Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

Given all that's been said already about the gloves and boxes in Legendary's auction, they threw a curve ball at us and highlighted the Spalding Ruth Glove Box on the cover of the catalog. There's absolutely no question that the graphics on the box are magnificent, arguably the prettiest glove box ever made. However, it's also been duly noted ( both in the lot description and here on the forum) that the box has gone through SIGNIFICANT restoration. With that, do you believe that having this extremely rare, yet far from original, box on the cover of the catalog is good for the glove collecting hobby?

You can put me down for two and three as well. I do believe there is a time and place for restoration work in our hobby but an auction house bears the burden of full disclosure. Although The decision to restore an item rest in the owners hands, I disagree with having work done on this particuar piece. Maybe not so much the act of having it worked on but moreso the degree of and creativity in the work performed. I have never been a card collector and really know nothing about when and if restoration work is done within the card hobby. Would the cream of the crop boxes of our hobby be given the same credence and concern in term of restoration as the top specimens of the card collecting world ?


TFN

I have mixed feelings on the issue. I don't mind that the box was restored as long as that information is made know. However I don't think it should have been the cover piece of the catalog. I understand an auction house tries to bring in as much money as possible, but its a red herring. Even though the item is listed as having considerable restoration, that may not be evident in a picture. It's purely a draw to get as much attention as possible. I think once a person reads the description, after all the hype that has been made, they will be disuaded from bidding. It may even have a negetive impact on the auction house as a whole. People don't like being duped. I don't think the face of the auction should be an item that could be misconstrued for something it's not.

This is one of those rare pieces that transcends the category that it is housed in. Being a Ruth piece, it is highly desirable to many collectors in and out of the glove hobby, and if properly publicized, potentially even reaching to collectors who wouldn't consider themselves baseball collectors. So, knowing that, even a tattered example should be preserved in some way.

I don't think that the act of restoration in and of itself is a detriment to the piece. However, as evidenced by the opinion of the board, improper technique is definitely an issue. This box could have been restored by a paper specialist who would have properly cleaned, assembled and restored the box to its original glory. Sadly, this restoration didn't go far enough, in my opinion. Rather than treating it on the surface, it should have been repaired down to the fibers of the paper.

Here's my hypothetical wind-back-the-clock answer, if anyone were to ask. I'm assuming two things here. (1) this work was done for the auction, and (2) that the box was in really bad shape to start. Bearing these assumptions in mind, I would have recommended a minor structural restoration that would have restored the structural integrity of the box while keeping a high level of originality. That would have kept everything out in the open and allowed the next owner the opportunity to decide the proper course of action. If the box were mine, I would go this route. Also, if I were the winning bidder on a box handled in this way, I'd leave it without further restoration. For my money, I'd want it to be stable and functional, but still show evidence of its age. Fragile and falling apart would bring on instant buyer's remorse within me.

There's my 2 cents.

Number9 wrote:I'd want it to be stable and functional, but still show evidence of its age.

That's where I land as well, but am one of those happy to see this particular one on the cover.

I really like the show American Restoration but am often dissapointed with the level of restoration on some items. Sure, on a gas pump that is rusted out with bullet holes and missing parts, restoring it to near new is pretty cool. On the items with minor issues and most of the original paint (although faded or chipped) it bugs me when they do the full monty. They just lose that patina and history when completely redone in my opinion. They have mad skills, though!

Here are before and after shots of the box, for quick comparison. The face of the box is completely detached from three side panels and the top panel is missing (now replaced with a new, black panel without graphics). Soiling and writing have been removed or colored over.

Looks as though the fourth side panel (above Ruth's head) was completely replaced. I think that was probably the right move. As for the rest of it, I don't know that I'd change my previous position. I think it would have been really nice with minor structural fixes. Anyway, I hope John does really well with it. It's too nice of a box to not do well.

Does anyone want to see a Ken Wel Gehrig zipper box

murphusa wrote:Does anyone want to see a Ken Wel Gehrig zipper box

Sure... did you use Photoshop or the tried and true cut, tape and paint method like Legendary?

At the Crayola Creative Factory you can do anything

who did the repair?

Someone for John or the auction house?

murphusa wrote:Does anyone want to see a Ken Wel Gehrig zipper box

murphusa wrote:At the Crayola Creative Factory you can do anything

Be creative with it... instead of a removable lid, try to incorporate a zipper opening to the box! Extra credit if you use the cyan crayon!

Jerry, I think you're on to something here. Those beautiful drawstring bags aren't going to cut it anymore.

After seeing the photos, I would have left it alone. I think they ruined it.

Scott

If anyone here has non glove collecting friends I'd love to hear their opinion.

I'm in the camp that it's cool that it's on the cover but I wish the restoration was done a little differently. I've had William do work on two boxes for me it - it was all structural - and I'm very happy with them. William, you should email legendary with your resume and maybe you can get a new client and the winning bidder would get something done correctly.