The Simple Pleasures of Glove Collecting

[burker72]

My collection includes a wide variety of gloves - different periods, manufacturers, styles, etc. After collecting for 10 years I'd say my favorite lines are Ken Wel and Stall & Dean. And, while I covet a Vance or Speed model as much as the next guy, I also enjoy the simple pleasures of glove collecting. In fact, I am fairly convinced that if you had a self-imposed rule of never spending more than $100 on a glove you could build a terrific and enjoyable collection.

So, I guess this thread stands to be quite different than the Glove of the Week thread. In fact, I don't even think this is a "bargain" thread because it is not about cleaning a glove and revealing it is a rare endorser. Rather this thread is about gloves that can be bought with full disclosure, for little money, that bring great satisfaction.

My recent simple pleasure is this OK Whitlow Wyatt "758" model. I bought the glove on eBay for the princely sum of $31 (which includes shipping and handling). The glove is as soft as it looks, leather and stitching is in great shape, and the lining is terrific, although the stampings are pretty well faded. I love the feel and look of the glove, especially the loose "H" web. It has my favorite glove stamping of all "Chromax" (whatever that means). You could play catch with this one tomorrow, and if another one came up on eBay I'd probably buy that one too...

[BretMan]

There are plenty of "average" gloves in my collection and I treasure them as much as the more rare ones. Your "OK" Wyatt is a perfect example of a glove that, while not being especially rare, provides a link to baseball's past, instantly transporting the wearer back to another age. It is a piece of history that can be seen, touched, handled and even smelled, bringing us closer to the game- and hobby- we love.

As a side note on your glove, I had a Wyatt-endorsed model on my "watch list" and was sure you were posting here about the same glove. As it turns out, it wasn't the same one. The one I was watching can be seen here: Wyatt Glove

Interesting how closely these two glove resemble each other, aside from the laced heel vs. sewn heel and the tiny "H" bar piece in the webbing. The other glove is a "Tru-Test" brand. Given the identical shell, welting and piping, this glove could provide evidence that "OK" produced private label gloves for "Tru-Test".

One more aside: I'm certain that the "Chromax" stamping on your glove must refer to the "chrome tanning" leather tanning process, which treats skins with chromium sulfate. You have to wonder why stamping that on a glove- where the kid using it wouldn't have a clue and probably could not care less- seemed like a good idea or marketing point!

[vintagebrett]

I think that for most glove collectors, some of our favorite gloves that wouldn't be worth much to others. I have a couple in my collection that I didn't pay much for and probably wouldn't part with for a large amount of money. That is what makes this hobby great, in my opinion. There are numerous bargains (especially in this economy) that you are so excited to get in the mail and add to your collection.

I recently bid on a Sonnett glove that was listed along with an umpires mask. Got the glove for $9.99 plus shipping. When it arrived, I was happy to find a Bob Doerr model that I did not yet own - the best part was the leather is great and it's a super high quality glove. Even if listed properly, it still wouldn't have brought more than $40 but I would have payed it.

[stockbuddy]

I enjoy collecting the different styles of fielder's gloves and the different webstyles. It is nice to pick up one in great condition but sometimes I just take what I can find. I seldom have any duplicates as I want one kind of each webstyle and not too concerned of who endorsed the glove, if it even has an endorsement. While it is neat to have a web or glove style that has a nice endorsement it is not a must for me as a collector and more of a bonus. Don't misunderstand, I think it is great having some of the big name enorsed gloves, but I collect more for the glove styles and webstyles.

I like the mitts too but I don't have the money or the room to display the mitts. I am thinking of maybe adding about 3 catchers mitts and 3 basemitts to my collection (old timer mitts) if I can squeeze them onto my display. LOL I am running out of room.

It is neat that people collect for different reasons. I might bid on a glove on ebay because it fits my weird web collection whereas someone else may want the same glove for the maker or endorsement, or team the player represents. If I improve on a glove in my collection and it means I end up with a duplicate, then I typically sell the dupe.

Dave

[Cowboy7130]

I have some pseudo-psychological-emotional issues for collecting my gloves. When I was a kid, my parents knew nothing of modern gloves, and were fiscally conservative to the point of stinginess. Daddy had a pre-war beater that he played softball with; he tried to make me play Little League with it in the 70's! Although I did talk him out of that embarrassing situation, I was not able to convince him to buy me a decent Rawlings, Spalding or Wilson. My glove came from the S and H Green Stamp store. I hated it (although I still have it). When I was old enough to earn my own money with odd jobs around the neighborhood, one of my first purchases was a modern Rawlings. (Wish I still had THAT one!) Now, years later, I am collecting those gloves that I could not have in my youth, but nevertheless they connect me to my youth. (And, because I did not have the glove I needed when I played, I tend to overdo the gloves for my kids. They both have more gloves than they need!)

I am on the "low" end of the collectors' totem pole. I have yet to spend over $60 for a glove, and that was for a modern gamer, not a collectible. Most of my "collectibles" were 20 bucks or less. My favorite gloves are endorsed by my baseball heroes: George Brett, Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken, Don Mattingly, and Dale Murphy. I want every glove I own to be functional; no shelf-sitters for me! Because the gloves are not expensive, I can fix them up a little and customize them if I want, and then, if I kid I know needs to borrow a glove, I don't get a stomach-ache watching him use my gloves ...

However ... I am beginning to be interested, thanks to this forum, in vintage gloves. Again, I am not going to spend a lot of money on a glove I can't use, but I am thinking of buying a good, smooth old split finger to play some catch with, and to use to educate my players about some of the history of the game.

[Mike**Mize]

My guess is that we all have our own personal histories running past to present regarding glove collecting. One of the first really fun and interesting gloves I came across years ago when I started collecting was the Pete Reiser JCL. Talk about evocative, those fat fingers and it's sofa like appearance really got my attention. From the JCL I've moved out in a variety of different directions. But still to this day, whenever I see one offered I give it a good long look. It's rare that they reach $100. It can happen. I've sold a few for over $100. But for the most part this model perfectly fits into the -$100 catagory easily. As a 40's glove it's lead me to similar quality 40's gloves made by MacGregor/Goldsmith, Rawlings, Wilson, Nokona, Spalding and others. This glove is also what can be called a top-of-the-line glove. That's formed the basis for a lot of my collecting. With that in mind I took a chance on another Nokona Howard Pollet glove this morning. Called a Howard Pulley glove by the seller, and maybe looking a little soft around the edges, I still knew I was going to try to rope in this $24.99 glove. As far as I'm concerned, it can't miss for my collection; nice big fielder's glove, top-of-the-line; lining, binding and cloth label in good shape. No ink. I can't wait to receive it.

[softball66]

Just beautiful gentlemen. If I'm asked about why I collect gloves, I will quote that line by Tom Hanks in "Sleepless In Seattle" when the radio interviewer asked him about his deceased wife with whom he was deeply in love...
... "How much time do you have?"
And you posters are summing up a lot of the poignant answers.