Glove of the Week: June 17 – June 23 (Spalding Bolling)

[burker72]

This glove was covered under a separate thread but I wanted to include it here because of its remarkable condition. A Goldsmith Adolfo Luque AG50 model, presumably from the mid 20s sold for $343 on 20 bids. The glove retains most of its silver in the pocket, has a great looking red lining, and flawless leather. The previous thread questioned the source of demand for the glove, in some ways I’m surprised it did not go for more considering the condition, the maker, unique attributes (that red lining is very cool), and the significance of Luque as the first Cuban born Major Leaguer. What a great glove.



One of Spalding's top of the line gloves in 1963, this Frank Bolling Personal Model garnered plenty of attention, earning $563 on 18 bids. This is a 42-211X model. I’ve heard in the past that the “X” designation indicates that it is a pro model. Not sure, that may only apply to certain manufacturers, or it may have been a practice from long ago, maybe someone can help here. This is a great design and a beautiful glove. These certainly don’t fall off of trees.



Another modern glove sneaking into the GOTW thread, a Brooks Robinson HOH XPG3 model that is in great condition, and according to the seller, not even broken in yet. I’ll leave coverage of this glove to the MGOTW thread, but I’ll venture that the $440 sale price is well worth it, considering all the attention it earned – a whopping 29 bids.





The bargain of the week is a late 1920s Lowe & Campbell Harry Heilmann model. I can’t believe I missed this one. Just $35 on 9 bids. A nice cleaning and the buyer has a real keeper for the price of a cheap glove at Dick’s.

[vintagebrett]

That Heilman was a steal - congrats to whoever ended up with it - that looks like a great glove.

Although that is definitely the bargain of the week, I'm promoting this at the "2nd Best Bargain of the Week." A 1963 Sonnett model 1360 Roberto Clemente with finger inserts. I was very happy with this purchase and feel bad for the seller because my ceiling bid was a lot higher than this glove ended up going for. I've included the original description from the 1963 catalog.

[burker72]

Great glove Brett. That must not have been listed under the two vintage categories in eBay, or else I just plain missed it.

If I recall correctly, Clemente had Higgins, Rawlings, and Sonnett endorsements. The Sonnett is my favorite because they seem to be the highest quality of his endorsed models.

Here are a couple of questions for the forum...(1) Did Clemente use a Rawlings? I'm pretty sure he did but thought I'd ask, and (2) Do we know of any major leaguer that used a Sonnett? (Brett?)

[vintagebrett]

There is a picture in the book I'm reading now (The Best Game Every Played) with Clemente and he is wearing a Rawlings Trapeeze.

I've yet to find evidence of a player in the majors wearing a Sonnett glove but I keep looking. If anyone ever comes across a photo, I would love to see it.