1880's Finger Tip Baseball Glove

This is an extremely rare "Finger Tip" Workman style baseball glove circa 1883-1889. This Buckskin open back "Cather's Glove" has no manufacturer markings but does feature a sewing pattern and padding similar to the gloves offered by Reach in the mid to late 1880's. There have only been a few examples of this rare glove style to be offered publicly as the original fragility, surviving supply, and enormous demand have made this one of the most desired styles in the glove collecting arena. They could range in value in the $5,000.-$7,000. price range in Very Good Condition to $8,000. - $10,000. in Excellent condition.

The finger tip gloves, reinforced along the tip with heavy leather, were designed to help grip a caught ball from getting away, and add extra protection to the finger tips. The "fingerless" glove like the one pictured in the ad below was designed for the throwing hand. The fingers left off to get a better grip to throw. Some players, In particular a catcher, wore both the finger tip & fingerless gloves.

The heavy leather reinforced finger tips are missing from 3 fingers on the glove pictured above, and the open back originally had two straps to secure the glove to the hand. One strap is missing.

Early baseball gloves were made by improvising with existing Work gloves or made by a local saddle maker. This is why the first baseball gloves made resemble work gloves. Reach Sporting goods became one of the first manufacturers of retail baseball gloves in the 1880s. 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.

When Gloves were first being used in the late 1870s it was considered “unmanly” for players to seek protection for one’s hands and the use of a glove was considered a sign of weakness. In 1875 Charles Waite of the St. Louis Brown Stockings became the first fielder to wear a fingerless glove. Unfortunately for him, he was the subject of intense ridicule by not only the opposing players and fans, but by his own teammates as well.

MORE PHOTOS


	1883-1889 Finger Tip Workman's Style Baseball Glove		Spalding advertising from The 1883 Official Base Ball Guide

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