While doing research on the 1888 Joe Gunson mitt, I was amazed at all the gloves and mitts the players had a hand in designing: the Morrill mitt, the Irwin glove,the Buck Ewing mitt, and others. Some of the 19th century sporting goods manufacturing companies were also started by ex-ballplayers, such as A.G Spalding, George Wright and Al Reach. From the other end of the spectrum comes Henry Price, owner of the Rockford Mitten and Hosiery Co. of Illinois. His core business was designing and manufacturing hand and work gloves. The leather crown shape in the center of the work glove below was a key design element allowing the back of the glove to expand while the user grasped a tool. A very innovative design that protected the finger seams from ripping. Although not meant as a baseball glove, this design comes into play some decades later.
Henry Price saw the burgeoning baseball glove industry in the 1880's and was able to seize the opportunity and expand into the sporting goods realm with this 1887 fingerless baseball glove. It was invented by John Blomstrom as an assignor for Henry Price. This glove designed proved popular and was sold through the A.G. Spalding Sporting Goods Catalog. Henry Price may have formed a connection with Albert Spalding early on because Spalding played baseball and rose to prominence in Rockford, Illinois as pitcher for the Rockford Forest City Baseball team fromhttp://www.baseballglovecollector.com
Henry Price also ventured into the new area of the padded catchers mitt that became popular circa 1890.