Finds From Last Weekend

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Finds From Last Weekend

Postby BretMan » June 21st, 2006, 11:08 am

Finally had a chance this past weekend to hit a few antique shows and flea markets in my area. Since the spring and summer season started, it seems like I've been tied up every weekend and this is the first chance I've had to hit any shows.

The first show I hit was in Springfield, Ohio. It is both indoors and out and a fairly large show with about 300 dealers. I almost always find a good glove or two at this show.

I was surprised to find even more gloves here than usual! Saw some buckle back first base mitts and catcher mitts, some nice split fingered gloves and a mix of newer stuff.

There is one guy that sets up at this show who carries all sorts of sports memorabilia and brings about 300 gloves with him every time. He had gloves ranging from early 20th century white leather Spaldings to modern HOH and A2000 models.

The only problem is that he wants top- and sometimes more than top!- dollar for his gloves. I had fun looking through his stock and talking a little leather, but ultimately made no purchases.

The only glove I bought at this show was a clean mid-priced Mizuno for a whopping six bucks. A very nice little glove that will go to my grandson who is in his first year of Little League baseball. Of course, it will probably get a couple of new laces and a thorough conditioning before it does!

What I did buy was an old matching set of his and her's Schwinn cruiser bikes in nice shape and good working order. I don't really collect these, but they were cool looking and my wife and I were looking at buying a couple of new bikes anyway.

These were marked at $180 for the pair. The dealer said he'd take $100, so I took the bikes!

A little research found that these bikes were built in 1969. Bike collecting is a hobby as esoteric as glove collecting and I'll probably be searching for a few vintage parts for these bikes on the internet. There are miles of paved bike trails near my house and we've already had them out for a couple of trips.

These two bikes have turned some heads, as their full fenders, upright handle bars and retro frames make them really stand out from the typical mountain bikes cruising around today. They're a blast to ride!

My next stop was a smaller outdoor show in Logan, Ohio with maybe 150 dealers. Not much there, only saw a couple of gloves, nothing too special.

One glove I did buy there has little or no historical or collectible value, but was a special find for me.

It is a MacGregor SB4 softball model from about 1980. The reason it is special to me is that I bought one of these new back in the day and used it as a "player" for about ten years. I didn't know then what I know now about glove care and had given this glove a couple of good soakings of glove oil, as well as rubdowns with saddle soap and mink oil. YUCK! It saw heavy use, the leather was trashed, the lining disintergrated and it was finally replaced with a Rawlings softball glove about ten years ago.

I still have the original glove. It's been relaced and is usable, but it's a wreck. I managed to find one like it on eBay last year, but itthat one's so nice that I didn't want to use it! The one I found the other day is clean and in great shape, with some sun fading on the back and a small amount of fading ink. It's getting all new laces and will be put into service this season!

This is an unusual glove in that it is a three-fingered glove made when three-fingers were almost unheard of. It has an open back and a unique web that is similar to the old Rawlings "Big Wheel" web. It really collapses around the ball. It's a big glove, measuring about 13.5 inches.

A nice "blast from the past" for me and it set me back a whole four dollars!

My last stop was an indoor antique mall, also in Logan. Not much there, with the exception of one dealer who always has about a dozen various old gloves. Some decent old split fingers, some 1950's Nokona's and this is the same guy that has the "uncataloged" J.C. Higgins #1673 Mickey Mantle glove I mentioned on another thread.

His prices are sky high, but the Mantle glove had been dropped from $95 to $65. No purchases here, but a nice bunch of gloves to sort through.

All-in-all, not a bad weekend looking for leather!
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BretMan
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Postby vintagebrett » June 21st, 2006, 7:01 pm

THanks for the story Bretman! I've been toying with the idea of heading down to that show in Springfield, OH - I like looking at gloves even if they are overpriced.
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Postby BretMan » June 21st, 2006, 11:26 pm

It's not a bad show and, for me, is only about a 45 minute drive.

Here is a schedule and some more information:

http://www.springfield-clarkcountyohio. ... market.htm

Three times each summer they have what they call their "Extravaganza" shows, which run Friday through Sunday. These shows are huge, much larger than the usual monthly shows. Plan on a full day if you want to hit every booth at the big shows!

Located within a couple miles of the fairgrounds are several giant antique malls. I would estimate these malls to hold in well excess of 500 seperate booths. I usually find a few gloves there, too! You could probably spend the better part of another day going through these malls alone.

Just my luck- during their next "Extravaganza" show, I'll be out of town on vacation. Might be back for the last day of the show if I'm lucky.
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