The 1929 patent "Eddie Farrell" "Sam Hale" & "OOW" gloves

[mikesglove]

This is a peculiar looking Reach patent of 1929 that on the surface seemed like it would not make it in to production. I say this because the 3/4" tapered strap with sewn attachment to the thumb,first and second finger would be prone to breaking and that would be the end of it.

This design was a top of the line model in 1929, the "Eddie Farrell" model at $8.50

farrell.JPG (11.5 KiB) Viewed 3925 times

The Eddie Farrell Spalding glove below from the Ralph Noistering collection is really stunning. I was mistaken about the fragility of the strap web. It looks plenty beefy and well attached to last a long time. The Reach patent was aimed at creating a trap web to draw the thumb and first finger together around the caught ball. The Spalding ad boasted about adding one more inch to the catching surface of the glove

In addition to the Spalding glove, Reach, Wright & Ditson made a "Sam Hale" model with the same patent design. It was their top of the line model as well.

An interesting variation of this design is the Reach "OOW" model below which features the strap between the thumb and forefinger only

[mikesglove]

I added a couple of more models of this patent from ebay and baseballglovecollector.com.

[okdoak]

That Reach OOW is a favorite of mine and I sure wouldn't mind adding and Eddie Farrell or Sam Hale to my small collection. Great patent info (as always) Mike! Really enjoy reading your posts. Whatever they're paying you, you deserve more.

[mikesglove]

Thanks for the comments! It is a relaxing diversion and a nice way to unwind from the day.
Mike