Baseball or Football Shin Guards - Info Please
 

One of the few "fun" things about selling off my Late Pa's collection, is finding things that I NEVER knew he had!

Are these shin guards Football or Baseball?

They measure ~12” long by ~5 ½” wide by ~¾” thick. They are made of canvas and are reinforced with wooden dowels, I think. MOST of the leather straps and all the buckles are present.

How old are they? How much MIGHT they be worth?

As always, I appreciate any opinions that anyone might care to offer!

Football
 

So, I would say that those are Football from the early 1900s.

Your photo has them upside down though. The arched end would be at the top.

Without any makers tags, I would say that they are worth between $100 - $200 for the pair.

They look like Cricket to me.

Too short for cricket. Cricket pads will cover the knee and have ankle protection too, much like a baseball catchers shin guards.

For what it's worth, the pads were found with this. I ASSUME that it is a Flat Top Football Helmet, but my Pa tended to ONLY buy baseball stuff.

But he DID like to buy "unusual" things, too!

Enjoy & THANK YOU for the info!

These are football/soccer shin guards dating from 1900 to 1910. The same style pads were sold to players of both sports during this time frame. Here's an article I wrote on the evolution of football shin guards last year.

http://www.antiquefootball.com/football_shinguards.htm

I think Phil's value estimate is pretty good, but I'd say closer to $100-$150.

The helmet is an circa 1900 improved head harness. This style is extremely rare due to the fact that sole leather was outlawed by the Intercollegiate Football Association in 1903. Unfortunately, most of this helmet's value is lost due to the missing ear flaps.

Here's an similar example from 2015.

http://www.antiquefootball.com/aom/aom_aug15.htm

Chris Hornung
www.antiquefootball.com

I appreciate ALL of the fantastic information from EVERYONE! Originally, I considered sending it to a competent Leather Doctor for restoration, but decided against.

I thought that I would let the new owner decide that!

I'm curious if "you'se" would restore it BEFORE selling it or just leave it be. THOUGHTS???

The head harness will be coming up for sale on eBay soon (BLATANT ADVERTISEMENT)!