TO OWNER EXPENSIVE MANTLE GLOVE WORLDS SERIES 50'S

[spencerzach]

HI, I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING MANTLE GLOVES FOR YEARS AND WAS VERY INTERESTED TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR SPECIAL GLOVE, THE WORLD SERIES MANTLE GLOVE THE 'HH'. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE SOME ANGLES OF THE WRIST STRAP AND SOME CLOSE UPS OF THE PALM. FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS I HAVE BEEN REASEACHING SUBTLE DIFFERENCES IN THE MANTLE GLOVES USING MAGNIFICATION RIGHT DONE TO THE STITCHING. I HAVE FOUND ALL SORT OF FONT DIFFERENCES FROM YEAR TO YEAR. ALSO LEFT OUT WORDS IN THE PATENT AREA. DID YOU KNOW WHICH I AM SURE YOU DO THE SNUGGER STRAP DIFFERENCES ON THE MANTLE GLOVES FROM 1954 THROUGHT 1959. I KNOW THE GLOVE IS AN "HH" BUT MANY OF THE RAWLINGS CHANGES CARRIED OVER THE DIFFERENT PLAYER EDITIONS.
I AM DEVELOPING AN IDENTIFICATION BOOK FOR MANTLE GLOVES AND IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE A SERIES OF PICTURES OF YOUR GLOVE IN THE DONOR SECTION OF SPECIAL MANTLE ITEMS. GOT SOME GREAT ONE OF A KIND DONATIONS ALREADY.

[DaveGrob]

I too have been looking for images of this glove. It appears this glove was featured in the 2003 book Glove Affairs: The Romance, History, and Tradition of the Baseball Glove written by Noah Liberman. This book features the Mantle glove in question on the cover.

I am not sure what sort if any images of the glove are contained in the book. I have just ordered it. I suspect given the focus of this forum, any number of members may have a copy.

Dave Grob

[DaveGrob]

I just got my copy of this wonderful book today. As I suspected, it appears the glove on the cover features the palm stamping of the outline of the "snorting steer" and the Heart of the Hide logo. I would like to thank all the members of this informed and passionate forum for their help on this issue. I have a follow up article on this topic scheduled to run the week after next.

Dave Grob

[Centerfield]

I just got my copy of this wonderful book today.

I guess any book on glove collecting is a good thing, but calling this book “wonderful” is an overstatement of monumental proportions. More than half the members of this forum dispense a greater knowledge of the history of baseball gloves on a daily basis than what is covered in this book. I am adamantly against book burning, but I must admit that my copy found its way into the fireplace soon after it was published (seriously).

[MVALZ]

Gotta disagree with ya CF. I didn't learn much, but find Glove Affairs very entertaining and refer to it often. My $.02

[Centerfield]

Absolutely no offense taken. This is an open forum and we’re all entitled to express our opinions. Disagreement and debate are wonderful things... much can be learned from them! They lead to much more entertaining reading too!

[docglov]

when I spoke with the writer I found he did not really hold Rawlings in very high regard ( or maybe it was me ) but either way book not for me . but not saying any of his info was wrong because I never read it did sign a coulpe of copies, I know what a Wh#$%@ but I didn' charge ha.

[softball66]

Some good, some bad. I liked the parts where he quoted me (kidding).
I made Noah play catch with me with some of the old gloves to get him qualified to talk about the old leather. He wasn't bad. But, you know, I've not heard a word from him since the book was published. Guess he lost interest in us.
Of course sort of a huge gaff on Mr. Stump.

[Centerfield]

Joe, I should have been a bit clearer in my distain for the book. I absolutely hated it, except for the parts where you were quoted! I cut those sections out before it went up in flames!

[softball66]

This Noted Mantle game used glove debate has continued on the MEARS site with some more opinions as to the dating.
http://www.network54.com/Index/44699

[doubleSwitch]

Nobody is safe,

A quote from the Daily News:

"Bushing had also been criticized for writing letters of authenticity for items he owns, which appears to be an inexcusable conflict of interest. But Dave Grob of MEARS told the News that is old news: Bushing has agreed to take every step asked of him to make MEARS’ authentication process as accountable and open as possible. Transparency and accountability have been good for business, Grob said – because MEARS puts a premium on integrity, MEARS-authenticated items go for more money.
Nobody ever said cleaning up the sports collectibles industry would be easy. But as I said yesterday, if the industry doesn’t clean up its own act, someone will eventually do it for them. Just last week, agents from the Chicago office of the FBI were in New York to question collectors about Mastro Auctions, the hobby’s largest auction house".

The entire article is here http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/iteam/ ... a/2007/11/

[noahli]

Wow, you guys are a tough crowd. Let me address a few of your comments. Sure, half of you guys probably do know more about the history of gloves than I do. I’m proud to be at the 50th percentile of a group that’s so knowledgeable. But I’m sure I know more about the history of gloves than the other 20,000 people who read the book. I didn’t just write it for you guys – I wrote it for all baseball fans. That’s why the book isn’t specifically about the history of gloves or about glove collecting. It’s about baseball gloves, and that’s why there are chapters on first gloves, lost gloves, major leaguers and their gloves and glove marketing, to name a few. It was never billed as “The Complete History of Baseball Gloves and Glove Collecting.” I’m sure half of this board COULD write that book, and I encourage you all to.

I’m not sure why Centerfield “absolutely hated it” and saw fit to burn the book, but Mark Twain has suffered the same treatment, so I guess I’m in good company.

We all kind of made a “gaffe” on Mr. Stump, no? All of us knew him, most of us liked him a lot, and I found him to be generous with his time and knowledge, as were Dave Bushing, Joe and many others whom I thanked right up front in the acknowledgments. They were all fantastic to me and I told them so.

Anyhow, I’m proud of having done what I set out to do, which is to remind baseball fans why they love gloves. You guys have a distinct interest in gloves, and I respect and admire it. But I never billed Glove Affairs as a book solely for collectors. Next time you have the urge to burn it, give it instead to your neighbor or grandson and see if he enjoys it.

Noah L.

[BretMan]

Put me down in the camp that loved the book. You can't be all things to all people, I guess. But, for me at least, Glove Affairs did capture the love affair between man and mitt.

[awarsoca]

Thanks Noah! It certainly reminded me. Now if I can just figure out where my first freakin glove is hiding (c;
Clint

[glovemedic]

Wow, you guys are a tough crowd.

Anyhow, I’m proud of having done what I set out to do, which is to remind baseball fans why they love gloves. You guys have a distinct interest in gloves, and I respect and admire it.

Hey, I loved the book a gave it some run on a local TV interview. Keep up the solid work.