Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

Doing a little research for the Nocona glove website. Would like input on the following:
1. Most innovative Nokona gloves of the past
2. Most popular collectible Nokona gloves of the past.
3. Your most favorite Nokona glove of the past.
Thanks
TGC

Hi Joe,

Great topic. So many to choose from. Here's my two cents worth off the cuff:

1. Most Innovative - The Latch Basemitt
2. Most Collectible - Tony York G12, Joff Cross G33, Pinky Higgins G47 and Joe Jackson G42
3. Favorite - Larry Bettencourt 2 Finger, Bob Bundy 3 Finger, Charlie Engle 3 Finger and CC Peck Hamel Buckle Back

JD

Ya, lot's of great ones to choose from, so much so that It's almost easier to list the Nokonas I don't like than the ones I do.

1. Most Innovative - The Latch Basemitt is cool and how can you go wrong with the BM72 Latch Joe Jackson? I also like the B7 "semi-trap" and the BM71 Joe Jackson trapper basemitts which are both very close to ambidextrous. Some of the other features I like are the coiled and cross-laced webs of the Edward Tickey and Tommy Heath catchers mitts, the Ristankor wrist straps and added finger wells of many 50s/60s models, but my favorite innovative ones are probably the "seven finger" TST trapeze models. I mean even Sixto Lezcano thought that seven fingers were excessive (he had six toes). Some Jim Lemon TST10s have both the Tex Size trap and external finger well features.

2. Most Popular/Collectible - Easy to Get (but harder NM): Joff Cross G33, Tony York G12, Howard Pollet G50 or G51, G47 Pinkie Higgins, G56 Chico Carrasquel, any of the 3 fngers, and the modern kangaroos. Hard to Get: Joe Jackson SF, Joe Jackson BM71 and B7 trapper basemitts, and especially the Lutzke-style-3 Charlie Engle which I love!

3. Favorites - Charlie Engle Lutzke-style 3 finger by far, then my tub 'o Cross and York variations (favorite is the Cross with the Doak front web grommets), Joe Jackson BM71 and B7, G51 Howard Pollet, TST10 Jim Lemon (or unendorsed) trapeze, TST20-40 Don Mossi (or unendorsed) trapezes, Bob Bundy two or three fingers, my bomber-jacket-brown 3-finger from the early days (can't make out stamping), Eddie Chandler and Ray Moore 3 fingers, and then the G11 Jelly Sorele , 50s black G15B Karl Spooner, 50s Billy Martin G38 and G57 Karl Erskine, and 60s CM45 "Bulldog" catchers mitt. I don't own a Joe Jackson SF -- hint, hint -- or it would be high on the list.

I only have a couple of Nokona gloves, but hey, I always have an opinion I think it was pretty innovative of Nokona to offer the features usually found in high end models on their mid and lower priced models. My Chico Carrasquel G34 retailed for under $11 in 1956 yet it has a Ristankor strap, rolled piping, and a nice patch to boot! Pretty sure that Rawlings, Wilson, etc., didn't offer those features for that price. I picked up a Carl Erskine G37 at an antique store and honestly thought it was one of their top of the lines. It looks a lot like a Rawlings RR, same size and the same pocket lacing and made of really nice, supple leather, all for under $15 in '56. Definitely a lot of "bang for your buck". Their picture boxes look terrific, too.
I'm going with the Joe Jackson SF and that killer black Karl Spooner model as the Most Popular/Collectible.

I like a baseman mitt that being a T-48, A Trapper Model, being innovative, with instructions: "Place all fingers in this section with small and third fingers thru adjustable loop". My favorites would be the military fielders professional model US Army; and, of course the Joe Jackson professional model BM 82, The Latch.

Most Innovative - Latch and Ristankor

Most Collectible - Joe Jackson, Tony York and Joff Cross

Favorite - Tony York with the triangle/pryamid font endorsement

Thanks to all for participating in the voting. we'll suggest these be incorporated into the Nocona time table of history. Agee on the ristaknor and latch being the most innovative features. And Nocona has always been an experimenter in use of various skins and hides (remember the Brahma hide catchers mitts? We had a wide range of favorites and a lot mostly forgotten glove names. Whoever heard of
Joe Jackson???

my 2 cents:

most innovative: To the company itself, for continuing in the great tradition of making great gloves in the USA.

Most Collectible: Joe jackson model

Favorites: Turk Lown, Ozark, catchers mitts for Bragan, Broskie, Baich (and that's only the "Bs")