Pretty cool 1947 ad for the MacGregor Goldsmith "Snare" model base mitt with the "shoehorn" style web. Developed by Goldsmith in the mid 1930's, this webbing was abandoned in 1948-49 for a choice between the traditional "trapper" style or the new "Snare" model incorporating an intricate tunnel webbing.
Ken-Wel came in a little late in the game but put on a full court media press in the 1920-30's with many star players of the day endorsing their gloves and mitts. The first to do so was George Burns of the NY Giants. His glove was the only endorsed model in 1922.
Another ad about the same time was on the top of this glove box. It's rare and one of the nicest you will see.
Draper & Maynard was one of the best if not the best at marketing their gloves and mitts. Below is a nice ad from 1925 featuring Walter Johnson.
D&M was market savvy even at the dawn of baseball glove manufacturing. Below is one of my favorites from the late 1880's while D&M was still located in the Ashland plant. I like how Arthur Irwin marketed his gloves to the extent of giving out his personal address at the bottom of the ad.
Here's an interesting 1892 ad from "The Sporting Life" for the "Buck Ewing Mitt". The ad also describes the demise of Keefe & Becannon Sporting Goods and the subsequent listing of the Ewing Mitt with A.G. Spalding.
The sporting goods company of Keefe and Becannon had exclusive rights to the Buck Ewing mitt because Ewing, Keefe and Becannon were all Team mates at one time in New York. Keefe and Ewing were long time battery mates from their beginning with the Troy Trojans in 1880. Alec Smith of Troy NY. was an upholsterer at the time and designed and made a catchers mitt using ticking, horse hair and feathers. Ticking is a heavy weight, tightly woven cotton fabric used for pillows and mattress covers. There is a plaque at the Hall of Fame honoring Troy Trojans as a fore runner to the national league Giants and crediting Alec Smith with inventing the first catchers mitt in 1880. It may have looked something like this.
Four interesting Wilson ads. One nice thing about old ads is they sometimes depict gloves/mitts that haven't surfaced in the hobby yet. That's the case with the first ad depicting the Wilson centennial line of glove and mitts for 1939. The centennial glove box isn't too shabby either.
circa 1946-47
I think this is a cardboard counter display.
The 1967 A2000 glove below looks like it borrowed form the Rawlings "Dual Step-Down Palm" design. This A2000 is popular among collectors.
Before the Rawlings "Bill Doak" glove came the Goldsmith "Wilbur Cooper" model SF. An ad below from 1922 shows a Goldsmith model not yet surfaced in the hobby. The model SF was made for only one year with the Doak style trap webbing.
By 1924 the model SF sported the tunnel loop web.
Last edited by mikesglove on March 29th, 2015, 1:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Some rarities. A 1937 D&M two finger "Les Munns" model G17. The glove/mitt was designed as a pitchers model to knock down ground balls up the middle and to better hide the baseball during the pitching motion. On a lot of collectors want list.
A 1922 Goldsmith "Illustrated Lion" web finger model TB. Interesting that the ad states the glove as a combination fielders/first base model.
A 1924 variation of the model TB, this one endorsed by "Stanley Coveleski". It features the newly patented tunnel loop web.
I assumed the model TB was discontinued after 1924. It actually continued on in 1925 but was listed in the first base mitt section only of the Goldsmith catalog under model FB. It featured the web fingers, out-seam construction and extra lacing up the pinky. Now there is a glove to give a collector pause. I would love to add this one to my collection.
1926 brought a redesign of the web finger model and the glove was prominent in the Goldsmith catalog as the "Big Leaguer" model BL. It was endorsed by "Heine Groh" and was there flagship model for about 5 years. I owned one a long time ago. It is a cool glove.
More Goldsmith rarities. First, a 1917 ad featuring three professional series base mitts leading off with the Hall Chase model. All three feature the buckle web.
Second, A 1925 "Rube Bressler" model BK base mitt. Nice combination buckle back with lacing adjustment.
Some D&M rarities. First, a Buzz Arlett model from 1934. This is a "glove thumb" design with no lacing running up to the top of the thumb. Instead the perimeter lacing is diverted around the back to end at the wrist opening. This was a popular model made for about 5 years and also endorsed by Ed Morgan and Babe Dahlgren. On a lot of collector want lists.
An interesting diverted finger seam design on this 1929 Hugh Critz model. It harkens back to the Reuben Raymond patent of 1922. Cool looking glove.
Classic back panel design on this 1937 Gus Suhr model. It was D&M's top model base mitt. A lot of whistles and bells on this one.
First, a 1938 "Billy Herman" model 605 glove. Double tunnel webbing spanning from thumb to middle finger. Kind of foreshadowing the Sonnett model incorporating the fore finger into the webbing. very cool looking glove.
Second, a 1939 "Clyde Shoun" model 621, similar to the Goldsmith "Valdez Modelo" glove accept with a T-web. Another cool one.