O Canada!

[mikesglove]

An interesting 1960's WinnWell glove with a 'LokWrist" and "SnapTrap" web.

A 1960's Spalding Canada "Eeze-Trap" model

A 1960's CCM glove with a unique take on the six finger design.

[mikesglove]

A couple different design Cooper ambidextrous mitts form the "Black Diamond " series.

A George Reach/Canada ambi model.

The ever popular Cooper/Weeks Black Diamond "Professional" model glove.

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Sear had Ted Williams as a spokesman and Eaton's Department Store had Gordi Howe.

An early Harold Wilson Sporting Goods mitt. The mitt is super cool!

The Harold Wilson logo as seen on the mitt's cloth patch.

An early photo of the harold Wilson store in Toronto.

A Harold Wilson ad from 1896.

[mikesglove]

a 1922 Harold Wilson catalog. They sold Reach equipment at the time.

A group of catalogs from Mears auction. Listed as Wilson catalogs from 1905 to 1995. Most collectors would know the 1905 catalog couldn't be Thomas Wilson sporting goods. They weren't around at the time. That catalog is actually from Harold Wilson. I sure would like to look through that one.

[mikesglove]

Harold Wilson Sporting Goods was sued by Victor Sporting Goods of Springfield, Ma. for patent infringement in 1904. It wasn't about a glove but rather a punching bag design.
Around the same time Victor also brought suit against another Canadian company, Toronto's Fancy Goods of Canada. This suit had to do with trademark infringement of the Victor Sporting Goods name. The millionaire Harris Fudger operated Fancy Goods.

You can clearly see the reason for the suit in this ad.

There are a number of glove and mitts bearing the Victor logo from Fancy Goods. They had a mail order sporting goods catalog in that period. It's another one I'd like to take a look through.

[mikesglove]

Spalding and Reach both opened plants in Brantford, Ontario in the teens. With their merger, Spalding took over the Reach factory on Edward St. in Bantford. The factory is shown upper right in the photo. The factory is no longer there. Spalding moved to a larger facility and the area was redeveloped into a residential neighborhood.

The new Spalding factory on Spalding Way opened in the 1950's and closed in 1982 when Spalding moved all operation to Chicopee, MA.

Below is the property as it currently sits.

below is an early Reach Canada sewn full web glove

Below a super 1930's Spalding Canada Babe Ruth glove.

[mikesglove]

Below is a Reach Canada Babe Ruth model MO glove that recently sold on ebay.

JD's glove catalog section has several Canadian Spalding/Reach catalogs. I found one catalog in French. The catalogs contain some carry over gloves like the Ruth model MO, and many that mixed and matched with different features and model numbers from the American version. Below are samples of some.
A 1930's Spalding "Double Face" model 15/A

A Reach "Brute " mitt that would normally be the Rick Ferrell mitt is now the Mickey Cochrane model 18/A. Here it is compared to the American version, Cochrane model 12/A.

A neat Spalding sewn web three finger model EJ in cream leather.

Below a snazzy Reach sewn web three finger model glove with a Reach Canada tag.

A spectacular webbed finger Reach Canada glove.

[mikesglove]

Spalding revived the Victor Sporting Goods name in the 1940's for the Canadian market.

Below a super 1940's Victor Lew Fonseca base mitt.

A 1940's Victor Walter Johnson glove