I don't see that particular Gibson model in the Catalog Source Book, but there is enough info there to take a good guess. My guess would be 1969-1970.
1970 was the first year that a Gibson-endorsed glove appeared in the Spalding catalogs. But the model number was different. In 1970 Spalding listed a 42-321 model endorsed by Don Drysdale and the Gibson model was 42-323.
It wasn't unusual for sporting goods companies to rush a glove with a "hot" endorsement into production, or to slip in some gloves that weren't in their catalogs to capitalize on a popular player. It would be easy to envision Spalding doing this following Gibson's dominating performance in the 1968 World Series. They very well could have signed him to an endorsement deal too late in the "model year" to give the glove its own model number or get it into the 1969 catalog before it was published.
Beginning in 1971, Spalding began using four digit model numbers (following the "42-" prefix). That makes it less likely that your glove was produced after 1970. They did produce a Gibson model throught out the rest of the decade and the model number for that one was 42-3321.
On to the laces...
Triple C makes some great laces, but I got the same story you did when I contacted them- laces would be sold only in bundles of 100. Some members of this forum have told me that they will sell smaller bundles. That's not what Triple C told me and I didn't really persue it any further.
I ordered a few laces from Triple D about 18 months ago and they were decent laces- a little pricey once the shipping was added in, but they had some unusual colors I couldn't find anywhere else. The next time I wanted to order a few, their website had been taken down! I just assumed that they were out of business. Now I see that they have moved to a new website with a different address.
Their laces weren't bad, but their customer service was a little slow in responding to my emails. The other problem I had was that their automated ordering system would add staggering amounts for shipping costs, like $20 to ship ten laces. I had to email the owner several times before he told me that their ordering system doesn't work right and he sent me different totals for the shipping.
If they have the shipping charge issue worked out and would be more responsive to customer inquiries, I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again. Until then, they just seem a little shaky to deal with.
I don't have any experience with Zack White Leather, but would like to see some samples of their laces before even thinking about placing an order. If teh quality of their laces is anything like Tandy, another leather supplier, they aren't really all that suitable for baseball gloves.
Here are a couple possible sources you might try:
Tanner's requires you to set up an account with them, so if you call tell them that's what you want to do right up front. They do not make retail sales to the general public. I set up an account with no problem. You will have to buy laces in bundles of 25. But they will only run about $1.50 each, or less, at that price, even after paying for shipping. These are thick, high quality laces made specifically for modern high-end baseball gloves.
In fact, these laces are so thick that sometimes they don't look right on older vintage gloves that originally had thinner laces. For those gloves, I order their single-packaged Rawlings laces and those will run about $1.75 each with shipping- just a little more than half what you'd pay in a retail outlet.
Here is their website:
http://www.tanners.com/index.htm
USA Sports Direct is a supplier I just came across recently and have not yet ordered from. They sell the same laces used in Glovesmith gloves, so they should be quality laces. They aren't the cheapest, but are a little less than full retail and they offer some different colors. Might be worth a look.
USA Sports Direct:
http://www.usasportsdirect.com/Baseball ... -Laces.htm
If all else fails, drop me a line at the email address on my "Glove Shop" website (see link below in my signature). I don't normally sell individual laces, but might be able to come up with something for you.