State of the Glove Hobby

[vintagebrett]

I thought it would be fun to share your thoughts, ideas, critiques, etc. of the hobby at this point in time. From experienced to novice collector, I'd like to get your take on where the hobby is, what's working and what changes you think lie ahead.

Let me first preface this by saying that I'm generally an optimist - up until a few days ago I still thought the Red Sox would make the playoffs. So, if reading my takes looks like I have rose colored eye glasses on, it's just the way I look at things in general.

SALES
From a dealer perspective, I'm happy with how my sales have been. Having been around the hobby for 20 plus years, I've seen the highs and lows of pricing on different items. Some of those prices fluctuate constantly and some have gone the way of the dodo and don't think they'll be coming back. The internet, eBay, etc. have truly showed us what is rare and what is not. Just because the glove has an endorsement of a Hall of Famer doesn't mean you are going to get a good price for it. Like most hobbies, the higher quality the glove is and the better condition it's in, the price will grow. It seems that collectors who focused on a specific team or were looking to buy endorsed gloves, has ebbed and people looking for unique, quality items has risen. As a buyer/seller, I've found that you need to price accordingly and items that were $100 a few years back, may only bring a fraction of that today. However, items that weren't highly regarded years back are now hot and can fetch a pretty penny.

I have no problem selling sewn web gloves when I find them - they move quickly if priced correctly. The older items, I believe, will always have value. If you are looking to moves 1930's and 40's gloves, they need to be in playable shape and priced right. I generally can sell them in the $35 to $55 range. The 50's and 60's market seems to have peaked a few years back and some of the high prices we saw on Personal Model gloves and the ilk, have dropped a bit. There is still a strong demand for these models but the prices have cooled a bit.

BUYING
I've been happy with the prices I've paid for items for my own collection this past year. Like any collector, when you've been at it awhile, your tastes change, the get refined and as your collection grows, the items you seek become harder to come by. To me, it's more fun to add a really nice glove once every couple of months then add something I don't really need each week. My buying at flea markets and antique shows has been slower this year - it's one of those cycles where there isn't much coming out - I'm sure that will change at some point - I've been through a few of these dry patches before.

THE FUTURE?
I think there are going to be lots of gloves coming up for sale in the next few years. I've had the opportunity to check out some nice collections the past year of people who don't have an internet presence but have been collecting a long time. For the most part, they understand the changes in the glove market and understand that some of the items they paid well for many years ago, they aren't going to see a return on investment. When gloves that have been in these collections for 20 plus years starting hitting the market, I think they'll be a renewed interest from the collecting community. I think we do need to attract more collectors to the glove world. I think that all of the TV shows about decoration and finding antiques are going to help guide people to gloves - they work as decorative piece, can be considered art, they are a tool, hand made, can have a folk arty appearance - many attractions.

[Number9]

I'm with you on the optimism, Brett. In light of recent events, I'm even more a fan of the Red Sox.

One thing that I've learned in my three years as a "dealer" (ha! imagine that) is that you can't really predict the market. My solution to that is to say "the hell with it" and I focus on things that I like and would want to own and display. The items that I buy under that simple premise have sold really well for me. I burn myself when I step outside of that basic philosophy and try to flip something that I'm not that into, solely for the sake of cash. I guess that makes me more of a collector at heart than a "dealer", but so be it. One of the things that I love about collecting, and collectors in general, is that there is always a buyer for everything. The card guys run the gamut from gem mint to beaters, and likewise, gloves have the same range. My personal leanings lately have been toward to nice looking gloves (amongst other things), that aren't necessarily pristine, but have great display qualities. I love the quirky and beautiful stuff, and yet there seems to be no end to the demand for cheap beaters.

Advice for anyone dropping in on the forum or looking to get into the hobby: regardless of what you're into, find something that speaks to you and have fun with it. There's so much interesting stuff out there that you'll never get bored with it.

[Number9]

Another thought to chew on..... As a fairly young hobby at 20-25ish years, many of those years with a small group of dedicated collectors, it was easy for one or two people to completely change the market. As those people drop out of contention for various reasons the market inevitably changes. What is encouraging in a broad sense is that our world is becoming faster and more accessible and anyone who may see a vintage glove in an antique store or in the background of a tv show can do some simple digging and end up finding our community. The more that people participate, actively or passively, it makes it harder to blip the radar outside of true rarities in style or condition and prices tend to settle a bit. The fierce competition is always most evident at the top. I think it's only natural for some gloves in the middle to drop off a bit as the market expands and there is more to choose from on any given day.

[Rickybulldog]

Thanks Brett and William. I enjoyed reading your takes on the hobby.

Sales
For the most part I would have to agree with Brett on pricing. I don’t feel like I am walking away from glove auctions with a lot of profit in hand. It seems as a whole I’m either getting what I had into the glove or breaking even (some do well and some not so well). It seems like the pre 20’s sewn webs and crescents and high quality items are in high demand these days and fetch fair to high prices. Most endorsed items are falling into reasonable prices (imo) and may be due to collector’s want list being completed and things that were once considered rare/ hard to find are not as scarce as we once thought (Are George Selkirk gloves truly very rare now?).

Buying
Ebay still is a nice venue to pick up gloves and find deals. It’s not as fun as actually finding a glove at a flea market, but it has curbed my buying “anything and everything” at flea markets. If it’s a good deal I’ll pick it up, but if I can find something similar on Ebay, I’ll just wait until it pops up in a month or two. Having Ebay turn out so many gloves, I think it has made a lot of us patient and more selective in our collecting and when we buy.
As far as Ebay sellers go, I’m still not buying that certain sellers have a following and always get high prices. I think there are some great glove sellers who are honest and fair, but there are some auctions where we all are left scratching our heads when the hammer falls. I’m all for high/strong prices and for the excitement of our hobby; I just hope things are on the up and up. Auction ending still seems to be out there, and I have my own views on that, and have had many auctions I was considering bidding on ended abruptly. I try to get to the seller first and let them run their course, but now ask them to contact me if they feel a need to sell. If you can’t beat em’, join em’ I guess. You can hate me now.

For the past 2-3 years, I have participated in bigger auctions/ auction houses and have had some success. As one collector once told me this is where the “Big boys play” and boy was he right. Chances of walking away with a deal a la Ebay are slim, but you do get quality merchandise. Some recent information on auction house bidding and restoration has kind of turned me off on things, but I still check the catalogs periodically.

Future
Quite honestly this is a bizarre hobby as in involvement. I go to Net54 and see guys in other hobbies (cars) and they love to share and show off the things they acquire. Is it that people in our hobby are secretive or are most collectors not that much into technology? I’m not as well versed in glove companies or glove issue dates as others and may not jump in on topics of that nature, but I try to share photos of gloves/ stories that hopefully people enjoy seeing. I applaud some of the newer guys (mlangley5 to name one) for sharing some photos of gloves they have picked up recently, it’s refreshing to see new gloves and hear new ideas rather than the usual suspects. I think Brett, with his forum, William, with his restoration work, and JD and Rob with their sites have done a great job of moving us forward and taking the baton passed by Joe (TGC). Kudos to you all, I have learned a lot. I am blessed to have met so many new friends on here and cherish the friendships that have developed.
One thing I would like to see is more glove get- togethers (possibly regional ones). If you have ever been to a National, it is always fun to talk with folks about the hobby and to work out possible deals. One drawback to the National, is having it only in the Midwest and East Coast is difficult especially for collectors on the west coast.