I need a glove identified and valued!

[ChiCubbies]

My uncle has been finding some old baseball items, and he does not know what they are or what value they have. I've decided to help him out, but with your help. I have a few pictures that I will post. The first one is a picture of the whole glove. The 2nd is a close up of the name on the glove.

http://s985.photobucket.com/albums/ae33 ... G_3671.jpg

http://s985.photobucket.com/albums/ae33 ... 3667-1.jpg

The name on the glove is Leo "Gabby" Hartnett. He was a Cub back in the 20s and 30s. Thats all I know about the glove. Also, theres a number on a strap and the number is 4255. What could this mean?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[BretMan]

I would say that the number on the wrist strap is a model number, and that the model number is indicitive of a glove sold through the Montgomery Ward retail chain and catalogs. As a retailer, MW of course didn't produce these gloves themselves. Rather, the gloves they sold were manufactured under contract by established sporting goods companies of the day, then stamped with special model numbers and logos. In fact, Joe Phillip's glove collecting guides show a model 4258 being sold by MW in 1938. This glove may have been produced by Wilson, as they seemed to have had Hartnett under contract around that time.

Late 30's to early 40's seems like a good estimate for this one, based on the style and design. From the looks of it, It impresses me as a mid-priced glove and the retail catalogs of the day bear that out. The Montgomery Ward model listed above sold for about $7, while top-of-the-line catcher's mitts of the day generally sold for at least twice that.

It wasn't unusual in those days for endorsed gloves from popular players to be sold well beyond the end of their playing days, or for such players to have gloves from multiple different companies and Hartnett fit that bill. This seemed to be even more common for catchers, as there were relatively fewer star players at that position compared to all the others on the field. Gabby was not only a star player in one of baseball's biggest markets, but also became a member of The Hall of Fame.

Many Hartnett gloves were produced and an adequate supply exists today to meet any collector demand. "Book value" for such a glove in "excellent" condition (which your's seem to be in) is $80 (though that does strike me as perhaps a little high in today's market).

Hope that helps!