Henry Price, 19th century glovemaker

[mikesglove]

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.

1885 leather work glove.

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

note the two distinctive leather tabs at the middle and ring finger. They are used to pull the glove off the hand.

1890 Spalding catalog

note the two leather tabs on this fingerless baseball glove

fromhttp://www.baseballglovecollector.com


Henry Price also ventured into the new area of the padded catchers mitt that became popular circa 1890.

1891 catchers mitt with finger guard. Invented by A. Haegg, an assignor to Henry Price

1891 catchers mitt joined around the perimeter with metal snaps. Also an elastic wrist strap. Pretty cool!

[mikesglove]

I mentioned earlier how this 1885 patent work glove design figured in later baseball glove inventions

Burt Kennedy used this same principle in the Ken-Wel patent of 1924 of an expanding leather back to allow the fingers to cup a baseball more effortlessly. Notice the peaked design of the reinforcement panels, similar to the Blomstrom/Price patent above

This 1955 Stall and Dean wingtip patent uses the 1885 Blomstrom/Price design as a cited reference in the patent documentation.

[softball66]

Marvelous info! And yes, the men using the tools probably knew best what would have worked and how, ala Bill Doak. I ran across a Billy Southworth expandable web idea in the 1920s Rawlings catalog.
Now, I'm assuming that the "expandable back" allows the fingers to curl more easier for a better cupped pocket, rather than being stiffly formed in the old style. And wondering if this (idea and Stall and Dean later use) is the predecessor to Rawlings Wingtip Design, which accomplishes the same function, easier to bend the back of the glove??

[mikesglove]

Yes Joe, the Stall and Dean design patent expired almost to the day that Rawlings applied for the Wingtip patent. Latina recognized a good idea and went with it to great success!

Rawlings "Wingtip" patent circa 1971

[Number9]

Great info Mike! I make two of the gloves that you've shown above. The Price fingerless catcher's glove with pull tabs (great to have a name attached to this now, btw) that I make is a little different, not sure if it is earlier or later, but my model is more elaborate in it's stitching details. The other glove that I make is the light weight glove that has the button on the back. That glove has seen some action and has been modified. It originally came with a snap closure. Also, the "pull tabs" that you pointed out are actually leather strips that divide the fingers. They're shown lying flat in that photo which make them look like loops or pull tabs.

1880Catchers2.jpg (55.82 KiB) Viewed 16960 times

1870Fingerless1_2.jpg (63.21 KiB) Viewed 16960 times

[vintagebrett]

Here's another one of those Wing Tip looking gloves - probably made by another company for R.H. Macy but still neat.

[mikesglove]

Brett, I think this may be the patent for the glove you posted. it's by Denkert in 1926. Pretty innovative for 1926!

[vintagebrett]

Mike, thanks - that definitely looks like the same pattern. I appreciate the information.

[ebbets55]

Here's my Norman with a similar back to the patent.

JD

[mikesglove]

It's exciting when a simple sales invoice can lead to a voyage of discovery.
The invoice in question refers to a shipment of baseball
gear to E.G. Koenig in May 1887 from A.G Spalding.
The Spalding models 4-0 and 2-0 catching and throwing
gloves were part of the order.


Below is a photo of E.G. Koenig General Sporting Goods Store in Newark, NJ.
Note the Spalding advertisment in the window. The photo is from
http://www.antiquesportscollector.com A worthwhile site to peruse.


The top model Spalding 4-0 catching glove on the right was new for 1887 and sported a patented
one piece palm while the throwing glove still retains a sewn on thumb. The 1886 illustration
on the left is for comparison.


By 1888 both throwing and catching gloves featured the patented one piece face.


Below is the patent illustration for the one piece palm.
The illustration depicts a throwing glove. The patent documents included the option
for a full fingered glove.


The inventor, John Blomstrom, was a superindent of Henry Price Glove Co. of Rockford, Illinois.
The glove factory was one of the largest operations in the U.S.


Henry Price was also one of the backers of the Forest Citys baseball team and ball park in the 1860's.
Albert Spalding was a star pitcher for the Forest Citys at the time.
Through the 1880's into 1891, A.G. Spalding & Bros. entered into a contractual agreement with
the Henry Price Glove Co. regarding the patent.

Below is a primo example of a Spalding one piece face glove.
The glove was bought at an estate sale for $40 and later auctioned for $7750.
I could not find an image of an 1887 one piece face throwing glove.


In 1889 Spalding became the sole supplier of the Irwin glove(previously supplied by D&M).
Spalding initially gave the Irwin glove a model no. 25A in 1889.


Spalding subsequently made the Irwin glove their top glove model 4-0 in 1890
as shown below. The Irwin glove was unique for the diverted thumb seam.




By 1890 Spalding had developed a line of catchers mitts in addition to their catching gloves.
The throwing glove is a new design. Note the one piece face of the throwing glove
is achieved by a diverted thumb seam.


The newly designed throwing glove was patented by George Kohler as an assignor
to A.G. Spalding.


Below is a primo example of the newly designed throwing glove.


The throwing glove has the Spalding logo stamped inside the palm. It is plainly visible.
Not so easy to see is the patent stamp above the logo. It reads patented April 15, 1890.

[mikesglove]

The Kohler patent above doesn't really apply to the Spalding glove given as an example. Don't know what I was thinking. The Kohler patent would apply to the Spalding model A throwing glove shown below.