Vintage Baseball Glove Forum

This may have been discussed before and if so, my apologies. I have two gloves, a Rawlings XPG 26, and a Spalding 42-256, which is the same glove, exactly identical right down to the Patent Number. Only difference is the stampings and cloth patch.

If anyone would share more information on this, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,

We're not exactly sure when Rawlings began making the Spalding gloves, sometime in the 1950s and continued to a point, I believe, into the 1970s.
Thus identical patterns such as yours show up, Rawlings to Spalding, design, quality and price wise. The Spalding shipping warehouse was just across the street from the Rawlings plant in Ava during this time, I've been told. At one time Spalding owned Rawlings but was forced to divest of the company because of anti-trust ruling.

the spalding jim bouton 42-213(1965) is identical to the rawlings mantle xpg6 and the rawlings DCT first base mitt is identical to the spalding 42-401 super trapper(1968), same glove top of the line

leftygomez wrote:the spalding jim bouton 42-213(1965) is identical to the rawlings mantle xpg6 and the rawlings DCT first base mitt is identical to the spalding 42-401 super trapper(1968), same glove top of the line

Actually the Spalding 42-401 mitt was the "Super Snare" model.
Rawlings introduced the Double-Ca-Thud pocket in the 1962 catalog. Spalding quietly introduced the new "Super Snare" 42-401 model with Double-Ca-Thud pocket in 1967. The Spalding versions are super rare.

From 1969. The Spalding Super Snare and Digger models and identical Mantle and White Rawlings versions. One thing to note is the two variations of the Double-Ca-Thud pocket lacing. Moving forward into modern day, the hidden pocket X-lacing was abandoned in favor of the exposed X-lacing.

The 1969-70 Rawlings Bill White model XFB1 mitt with the new "Fastback" feature.

The identical Spalding Super Snare Digger model 42-411 mitt with the "Extender Control Back".
Both the Rawlings and Spalding mitts are super rare top of the line models.