View Full Version : Is this a pre-war catcher's chest protector?
ajjohnsonsoxfan
01-31-2016, 05:48 PM
Anyone know what this is? I found it at an antique store, but the guy working didn't have any info on it. It looks to me like baseball but could be for another sport (cricket?). It's also very old looking and has been patched on the inside which means it was valuable enough to the owner to have it repaired. The mid section protecting the chest has wood bars wrapped in leather which look to be professionally done. And the patina and rusting around the metal clasps look to be authentic. Any ideas appreciated!
vintagesportscollector
01-31-2016, 06:00 PM
They are shin guards. They wrap around your leg below the knee, and there would be two. I've never seen a pair with exposed reeds.
They are shin guards. They wrap around your leg below the knee, and there would be two. I've never seen a pair with exposed reeds.
Hard to tell from they pics, but they look rather large for shin guards?
Could they be, say, old hockey pads or pads from another sport?
Just throwing it out there. :)
vintagesportscollector
01-31-2016, 06:07 PM
Guessing hockey goalie pads with the outer canvas removed.
x2drich2000
01-31-2016, 06:07 PM
Pretty sure it is a cricket shin pad. Here's an example.
http://www.nzmuseums.co.nz/account/3255/object/279449/Skeleton-style_cricket_batting_pad
DJ
Pretty sure it is a cricket shin pad. Here's an example.
http://www.nzmuseums.co.nz/account/3255/object/279449/Skeleton-style_cricket_batting_pad
DJ
Yep, I would have to agree.
Not sure about real old style goalie pads, but I don't, now that I think about it, think any had that type of structure within the pads?
ajjohnsonsoxfan
01-31-2016, 07:07 PM
DJ you nailed it! Thanks much for finding the link. It's an exact match circa 1895
ajjohnsonsoxfan
01-31-2016, 09:12 PM
Interesting that Bresnahan who was the father of the modern catchers equipment copied cricket batters guards in his designs.
"
Among the tools of ignorance, the designs of masks and mitts have evolved the most, in response to the way baseball is played. By contrast, chest protectors and shin guards haven’t changed as much. As early as 1890, catchers began wrapping their bare lower legs with newspapers or leather, which was then hidden beneath their uniforms. This evolved into more elaborate pads, all under their pants, but it took tough-as-nails Roger Bresnahan to have the nerve to admit publicly that his legs hurt from all of the wild pitches, foul balls, thrown bats, and piercing spikes. The curiosities that Bresnahan wore more than a century ago actually were a modified version of the leg guards worn by cricket players. Rods of light cane encased in padded fabric covered the shins, and padding protected the knees."
*from sabr.org
Here's a cool pic