Late 1960's Catcher's Mitt?

[pharmboycu]

Hi everyone!

Trying to do a little research as well... this is kind of a needle in a haystack thing.

My Dad graduated high school in 1968. He was an all-conference catcher they used to call "Little Yogi." (They look a *lot* alike!)

I've asked my Dad what happened to his old glove and he said that it was borrowed many years ago and wasn't returned, but that he thought it was a Spalding. So, I want to work on getting a special Christmas present together for him. I've already tracked down an original H&B Nelson Fox Louisville Slugger (which is the model he used to hit his home run out of Taylor Field at Campbell University), but I'm not having a whole lot of luck on the catcher's mitt.

That said, Dad was not a monetarily rich teenager at that time. He would have used an affordable catcher's mitt, my guess is one that was fairly ubiquitous. What would you all think to be the most likely candidates for this glove, which was most likely a Spalding? If I could pinpoint one that was a shoe-in for what Dad would have used, perhaps I can scour Ebay to find the model in decent shape.

Thanks again everyone, and thanks for letting me be a part of this forum.

John

[MTGLOVEGUY]

I have a near mint Spalding John Edwards I believe from the late 60's to early 70's

[rmiller]

First off, I love the idea, and starting months ahead of time is very smart. I relaced an old catchers mitt for a guy doing a similar project for his son-years after the son was done playing.

Anyway, I'm no expert, but if you had old photo(s) of your dad wearing the mitt, that would certainly be helpful in an attempt to track it down. Heck, there are probably guys on this forum who have it, I would bet. Obviously, the more detailed the pictures the better. Just my two cents.

Please keep us posted on your quest!

[robin_buckeye]

I did this for my Father last Christmas as well. His favorite player when he was a kid was Ival Goodman, Cincy Rightfielder in the late 30's. He was a very good player who was hurt in an All Star Game at a pretty young age and as a result isn't too well known.

Anyhow, I found (on ebay) a pretty nice Ival Goodman Hutch split finger glove and gave it to him for Christmas. He was thrilled and it is now prominently displayed in the Den.

[pharmboycu]

Correction-- I just talked to my Dad and was able to bring it up in conversation and he said it was a Rawlings, but could not remember if there was a signature on it and if so who it was. Hmmm....

[robin_buckeye]

This is good -- now you've got him thinking -- maybe he'll remember a bit more about it.

See if you can discreetly keep the subject alive, ask about glove colors and styles in his day. Watch a game together (or better yet go to one) and comment about how gloves and mitts have changed. Ask him to compare the mitt he used with the ones being used today, etc. You might also ask him if he has any idea how much it cost.

Any other relatives or friends who might have memories or information about it -- his dad, mom, siblings, cousins, next-door-neighbor, etc?

[softball66]

mtglove, is that a Spalding? John Edwards. I know he was on MacGregor.
Hey, why not get your dad a Spalding Yogi Berra mitt. They're coool.
otherwise a nice Rawlings prof model from the late 60s should do.

[MTGLOVEGUY]

Softball, Your right the Edwards is a Macgregor, I was thinking of a Bateman Spalding Mitt, Both were in the same tote, too many gloves and mitts I am start to forget things!