Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

I have a W professional model H.K. trademark made in japan. Markings are not very legible Heel has a W and something like VMF 1481 pinky inside says professional model

I am guessing it is from 50s I will get some pics up... cant get clear image sor some reason.

The HK brand is listed as a "private label" glove in the collecting guides, meaning that they were produced by some established sporting goods concern under contract for a company that didn't have manufacturing capabilities. This has been a common practice throughout the history of baseball gloves- and, indeed throughout the history of consumer goods. If you buy a Sears Kenmore washing machine, you're getting a product made by Whirlpool in one of their plants. Sears doesn't have the ability to produce their own washing machines, so they contract the work out and the final product has a Kenmore label slapped on it.

Unfortunately, little more is known about the HK brand. The HK gloves I've seen seem to be from the late 1950's up into the 1960's. As such, they were part of the early wave of gloves imported from overseas. These companies popped up by the dozens as more and more products sold in America shifted to offshore production. Most came and went rather quickly and little is known about their history. Eventually, even the established American companies shifted most of their production overseas, taking advantage of the lower production costs, and spelling the end to most baseball gloves being made in this country.

Thanks Brett.

Ted