Best Glove Company By Era

[Number9]

These would be my picks.
up to 1910 - Spalding/Reach. No one was even close to matching the impact of these guys.
1910 - 1920 - D&M - Great leather and linings for the era. They still feel great.
1920 - 1930 - Ken-Wel - Check out their catalogs and then look at anyone else. Truly innovative and very well made during these years.
1930 - 1940 - I'm going to go with Wilson, I like the experimental stuff they produced in these years, all very well made.
1940 - 1950 - Brett really opened my eyes to the OK brand. They are surprisingly well made.
1950 and up - It's hard to beat a Rawlings glove

[mikesglove]

I would agree with Joe especially in the 1920-30's era. Ken-Wel made some beautiful models but professional ball players liked the loose finger models. The Rawlings Doak glove of 1922 was the preferred choice of professional ballplayers for years. Same with the Cy Perkins model of 1925. As for the pre 1900's era Spalding/Reach did more to standardize baseball equipment and the game than any other company. We take it for granted that all official league baseballs today play the same. In the 1880's baseballs were wound and stitched differently according to the skill of the manufacturer. Reach/Spalding sought to change that through the purchase of state of the art machinery that would for example wind a baseball a certain number of times , every time. They also sought for their baseball equipment to carry the "official" designation, whether it be a baseball, tennis or golf ball. They printed the Spalding Guide yearly to market themselves as the standard bearer. A.G. Spalding's Chcago baseball team toured the world playing exhibition games promoting the sport. Partner and ex-player George Wright and the inventor Ben Shibe made Spalding a complete company.

[okdoak]

It is very tough to pick one company over the other and good arguments can be made on both sides for most of these eras. I went with Rawlings for the 50's, but Wilson also made fine gloves during that era, culminating with the A2000 in 1958. A lot has been written about that gloves impact. Macgregor also made innovative gloves in the early 50's with their Spider- Web and reversed wrist strap. I picked Goldsmith/MacGoldsmith for the 40's but could have gone with Rawlings instead because of their innovations: the rolled lace web,laced down pocket, and Trapper basemitt that Joe mentioned. Also the fact that so many pro's used their gloves. Wilson had their Top Notch with a cool triple tunnel web that was as close to being a solid web as you could get plus that outward seam model that Mike mentioned. Glove designers must have worked overtime in those days. When it came to making the final choice, it was pretty subjective for me. Just went with what I liked. Oops, almost forgot OK. I've only had a couple of their 40's models, but have seen Brett's and agree that they were really well made with innovative designs also. Definitely nice gloves. Well I'm convinced, Brett...gotta bid on those more often.

[mikesglove]

Okdoak brings up one of my favorite 1950-60 gloves. MacGregor model with "spider web" and reverse button. Love everything about that glove! Great leather and well made

I also liked researching Brett's favored OK brand. I had little knowledge of them. This was one of the last OK patents before Wilson changed the name to Sonnett. This is a pretty stylin' model with the joined second and third finger.

[vintagebrett]

FYI, Wilson didn't change the name to Sonnett. Beginning in 1948 the company started the switch from OK to Sonnett Craft Built. Wilson didn't buy out the company until 1956.

The pattern you choose is actually one they played with quite a bit during the 50's and 60's. I have 4 different variations of that model and they are all different from each other.

[mikesglove]

Here is a patent by Henry Denkert in 1967 for a glove that seems to take the OK brand joined finger design to the next stage. Fingers one, two and three are joined in the palm by one piece of leather. I wonder if anyone has this model?

[softball66]

Nokona's AMG400 softball model still incorporates as co-joined index and middle finger connection in the lower end. Might say extended palm. Eliminates some stress from sewn area.