What I wanted from Thud was this old Spalding 102 catchers mitt. Thud and I talked about how Rawlings made gloves for Spalding, and as I was watching college football later that evening, with my new acquisition on my hand, staring at it, smelling it, etc., it occurred to me that this might be a Spalding version of the Walker Cooper that Rawlings made.
I pulled out an old 1951 newspaper ad I have for the Walker Copper, and the Spalding looks very similar. I have a WC from approx. 1953-54, which has 3 patent numbers on the back of the thumb- the Spalding has 4 patent numbers also on the back of the thumb (3 are identical to my other WC). I brought my WC to show Thud, and we both observed that the words “Professional Scoop” and Hinged Pad” are identical in both gloves.
I have a few questions about all this:
What were the years that Rawlings made gloves for Spalding?
Do you think this was a 1951 Spalding version of the WC, or would Rawlings have made this for Spalding later?
Am I making any sense at all, or am I completely nuts?
My WC approx 1953-54
The 1951 newspaper ad
The new Spalding addition from Thud
