by BretMan » July 6th, 2007, 11:07 pm
The Wilson Ballhawk 4 models show up in their catalogs from 1950 through 1952. These were three-finger gloves (plus a thumb, hence the "4" designation).
I see an A2220 model listed, but nothing for an A2222. Perhaps this model number was slightly different to signify a left-handed glove.
Various models were sold in different sizes and with different levels of quality materials. It looks like these were usually mid-priced gloves, selling for about $10. In contratst, the Wilson line-up of fielders gloves listed anywhere from $2.95 up to $26.50 during those years.
These gloves were produced in great numbers and are found fairly easily today, so they are not super-rare or terribly valuable. But they are still cool old gloves and represent a unique era of glove design. The three-finger gloves were big in the 1950;s and most glove companies produced their own versions, most notably the Rawlings "Playmaker" series of gloves.
By the time the 60's rolled around, the three-finger gloves had fallen by the wayside, replaced with the next big marketing fad. Other companies have resurrected the three-finger design from time-to-time, even as recently as a couple of years ago with the Rawlings "Vice" series of gloves.