Ebbets Field Flannels…the end of an Era and a New Begining

[JJ McGraw]

For those of us who love to collect and wear reproduction baseball wear ( especially from the early 20th century teams) , over the years they were two companies that fulfilled that need…….Mitchell-Ness and Ebbets Field Flannels.
Mitchell-Ness, long ago decided to cater to a younger, different demographic( they assumed anyone under 40 wouldn’t know who Joe Jackson or Rogers Hornsby was…maybe they were right). The last Deadball era jersey they sold was the 1914 Boston Braves Home Jersey( which I bought) for the centennial in 2014. Frankly, by that time, I was surprised they offered it. They had gotten rid of the cardigan sweater line…....I was able to buy three in the 1990’s ( 1913 NY Giants, 1917 White Sox and 1918 Red Sox). If you ever saw that whole line of sweaters , they were amazing reproductions, very pricey at the time, but beautifully made here in the US.
BUT…..Ebbets Field Flannels, started in 1986 by Jerry Cohen, definitely filled the gap with a plethora of products, caps, jerseys, jackets and two years ago……the cardigan sweaters, and not minor league ….actual Deadball era major league teams. From then to this past Dec , I patiently waited for the various sales that Jerry would have and thankfully snagged a Boston Braves, Baltimore Orioles and St Louis Browns cardigan sweaters( pictured below)
A few years back , EFF offered, to my absolute surprise, the 1959 Victoria Rosebuds wool flannel jersey and Cap…….I have lived in Victoria for almost 50 years and the stadium they played at is still here ,refurbished and going strong with the new minor league team, the Victoria Generals. ( Stadium built in 1947)
The jersey and cap were perfect( see photos below) At Munford’s , our oldest barbecue joint in town, they have a framed original photo of that team. I also have a small collection of Rosebud items…they are very hard to come by. This last Fall, EFF offered the 1977 Lone Star League jerseys and caps, six teams….one of which, the Rosebuds.( Santa definitely had those packed in his sleigh)

I am editing this part of my post as it had incorrect info….Jerry Cohen did not sell to LIDS, but after he sold it , LIDS, apparently for a time , did own EFF.

All of the faithful customers received an email from Jerry last week, basically preparing us for the “change” in the line of products. The direction it seems it is headed is not for me . Before, you had Negro league items, Japanese teams, a ton of city teams from the early 20th century and yes, a beautiful line of Federal League items.
If you go to the site, you can see a smattering of what is left as the new era pushes the old to the side. For me, I’ve been collecting this stuff a long time. When Cooperstown Ball Cap was in business, you could get an authentic cap to match that Mitchell Ness jersey. But all this is in the rear view mirror. You can find the occasional bit or piece on eBay, but even that has dried up.
This site is proof that you don’t have to be 90 years old to love the Deadball era, but apparently, marketing firms think just that.
No one replaced Cooperstown Ball Cap Co ( later Ideal Cap Co) ….out of business.
Again, for those of us who collect and wear this stuff….it was a great run and I’m glad I collected and stayed up with it. It was exciting to see what the next year brought….like the Deadball era EFF sweaters two years ago. I’m good, but I feel bad for those who love all this as much as I do and have no company out there that will rise to the level authenticity these companies did. I don’t need a fantasy Kansas City Monarchs jersey, but I’ll take an authentic one and wear it proudly. I don’t see someone taking up the EFF gauntlet anytime soon. If I see one, I’ll let you know.