Innovative Glove & Mitt Designs

[mikesglove]

Sometimes ball players will alter their gloves to suit their position on the field or playing style. The photo below is Pete Rose with a MacGregor Kangaroo glove with the double T-Bar web.

The phot below is a closeup of his glove and show an alteration he made to the bottom of the web.

The photo below shows how he altered the glove by moving the bottom of the T-Bar web closer to the forefinger stall. He also added a strap across the T-Bar to form a mini X-web.

Willie Mays used a similar glove model and he also altered his glove by moving the bottom of the T-Bar toward the Thumb stall.

[mikesglove]

A photo from the 1962 movie "Flashing Spikes" showing Jimmy Stewart and Don Drysdale. Stewart is sporting the new Rawlings DCT base mitt.

below is a catalog page showing the features of the model DCT. The early models were designed with a patented web controller. Stewarts mitt above shows that feature.

Below is an example of the early DCT mitts with a sewn web controller.

In 1969-70 the web controller was redesigned. Below is a 1970 Mickey Mantle DCT mitt.

[mplsgloves]

First off, huge thanks to mikesglove for all the great content he adds to this forum. I really enjoy all your posts. And as a fan of 50s-60s MacGregor gloves, I was especially intrigued by the Pete Rose post. However, I couldn't really see the custom modification you were pointing out so I did a bit more digging and found some cool pics and info many of you may also find interesting.

Here's an auction link to what purports to be the actual glove Rose used (and beat to a pulp!) from 1963-66:
https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-collectibles/others/1963-66-pete-rose-game-used-and-signed-rookie-fielder-s-glove-psa-dna-authentic-formerly-displayed-at-the-cincinnati-reds-hall/a/50063-80634.s
And here are the glove pics:




I also found some great pics of this glove in action:




From the pictures you can see this glove is different from the Double T Web design seen most often on the GC12 Mays Personal Model. Best I can tell, it is actually an unmodified KS2 infielders glove which features the "Six Point web". Here's a pic from the 1966 catalog:


I did however also find a later pic from the early 70s where Rose is clearly using a glove with the Double T Web. This makes perfect sense because by that time, he had moved the outfield where this larger model would be a better fit. Sweet sideburns too!

[mikesglove]

mplsgloves, I think you are right regarding the Pete Rose glove. I was on the wrong track. Great digging for pics of the glove that present really compelling evidence.

[mikesglove]

The Nokona Howard Pollet G50 glove on the left was made around the same time as the Wilson Andy Pafko glove on the right. They both have the outseam curve form finger construction that was popularized in the early 1940's. The Nokona model is super rare. Too bad about the ink. Still, it sold for $99 on ebay.

[mikesglove]

From a 1901 Simmons catalog. Pegamoid was a gelatinous varnish like concoction developed in Germany in the 1890's. Applied to fabric, the Pegamoid could leave a leather like waterproof coating. This process was widely used till our beloved vinyl Naugahyde was developed if the 1940's-50's.


Here's a youth model glove with the textured Pegamoid back and suede leather front. It was recently sold on ebay.

[mikesglove]

An interesting Goldsmith base mitt from the late 1930's into early 40's. It features a specially formed hinged back panel. This was a period of time when innovations in natural curve form glove construction was prevalent.


A later version of the mitt includes a segmented face.

[mikesglove]

Stall & Dean's answer to the Rawlings Playmaker models in the early 1950's. Note the double laced fingers with X-lacing lower on the finger stalls. A cool looking glove.

[mikesglove]

A pretty cool looking Rawlings "Special" glove. It features a fat index finger, kind of the reverse of most 3 finger models of the era. It also has the adjustable strap web popularized by the Billy Southworth models 1928-30. You can see the Rawlings logo and the patent stamp on the face of the glove. The patent was for the Doak thumb reinforcement.

[mikesglove]

A 1936 Wilson model 533 base mitt with a web doubling as a pocket extension. A pretty cool looking and rare design.

[mikesglove]

here's a Banner Gabby Hartnett model base mitt with the same extended pocket/web as the previous Wilson mitt. The Banner mitt was distributed by Peerless Sporting Goods of New York.

[mikesglove]

A 1938 Golsmith "The Snare" model glove. Innovative lacing around the thumb and forefinger to help the glove retain its shape from balls hitting high in the webbing.

The glove below is the same Snare model but missing the tunnel webbing.

Here's a similar model. This one is a Nokona Lloyd Rigby model G28 probably from the same time period. Couldn't find a catalog illustration unfortunately.

[mikesglove]

A little leaguer with a unique glove from 1970. The thumb stall is incorporated into the web. I'm not sure of the manufacturer. There is a B in a circle logo and a stamp of a hand gripping a ball on the finger stall/web. More than likely an import.

[mikesglove]

I believe Wilson ushered in the modern glove era with the A2000 glove in 1958. Rawlings soon followed in 1959. The Rawlings model more than likely would not be top of mind, It's not the Mantle glove but The Roy Sievers model RSP. The models DS, TK and EM gloves were similar to the RSP but the RSP was the only model to have a one piece face, lazy S pocket lacing with hinge pad. This was the same as the Wilson A2000. Greg pointed out that Brooks Robinson liked the Sievers model so much that he ordered it even after it went out of production in 1962.
Below is a comparison of the Rawlings and Wilson models.

The Sievers model RSP is a pretty rare glove in the hobby. Below is Derek's primo example.

To be fair, the 1959 Rawlings Playmaker three finger PM model also has the same features as the model RSP.

[greaseape]

Browsing through JD's library came across this page from the 1926 Reach catalog. The model BB, a top line glove that featured lacing around the fingers which allowed the owner to customize the padding. From what I can tell it lasted one year only. Curious as to whether any other manufacturers offered this style of glove and does anyone out there have a picture of an example?