Best of October 2013

[vintagebrett]

This black leather, white trimmed Goldsmith mitt sold at $178.64

[mikesglove]

A 1950's Rawlings "Harvey Haddix" model HH "The Kitten" sold for $100. The seller didn't want to hold on to his childhood glove. Hard to figure that one. The glove is in beautiful shape.

[mikesglove]

An Interesting 1930's Reach intricate strap web model sold for $165 on ebay. Markings are mostly clear, nice Reach Canada patch.

[theglovester]

Dang it, could have been me going WOOOO or OOW!!! I need one of these but glove account says otherwise....at least for a while
I know you guys put up with alot from me, and I am a minnow in this glove pond financially. But could somebody in another category in the forum enlighten a Johnny Reb on the CANADA tag for Reach. WHY Canada? When CANADA? I have a Ruth Spalding that has a Canada tag?? My reasoning skills as a COLLAGE GRADEATE tells me WWII had something to do with it, Mexico Wilson's same thing?? I'm still shaking my head at a Viet Nam A2000, Not on my son's hand.

On a realted WWII topic, On closing the WWII memorial, God Bless them Veterans that said "Saw the same at Normandy, Outta the way!!"

And yes I fly the American Flag Above the Cross of St.Andrews on days to honor AMERICANS, even got a special one for them boys from Tennessee at the Alamo. Or to whoop Ferguson at Kings Mt. S.C. (Revolutionary War) Andy Jackson in New Orleans, Alvin York (Pall Mall, TN.) 11/11, etc.. (ETC not ment to belittle by no means)

Post Pic of the three finger!! still have a general sherman puter!!!!!!

[johnmilner]

Baseball was HUGE up here in Canada on the prairies. Every town across the golden plains had a team. In the summer you played ball, in the winter you curled.
My grandfather and his brothers had a team and travelled. My uncle was signed by Milwaukee. My brother was in the 1999 MLB draft. Baseball has a place up here.
Legend has it that Babe Ruth hit his first home run up here in Toronto.

What would WWII have to do with a Canadian tag?

[theglovester]

didn't mean to ruffle feathers, war effort and gloves with US stamped, during war time I figured they made gloves only for service?? right or wrong?? help cure my ignorance? Reach and spalding have a company in Canada? is it still there?? Why were they made in Canada fer a while? N God bless Joey Votto!!

[mikesglove]

Baseball was big in Canada. Here is a link to a little write-up from a while ago. The major U.S. companies were there early in addition to Canadian mfrs.
http://www.vintagebaseballgloveforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4860&hilit=reach+canada

[johnmilner]

No ruffling of feathers at all glovester! Just wanting to shed light on the popularity of the sport up here,
especially during the first half of the century. Believe me, no offense was taken at all

[Number9]

I suspect it had more to with the logistics of importing goods into Canada versus simply making them there. They more than likely were intended solely for the home (Canadian) market and were never intended for US sales or distribution. The Canadian marks are uncommon in the US. Different story in Canada I'm sure.

[theglovester]

Thank John, William and Mike!! Ignorance cured!! I wasn't on the forum back when the topic was addressed before. Makes sense to make them in Canada for Canadians, Cheaper in the long run for the companies due to the demand. Explains a bunch. Thanks again, Glovester

[mikesglove]

A pretty nice Reach "Babe Ruth" "Home Run Special" glove sold for $400. Another Reach Canada model. Interesting that some of the Canadian Spalding and Reach patches were more of a stamped logo on a canvas like material while others were traditionally woven like the previous post of the Canadian OOW model.

[mikesglove]

A really nice 1920's White leather Reach base mitt sold quickly for a BO under $100. The back is pristine. With a little elbow grease, the front could look the same.

[softball66]

To Glovester's question regarding the glove made in Canada, World War II probably had everything to do with the transition. I believe that Spalding/Reach were in the process during WWII of making other goods for the U.S. military under contract but I don't recall seeing any their WWII period gloves stamped that way. So, the plant being used in the states may have been turning out war related goods under contract, just like the other companies as Dubow, which made leather bomber jackets. Rawlings, Wilson, Goldsmith, Nocona, etc. -- where we see those U.S., USA, Special Services stamps -- continued to make ball gloves for the government ONLY. No retail gloves were allowed to be made under the contract. We read an interesting account of H. B. "Doc" Hughes, Nocona's sales representative, going to Mexico to have his own gloves made (under his name) and he ran into the Wilson executive while there on a mission for Wilson gloves. We wrote about this in our Nocona History book.
Curious situation about Spalding/Reach is that their American plant may have come on line briefly after the war and Spalding would turn to Rawlings to make its
gloves in the late 1940s. Not much documentation on this, nor on the Canadian plant, nor the closing of the U.S. glove making facilities for Spalding and Reach.
The real puzzler for me lately was picking up a 1980s Wilson Bruce Sutter glove made in Mexico.

[mikesglove]

A mid 1960's Rawlings "Bill White" model CMP "Heart of Hide" base mitt sold for $30. Finding a little gem like this is what is fun about ebay. I don't collect many base mitts but this one is pretty cool. A different design from the DCT model and an interesting web. Mitt is in overall good shape.

[mikesglove]

A 1915-20 Spalding model 5-0 buckle web catchers mitt sold for $77. The mitt is in beautiful shape with the leather in pristine condition. The missing cloth patch beside the Spalding patch may have kept the price down.