Let's see your vintage baseball caps
4 Attachment(s)
I just started down the road of collecting vintage baseball caps, adding another dimension to my completely unfocused collection. I'm curious if there are others who collect caps here on Net54 ...
|
^^^ Are those Pro Model caps or just kids’ caps of the day?
|
Those are all professional Caps. Yes, they did use patches, and in many instances the insignias were not embroidered directly on to the cap.
Great stuff, Chris... I would post a few of mine, but am sure the pics would come out sideways. May still try when time allows... |
2 Attachment(s)
Hi Mark, I hope all is well. Yes, these are definitely pro model caps from the late 1940s and early 1950s. I'm finding there's a lot to learn about caps, and there's also a lot of misinformation out there. I started this thread in part so I can learn more about them ...
|
Art Jorgens 1929-30
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ps14a218ea.jpg Marty McHale 1913: http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...913capside.jpg |
Great thread idea. Hope to see more photos. Those are some cool lids!
|
3 Attachment(s)
Here's a cap I'm curious about. It's a Brooklyn Dodgers cap that's made by Wilson. I've been told this cap comes from 1947, but it looks to me like it was made a few years later. I've also been told the Brooklyn Dodgers didn't use Wilson caps, so unless I see evidence otherwise, I'm going to assume it's some kind of salesman's sample. They seem to be fairly common among vintage pro caps. I'm seeking opinions on this one, in case anybody has anything to offer.
|
Quote:
There are two other known Brooklyn Dodgers hats by Wilson both featuring different style logos from yours. At least one of those was a style worn briefly by some Dodger players in 1951 but very infrequently and certainly not consistently. My best guess is that it indeed could be a salesman sample from the 50s, or something made for an old timers game later on, or that it's actually an older cap that was refurbished (unlikely). Two questions that could provide some more clarity: - Does the cap feature the 3 letter Wilson code on the in- or outside of the sweatband? - Can you provide an image of the complete inside of the hat? |
1 Attachment(s)
Thanks for your reply Fredy. Here's a better photo of inside the cap. There's no code visible. The Cubs cap pictured above is a Wilson that's dated November, 1953. Do you know when Wilson started using the code? Also, did Wilson use acrylic bands in the 1940s? It seems like all the pre-1950 caps I've seen have leather bands.
|
Quote:
Is the fabric under the bill satin or wool? Is there by any chance a player number anywhere inside the cap? Are there ‘pockets’ on the inside of the cap that could fit protective pads? I personally own 3 Brooklyn Dodgers caps (1949 Don Newcombe Spalding hat, 1951 unknown player Rawlings hat, 1954 retail Tim McAuluffe cap). I’ve actually consulted with the Dodgers graphic designer on getting the 1955 logo correct. |
Fredy, I'll take another look inside the Dodgers cap when I get home tonight and see if I missed anything. The green fabric under the bill seems just like any other cap I have. By the way, the 1953-54 Cubs cap pictured above has a fabric band, as does a Reds cap I have from 1958. Both are made by Wilson. I'll compare the interiors of the three caps, and that might help me date the Dodgers cap ...
|
Pacific Coast League
7 Attachment(s)
Adding a few PCL gamers to the mix:1940 Hollywood Stars, 1940s LA Angels, 1940s Oakland Oaks, 1940s Portland Beavers, 1950s San Diego Padres, 1950s SF Seals, 1948 Seattle Rainiers.
|
Wow, those PCL caps are off the charts. I'm curious who the makers are. Thanks for sharing. If you ever decide to part with the Oaks cap, let me know ...
|
Those are all magnificent, Dave...
I especially love the 1940 Hollywood Stars with that killer chenille logo. In addition to being incredibly attractive, these must be insanely rare. Great thread! |
Quote:
I guess these caps were made by the same manufacturers as the MLB caps, no? I own some Minor League caps myself, these were all made by the big manufacturers of the day. |
3 Attachment(s)
Not as old as the stuff shown, this is my only real MLB cap. I bought it a couple years ago when former MLB pitcher Sammy Ellis past away. I believe it is from around 1997 when he was the pitching coach for the Red Sox. I wear it all the time so his auto is almost gone.
I have a head like a melon so I have to stretch it out on a regular basis. Anybody know how to stretch it so it will stay larger. Pics are from when I bought it. |
Ben, I have the same problem finding caps that fit. I would never do this with a vintage cap, but with a modern cap, I soak it water, place it on top of a bowl that's slightly larger, and pull the sides down tight until it wraps around the bowl. When the cap dries out, I remove the bowl, and the cap is definitely larger. It's a little stiff, but the modern caps end up stiff from sweat and heat anyway. After a while, it basically shrinks back to its original size, so I repeat the process.
|
Quote:
|
I use what my girlfriend calls 'the device' to stretch out hats. Use a round 5 or 10 lb. weight. Wetting the hat makes it more pliable, but you can do it dry. Put the back part of the hat (where the label generally is) on a door knob, but NOT the way you would usually drape something over a door knob. Make sure just the extreme edge of the hat 'band' (not the insides) is balancing on/touching the door knob, so the right part gets stretched out. Now put the weight inside the hat, using the roundness to match the round inside band of the hat. You have to balance it to get it in just the right position. From there, simply give it a couple of days and that hat band gets stuh-retched!!
|
PCL Caps
4 Attachment(s)
Thanks for the comments, Chris & Mark.
Most of these PCL caps are Wilson, and yes, they certainly don't surface very often ;) Fredy, Jerry Cohen at EFF has indeed seen, and in most cases, borrowed these hats to model his replicas. We are both in Seattle, and are good pals. Here are a few more: 1955 Oakland Oaks, 1958 Portland Beavers, 1960 SLC Bees, 1970 Phoenix Giants. All Wilson caps, all gamers. |
An underrated area of our hobby IMO.
|
Quote:
I know Jerry as well, we exchanged some information concerning caps in the past. Out of interest, are any of your PLC caps Tim McAuliffe? |
PCL Caps
2 Attachment(s)
Quote:
Yes. Some of the late 1950s and early 1960s Seattle Rainiers hats are McAuliffe. Here's one. If memory serves, some of the San Diego Padres hats from that same era may also be McAuliffe. I'll check when I can. |
Dave you kill me with all of your great stuff. I can’t even complete my 70’s Wichita hats and jerseys and here you are with all these 40’s and 50’s hats. Great stuff and thanks for sharing!
|
3 Attachment(s)
I believe this is a pro cap. Maybe seattleraniers can confirm. Ed Halicki, 1973 Fresno Giants. "Ho Ho" later pitched a no-no for the SF Giants.
|
Fresno Cap
Quote:
|
Pocatello Bannocks/Chiefs cap
1 Attachment(s)
Here is my Dad’s cap - 1961 Pocatello Bannocks/Chiefs of the Pioneer League.
|
1953 Milwaukee Braves
1 Attachment(s)
Here is a 1953 Milwaukee Braves cap. My second favorite cap.
|
Ohio State football coaches cap
1 Attachment(s)
Cool Braves cap. Here's a 1968-78 era Ohio State football coaches cap. Not Woody😉
|
3 Attachment(s)
Here's are a couple new caps I've added to my collection. The first cap, from 1952 or 1953, belonged to Washington Senators pitcher Walt Masterson. The second is an Atlanta Crackers cap from the 1930s that was worn by shortstop Buster Chatham. When my dad was growing up in Atlanta during that time, this was the team he rooted for.
|
Love these! Have to dig out my caps. Nothing this old or rare.
|
congrats
Quote:
|
5 Attachment(s)
After collecting just about everything and anything baseball-related over the past half century, I can't think of any genre of collectable I find more satisfying collecting than caps. In the three years since I started this thread, my collection has grown by leaps and bounds, but I'm still making new discoveries, and the competition isn't too fierce — unlike pinbacks, for instance.
Here are a few of my more recent pickups, along with a link to gallery of all my caps. Included below are the early 50s Fort Worth Cats (worn by Rex Barney), the late 60s Asheville Tourists (Reds farm club), a late 40s Oakland Oak kids cap and a late 50s White Sox cap (one of the last MLB caps made by Spalding). The White Sox cap was the final one I needed to get all 16 of the original pre-expansion MLB caps. https://chris-counts.pixpa.com/galleries/gallery-31 |
1 Attachment(s)
Wally Post
Hank Foiles Dave Concepcion Barry Larkin Pete Rose (Rookie) Vada Pinson Johnny Bench Tony Perez (image cut off) |
1 Attachment(s)
Mickey Vernon
Roy Sievers Early Wynn |
3 Attachment(s)
Preacher Roe
Jim Hearn Ted Klu Unknown Red Sox Unknown Pilots Unknown Boston Braves |
Chris and Mark --
That's a lot of hats! And very cool! Greg |
Randy Johnson ML debut hat
4 Attachment(s)
Not as old as many of the hats on this great thread, but here are some pics of the hat that Randy Johnson very likely wore in his ML debut.
It was given by the Expos equipment manager that befriended a young Mets fan in NY immediately after The Big Unit won his 1st ML game & 1st strikeout against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Montreal. |
Quote:
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk |
Nolan Ryan game used Angels, Astros and Rangers hats
8 Attachment(s)
Here are some great Nolan Ryan game used hats from when he played on the Angels (1976), Astros (1981 and 1985) and Rangers (1993).
All hats have impeccable provenance. Enjoy! |
4 Attachment(s)
Mark, your collection never ceases to amaze me. I like the Wally Post cap in particular — it's a style that has eluded me so far, although I have c. 1960 and c. 1970 Indian caps that look practically the same. It's amazing how often the Indians copied uniform and cap ideas from the Reds. The Dodgers, Giants and Braves caps are all real beauties.
Scott, I'm a huge Ryan fan who grew up watching him pitch many times, including the first time he pitched in spring training in 1972 when I was 11. I recently saw a photo of him from spring training '72, and he was wearing the 1971 Angels cap with the lower case "a." I wonder if that cap still exists? That would be quite a find. It's a crying shame that the Washington Nationals don't wear Expos caps and jerseys more often. They could even turn the "M" upside down and it would become a "W." Here's are 1967 and 1969 A's caps worn by John "Blue Moon" Odom, a mid-1960s Seattle Angels cap, and a 1965 Astros cap worn by Don Larsen ... |
Jaw-dropping Randy Johnson and Nolan Ryan Caps, Scott! So amazing to see those incredible G/U caps from all of Ryan's teams. Epic!
And Chris.... that's such an awesome and rare collection of "type caps". I especially love the Seattle Angels. Such a scarce and beautiful style! |
Quote:
|
Redman baseball cap
2 Attachment(s)
1950's redman tobacco baseball cap (cincinnati)
obtained by detaching and sending in the bottom tabs from the redman tobacco baseball cards for a cap from the team of your choice. Attachment 434478 Attachment 434479 |
Quote:
|
Thanks Ben, it's sort of a poor man's Brooklyn Dodgers cap, right down to the white button on top. I don't suspect Rex Barney was too happy to wear it, though, back in 1951. I looked him up, and he pitched just 14 innings for Ft. Worth, and walked 39 batters. Considering he threw very hard and batting helmets were only beginning to be used, it must have been frightening to face him as batter.
|
While I can appreciate the MLB caps...
Does anyone have any 19th century pillbox or early-1900s specimens they can post? .... I'd post 'em if I had 'em. |
5 Attachment(s)
Quote:
Pillbox Boater style Jockey style Boston style Short Brim |
Wow, Mark! Great caps.
|
Quote:
|
Thanks Gary and Brent...
Brent, that green one was tailored to match the uniform (which I have as well). The lime green piping and pinstripes match the Uni to a tee. It's a Draper & Maynard specimen from the 20s. So much pride in workmanship back then! |
Mark- When do you date these caps to individually? This is a little out of my area and I need all the education I can get as I am looking for a 19th century example for my collection.
|
what Gary said
except wayyy out of my area - I need a cap and glove to accompany my bat & balls :-)
personally I think that jockey cap is just great! |
A couple examples...
2 Attachment(s)
The red cap was worn by a pitcher on the 1899 Cornell baseball team. Eight panels, silk interior lining, no leather sweat band, no ventilation grommets, no visor stitching - which are all some indicators of any earlier cap. (There is nothing completely definitive, and earlier features can be seen on more recent caps). The stitched visor was first introduced in 1903.
The boater style cap is University of Chicago, c.1910. |
Quote:
Here's a link to an 1893 Ad for Baseball Caps. Some very nice illustrations, but the Jockey Style (similar to my Orange/White one) got cut off in the picture... https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...rts-1923974706 The slouchy Boston Style and an earlier version of the Pillbox are pictured as well. More to follow... |
Quote:
Painful to see that gorgeous Boater Style, as I think I contacted the seller about 5 minutes after you got to him. Glad it went to a great home! |
3 Attachment(s)
Quote:
|
Thanks for the great information, Mark. Not to hijack this thread, but I have one more question. How do you identify a vintage 19th century cap from a modern one made for use by vintage baseball teams? It seems like a modern one could be easily doctored to fool many a collector.
|
Quote:
- leather sweat bands: common in more recent caps, but not 19th century. The use of silk interior lining, covering the entire interior, is often seen in 19th century caps. From my honestly limited experience I have not come across a 19th cap with a leather band, but they very well may exist. - ventilation holes, especially metal grommets. Vent holes are rarely seen in 19th century - where I have seen in 19thc they are stitched holes, and not metal grommets. - visor stitching - The stitched visor was first introduced by Spalding in 1903 in their 'Philadelphia Style' cap. - eight panels: indicative of earlier caps, but there is a lot of variation here. At the end of the day you just kind of know from experience after feeling and comparing the stitching, materials and construction compared to a 19th century cap. A modern cap would stand out, but I am sure with enough effort and expertise you can give a modern cap that older feel and look. |
Thanks, Joe. It seems like a certain degree of expertise is required in the area of early baseball caps before making a purchase.
|
3 Attachment(s)
Here are my caps. The first one is an Oakland Larks Negro league hat.
|
1 Attachment(s)
Ron, who's the maker of the Braves cap? Nearly every one I've seen is made by Wilson, but I haven't seen an "M" on a Wilson that looked quite like yours. I have seen a game used McAuliffe cap with a similar "M" as yours. Here's my Wilson version ...
|
To keep the Braves theme going on this amazing thread, here’s a 1959-1962 Louisville Colonels cap made by Wilson that I acquired just a few months ago on a local sell app.
The Colonels were the Braves’ top farm club during that span, and they changed the cap font to match the parent club. They were highly successful in those 4 Braves affiliated seasons, winning 3 league titles and a Junior World Series, but the American Association folded after 1962. The seller listed it as a nondescript vintage cap but I was able to pinpoint it thanks to this newspaper spread I found on Worthpoint. No identifying player or number, but definitely from the era. I love vintage caps, wish I could find more out in the wild, but then again it’s kind of amazing to find one like this 60 years later..: https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...066a1a71f5.jpg https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3545f6351b.jpg https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...23e1903053.jpg Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
I’ll add one
3 Attachment(s)
PCL 1960’s Vancouver Mounties game used cap. Attributed to (and signed by) Ossie Chavarria
|
1 Attachment(s)
I love those minor league caps! Both the Louisville and Vancouver caps are real beauties. Minor league caps seem way tougher to find than the major league caps. Here's another Louisville cap ...
|
1 Attachment(s)
Quote:
Quote:
|
It's a Coane cap. I've never seen an example of a Braves Coane cap, but I have seen examples of Coane Dodgers and Cardinals caps, so they were definitely in the mix of supplying MLB teams. It seems like the competition among hat manufacturers was at its fiercest in the late 40s and early 50s, with Spalding, Rawlings, McAuliffe, Wilson, Coane and MacGregor-Goldsmith all making MLB caps, and with Roman, New Era, Mitchell & Ness and Leslie involved behind the scenes. I'm probably leaving somebody out.
|
Quote:
One is pictured in this link... https://robertedwardauctions.com/auc...ap-collection/ |
Minors?
3 Attachment(s)
Is this a minors cap? Not mine, but is for sale. Thanks for the feedback!
|
2 Attachment(s)
I have a number of what I call "letter caps." In each case, I can't figure out what team it is based on a letter or two — and maybe never will. Here's one that resembles yours, which was sold to me as an Erie Sailors cap from the early 50s. But I won't confirm it until I find a photo match.
I've never seen a Leslie label on MLB caps, but I have one on a Cape Cod League cap from the 1960s. The company definitely had a hand in making MLB caps, and the company name shows up on McAuliffe and KM Pro cap labels. With a generic "E," it's going to be tough to ever know for sure what team it is. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
2 Attachment(s)
I feel fortunate to have added this to my collection. My poor flip phone pictures don't do it justice.
|
3 Attachment(s)
Nice pick up Gary. I'd like to see a close up of the label — they often have a story to tell. I get my best photos of caps outside in the shade.
Here's a few caps I just picked up from the recent sale of KM Pro's archives. Included are two 1-year caps: a 1970 A's cap and 1971 Angels cap., along with some kind of A's prototype from 1968-69. Also, here's a link to a blog that features an interview with Paul Kaufman, whose father partnered with Tim McAuliffe to create KM Pro. https://tip-of-the-cap.com/ |
[QUOTE=Chris Counts;2082207]Nice pick up Gary. I'd like to see a close up of the label — they often have a story to tell. I get my best photos of caps outside in the shade.
Chris- The maker is "Lancior". Also "Special Manufacture". I couldn't find any information doing a quick search. |
Spectacular, Gary! How did you ever find one, let alone in that condition?
Chris... Beautiful rare ones as well. That Angels with the small case "a" has always been one of my favorites. And they are way tougher to find than one would think! |
[QUOTE=perezfan;2082249]Spectacular, Gary! How did you ever find one, let alone in that condition
Mark- I've known about this one for many years. The first time I saw it, I walked right past it. It was not the type of thing I collected at the time. Recently I pursued the cap and paid the price with no regrets. |
[QUOTE=GaryPassamonte;2082261]
Quote:
Yup, as our taste evolves, we notice things that we once dismissed (or were not aware of previously). Wish I had another crack at some of the early memorabilia available 25 years ago. But was too busy collecting cards, autographs and bobbleheads to even notice most of it. :o |
I wish I had a time machine to go back and get all the things I wasn't interested in at the time, when I was only interested in cards. I recall going to a show in Michigan in about 1976. I came across a table full of 50s and 60s flannels — there were stacks of them. But I had just spent all my money on 1953 Bowmans.
[QUOTE=perezfan;2082270] Quote:
|
1940s/50s St Louis Browns
1 Attachment(s)
Original and wearable if you so choose! Size Medium
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:50 PM. |