Baseball Glove Dating Guide

Below is a guide to help date your vintage baseball glove. Gloves can be dated by the model numbers, trademarks & logos, or and by the style of the web. Web styles may have continued to be made after the dates stated but in general the web can be dated to that era.
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SAMPLE

DETAILED DESCRIPTION & PICTURES

NOTES

1880-1900 Baseball Glove
Dating Guide

Gloves have no web and are referred to as "workman" style gloves. Early fingerless gloves were used for better grip.

1900-1909 Baseball Glove
Dating Guide

"Full Webs" are sewn directly to the thumb and forefinger By 1910 1 inch webs start appearing.

1910-1919 Baseball Glove Dating Guide

Most gloves have a sewn in one inch web. Player endorsements can now be used to help date some gloves.

1920-1929 Baseball Glove
Dating Guide

Vertical tunnel loop webs are used. The "Bill Doak Era" of baseball Gloves begins.

1930-1939 Baseball Glove
Dating Guide

The modern web starts it's development Single, double and triple tunnel webs are followed by the H web. Experiments with laced fingers begin to emerge.

1940-1949 Baseball Glove
Dating Guide

Until the late 1940's fielders gloves had no lacing between the fingers. These gloves are referred to as "Spit finger" Gloves. The transition of the split finger to laced fingered glove is more evident.

1950-1959 Baseball Glove
Dating Guide

Although you will find an occasional split finger, most gloves have lacing between the fingers. The full one piece web dominates this era.

1960-1969 Baseball Glove
Dating Guide

The 1950s full web tunnel style still shows up, and with more lacing "weaved" in and out of the web showing on the outside.

1970-1979 Baseball Glove
Dating Guide

Although a 12" size rule was made in the 1950s outfielder Gloves begin to be made as long as 13 - 14"

Glossary of Baseball Gloves - The most comprehensive Baseball Glove Glossary on the internet. Complete with pictures, cross reference links, and a Web Identification Chart.

Early History on the Baseball Glove

The first players to use baseball gloves were often taunted and teased as being "too soft" or "sissies" because they did not want to catch the ball with their bare hands.

The first baseball gloves were used in the 1870s. The basic idea was to create a glove that would pad and protect the players' hands and provide a cushion for catching the ball. Surprisingly, the first gloves were designed so the player could knock the ball to the ground and not necessarily catch it. History's first baseball gloves were made from pieces of leather sewn together to fit over a player's hand. Many early baseball gloves were simple leather gloves with the fingertips cut off, supposedly to allow for the same control of a bare hand, but with extra padding. The adoption of the baseball glove by baseball star Albert Spalding when he began playing first base influenced more infielders to begin using gloves. By the mid 1890s, it was the norm for players to wear gloves in the field


	MISCELLANEOUS & STORE BRAND BASEBALL GLOVE INDEX - This guide will help identify and date your miscellaneous and lesser known branded baseball gloves. A catalog of private in-store brands of baseball gloves sold by; hardware, drug, discount, and department stores. Samples with links lead to additional company information on baseball glove manufactures, retainers, and wholesale distributors.