the Joe D. 133 is OK with his purchase. My guess is that this is new information for a lot of us (including the seller of the 133).