If We Had a Baseball Glove Hall of Fame...

[swalt1234]

I think we are now talking about 2 different Halls of Fame: a Collector's Hall where the most collectible gloves are (rarity, coolness, endorsers, etc), and the Glove Model Hall wherein the key glove models in history(innovations, player favorites, important designs) reside. For example, the first Doak, Vance, and the A2000 should be in the Glove Model Hall and the Ruth G41 in the Collector's Hall. The Ruth though was not a novel design and not a really big deal except it was a white Ruth (it wasn't even their top-of-the-line glove). Thoughts?

[softball66]

Very insightful post Walt. And correct in your thinking.
I think you could add the Trapper mitt to your gloves of distinction. That really changed the design of mitts for first base play. The design stayed in the Rawlings line for decades and Rawlings had the distinction of making the mitt for other companies' brands for years.
Add to that the Red Rolfe with the rolled lace web (don't forget the Valdez Modelo). Duck webbed gloves. Zipper back and Decker patent catchers mitts. Triple Face? And later the A2000 and Trapeze styles, the earlier the better. I'm probably leaving out some.
The Ruth glove had, besides being popular white, was adopted from Honus Wagner's model at Draper Maynard. There's that great closeup shot of Ruth in the Dugout with his glove and I think most would believe that no player even the game had the impact on the game itself and the public than Ruth. Bigger than life, as some might say.
The Gehrig mitt appeal lies, besides the popularity of this player, in the novel zipper back mitt. Of the earlier players one could start with the first eight to 10 Hall of Famers elected, plus Joe Jackson.
Post 1950s, I feel there were five notable players that came along shortly before and after the turn of the 20th half century: DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial and of course Mantle and Mays. Mantle models, though there are many of them, seem to the most desired of these player models currently.
I think later 1970s+ players like, Ryan, Rose, Bench, and any first year eligible hall of famer gloves will do well on the market place.
But Walt has the breakdown right. Maybe the antique gloves, novelty or historic gloves, player model gloves would make three categories of highly desired glove and better the deal when novelty combines with the glove.
Antique gloves: fingerless, workman style, full crotch web gloves, leather tips, crescents, etc. 100+ years old.
etc

[vintagebrett]

My original idea was to take everything into consideration and come up with a list - impact on future gloves, popularity, quality, collectability, endorsement, etc. I think when you factor all of those into one equation it makes the task more difficult but still viable. Plus it makes for a great discussion!

[GloveCrazy]

Great topic and great posts. Pressed to choose only five, my first class would all be endorsed and would include:

- D&M Ruth G41
- Gehrig Ken-Wel zipper back
- Ken-Wel Dazzy Vance (Super Special or buckleback for the bust)
- a Lutzke-type and I choose the Wilson Rogers Hornsby 3
- Rawlings Doak Original

These were all top quality, cool models, revolutionary to some degree, and their colorful ads were all over the place.

Along those lines, I feel a little remiss that I couldn't fit in the Stall & Dean Speed (Speaker, or Alexander), Spalding Homerun Special Ruth, Stall & Dean Cobb full web, Rawlings Jim Bottomley 1" web BB 1B, and D&M Decker patent Wally Schang (need a catcher's mitt at some point). I could be talked into the D&M Lutzke over the Hornsby 3 with a little arm twisting, but I like the Hornsby better and there is a D&M already in with the G41.

Need to have an oldies wing next go-around. Here's mine:
- fingerless pair
- finger tipped workmans
- webless crescent
- duck web
- buckleback/buckleweb crescent fielders or maybe fielders mitt

If I were to choose a more modern glove it would be the Rawlings Musial TG12 trapeze. Again, revolutionary top quality, great ads, and an endorsed Personal Model whose clones are still being used today. At the risk of starting a riot, I personally think the A2000s are a little over-rated. My HOF moderns:

- Rawlings TG12 Stan Musial Personal trapeze
- Rawlings Mickey Mantle MM Personal (though Mort Cooper paved way)
- Wilson A2040 Ted Williams Personal
- MacGregor G101 Willie Mays Personal
- Rawlings PM Stan Musial Personal 3-finger

Honorable mention to the A2000 shooting star, Nokona Howie Pollett or Chico. and Rawlings McQuinn Trapper.

Now for a little silliness. Eventually, the HOF would get watered down a little and we'd turn our attention to best value gloves, which I think are probably the fat 40s splitfingers. My favorites are:

- Nokona G33 Joff Cross, but I guess the Joe Jackson is more appropriate
- Doak H (2 labels for the bust)
- Goldsmith Elmer Riddle (WWII stamping for bust)
- MacGregor Goldsmith JCL Pete Reiser (with the snare webs for the bust)
- Denkert/Wasco/Olympic,etc Pete Reiser buckleback

I know, I know HOF voters, that we water down the Hall by including the Riddle that doesn't even usually have a cloth label, but is there a better value glove out there? Are you with me, Fred?

[stockbuddy]

Hi Guys,

Excellent topic and very interesting. I agree with Swalt 1234 about the various categories developing and it certainly looks as if people have covered many of the evolutionary glove types and even the really cool ones.

I will just throw out some gloves that I find cool and could stand to be under glass in the museums somewhere. !

Fingerless (I just have a reproduced one. LOL) I would settle for just one and would be happy with it. But if the pair comes along, so be it.

a buckleback/buckleweb crescent padded glove ( just lucky to have one of those thanks to an awesome trade with JD)

The G41 Ruth, That white leather is very cool and the endorsement to boot. (still on my wish list.

Vance glove. Just love the double lace look

3 finger lutzke. Those funky gloves are too cool

Anyway, best stop there as there are just so many very cool gloves. They all have there neat attributes and as I child growing up I had no idea there were so many awesome gloves until I started collecting these old leathters.

Have a good weekend guys.
Dave

[crackofthebat]

Would definitely agree with you, Rob, about the fat 40's split fingers. Would also throw in the Wilson 605M Streamlined Kurv-formed finger model with the triple tunnel web - one of my favorites I got from glovecrazy.

[Cusser]

Brett, great post. I'd like the respectfully propose for the #5 spot the 1st large 6-finger pro model the Rawlings Musial TG12 from 1960. Although obviously not as collectible as the early 3-finger models, the TG12 and later models had a profound influence on pro gloves that persists today. Like the 1st Doak, and according to Rawlings, it was"a new concept in web design...a built-in web that traps the ball and allows for easier glove flexing..." Based on 'impact score' perhaps it can jump over the Lutzke models to crack the top 5.
Mark

I'd also vote for the TG-12.
1. Rawlings themselves has/had it displayed in their trailer museum, saw it a decade ago.
2. It was revolutionary.
3. Maybe most importantly, the essentially SAME glove is still made and used like 50 years later, rather incredible !!! Not much different than my PRO12TC except that has double cross-lacing in the fingers.
4. True, I do have a TG-12, personal bias recognized.