Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

Plenty to choose from this week, with the Spalding (maybe Foxx) model mitt topping the list...

I knew this was a great looking, absolutely high-end mitt, but wasn’t sure what I was seeing when it broke $300…$400…$500…$600. I then looked at our trusty source book and found the Spalding 221-51 model in the 1938 catalog associated with the Jimmie Foxx endorsement. The glove was bought by a forum member, so it would be interesting to find out if there is a Foxx endorsement on the glove because I don’t believe the seller ever mentions one. This glove sold for $660 on 16 bids.



I think the “Ripon Knitting Works Leather Divisionâ€

burker,

As always, the posts and updates are appreciated. Between the holiday rush and being in the middle of a time-consuming job search, I haven't been able to pore over all the eBay auctions like I usually do. This time around, I only had a couple of those nice gloves on my Watch List.

Your "Glove of the Week" postings are like when you have to miss "the big game" you've been dying to see, but have to settle for watching the recap and highlights on "Sports Center"!

Another import makes the weekly list- Jackie Robinson gloves seem to be hot of late, whereas these could be found rather cheaply for many years. This looks like a case of the endorser's fame outweighing the actual glove's pedigree- perhaps deservedly so considering Jackie's historical role in baseball.

Maybe it's time to move the Caprico that I posted back last summer (you can see a photo here: Robison Glove) It's a clean glove, but doesn't seem as well-made, or as rare, as the 999A model.

Hi Geoff,

The reason I went as high as I did for the Spalding basemitt is simply that the Foxx endorsement is actually very clear on the glove (unless I'm seeing things). I had it on my watch list and looked at it at a point about half way through the auction. Someone had pointed it out to the seller and sure enough there it was in black right along the upper part of the palm, just beneath the deep pocket. Can't wait to receive it. In fact it should show up today. I've always had one of these on my wish list. I'm thrilled to have won one. By the way, Merry Christmas to everyone on the Forum. It's been an exciting year.

It's a Foxx, without a doubt... here's a link to a LHT Spalding model 151... Very nice pickup, it's a fantastic mitt!!!

http://www.baseballglovecollector.com/g ... 0Jerry.jpg

http://www.baseballglovecollector.com/g ... 0Jerry.jpg

Hi Guys, Burker I apprecitate nice job with the glove reviews. I enjoy your commentary about the gloves and mitts. Thanks.

I am the one who bought the ugly duckling glove this week. Softball 66 described my glove as a well preserved Australian land crab. So, it is a bit of an odd duck or crab or whatever.

I was hoping this glove might become a part of my glove collection, whether it be a crab or a duck. LOL It is a unique glove that one might describe as a novelty glove. It is an early ambidextrous glove, I believe it might be from the 1920's. Hunt auction had one a long time ago that seemed to be very much the same glove style. It was described as an ambidextrous glove from the 1920's. While you see several MG snare gloves, and I like them too, one just does not see these old timers come up to surface hardly at all. The one from the Hunt Auction seems to be owned by Mike Ellis and his glove and this Ripon glove are now located on JD's website next to each other under the header of Novelty gloves.

IF you look at Mike's and this one they look to both be the same glove with the exception of leather color. There is an earlier version of an ambidextrous glove on JD's website that has a 1 inch strap between the fingers and the thumbs that likely ca. around the early 1900's. I am thinking the one I got must be the one circulated in the 1920's and I am now wondering if Ripon was the only producer of these gloves as these are the only 2 I can remember ever seeing. If anyone has more info. on this old timer I would love to hear more

. An interesting thing about this glove is a person can use the draw lace on each side of the thumb areas to turn the glove into a glove for a lefty or for a righty. Thus, the ambidextrous aspect of the glove becomes evident.

I have placed the old glove as a focal point on the top shelf of one of my glove lofts.

Best wishes to all the glovers this Christamas

Dave

Stockbuddy,

Thank you for the insightful commentary on that glove. I also remember an ambi glove in a Hunt auction awhile ago that had a very hefty price tag. I suspect your glove would have gone for much more had it been promoted as such. I was thinking that the lacing on the glove looked a bit different, a very unique approach to delivering the ambidextrous feature.

I guess Ripon Knitting was a rather innovative group, between this and their zipper heel.

Thanks Burker,

I just have a fondness for the old gloves and particularly the ones that are different. The old ambi glove you might have seen on Hunt's auction was likely the same one I saw and the price was more than double this one. I suspect there were a few who might have known what they were looking at or who just realized it was so different they wanted to go for it. I am just glad to pick this one up for the collection. The duckweb glove seems to fit into this category of a novelty glove and so does a tornado palm and a pita mitt. There all tough to come by, so just having one is a cool thing. Of course, having them all would be nice too. This glove had no ink writing and was in very nice condition and I decided to basically leave the glove as is. It was in too nice of condition and the darkness on pocket area on the front of the glove just seemed to add character to the glove and so I did not try to clean it. I would bet this glove was quite a conversation piece even back in the 1920's when it likely came out. Probably did not fly to long and my guess is I may not see another one for a long time. Watch, now that I say that we will probably see one listed on ebay tonight. LOL

Dave

Burker, Below is the link to the glove on JD's website. I think what you might be noticing on the lace diffence between his and mine is that his draw laces on each of the thumbs must be pulled inward towards the glove liner. I could have done this glove the same way, but I kind of liked the idea of having each draw string hang out a little to show how the glove might be adjusted and to show the symmetry of the glove.

Catch you later.
Dave

If this link does not work, you might just try Novelty gloves header at JD's Website. Both of the gloves are there now.

http://www.baseballglovecollector.com/g ... y+Back.JPG

Dave