Batting gloves on cards?

[ALR-bishop]

Moises Alou had a cheap alternative to gloves

[Beatles Guy]

Not the earliest, but I have always thought that the batting glove on Bill White in '69 Topps created a focal point (not my card). Hawk Harrelson was said to be the first player to use a batting glove in '63 or '64 (actually a golf glove). No cards that I can find of him in the 60's showed him with his glove.

Edited because I just saw the post about the '57 Topps Robinson. I never noticed that.

[nolemmings]

I don't believe that Robby is wearing a batting glove on his '57 card-- looks like a sweat band to me. The coloration and detail seem to show his hand as just that--his hand. Also seems unlikely to me that they would have had color coordinated batting gloves that long ago. I believe black or white/cream would have been about it, at least for golf gloves (I'm not sure baseball batting gloves had even been marketed yet--maybe someone with old equipment catalogues can chime in).

As noted, Hawk is largely credited with wearing the first glove in a regulation game--a golf glove in 1963. However, a couple of others are alleged to have worn them in Spring training, and since that is when many of the photos were taken by Topps, cards before 1964 could depict them, but I am skeptical.

Edited to add: I didn't see any '65 Topps cards showing batting gloves after a quick skim, but saw 4 from the 1966 set, which at least pre-dates the Oliva in the OP: Bob Allison, Walt Bond, Joe Azcue and rookie Bobby Murcer.

Edited again: 1964 seems to have two cards with batting gloves: Lee Walls and Lou Jackson.

[nolemmings]

Well I stand corrected, I think. Johnny Romano is wearing what looks like a batting glove on his left hand in his 1961 Topps Card. Definitely a Spring training shot, and looks cold too, as he's wearing a windbreaker under his uniform. I would definitely call this a batting glove except that Romano was a catcher and may have been wearing this just to protect his receiving hand, especially early in the Spring. Still, since he grabbed a bat for the card photo, this seems to qualify as a batting glove.

[toppcat]

I believe this has been discussed here before. A search might reveal the answer from the previous psosts.

[JustinD]

I would think due to the political climate at the time some of those black batting gloves likely had additional meaning in the late sixties.

It would have been an allowable way for some players to make a statement.

[Econteachert205]

I just looked at the Robinson again and I still think it's a glove that is white at the wrist and a reddish brown skin toned color at the hands.