Let's see your vintage baseball caps

[ooo-ribay]

^^^ Are those Pro Model caps or just kids’ caps of the day?

[perezfan]

Those are all professional Caps. Yes, they did use patches, and in many instances the insignias were not embroidered directly on to the cap.

Great stuff, Chris... I would post a few of mine, but am sure the pics would come out sideways. May still try when time allows...

[Chris Counts]

Hi Mark, I hope all is well. Yes, these are definitely pro model caps from the late 1940s and early 1950s. I'm finding there's a lot to learn about caps, and there's also a lot of misinformation out there. I started this thread in part so I can learn more about them ...

[David Atkatz]

Art Jorgens 1929-30




Marty McHale 1913:

[Dewey]

Great thread idea. Hope to see more photos. Those are some cool lids!

[Chris Counts]

Here's a cap I'm curious about. It's a Brooklyn Dodgers cap that's made by Wilson. I've been told this cap comes from 1947, but it looks to me like it was made a few years later. I've also been told the Brooklyn Dodgers didn't use Wilson caps, so unless I see evidence otherwise, I'm going to assume it's some kind of salesman's sample. They seem to be fairly common among vintage pro caps. I'm seeking opinions on this one, in case anybody has anything to offer.

[accidental]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

Here's a cap I'm curious about. It's a Brooklyn Dodgers cap that's made by Wilson. I've been told this cap comes from 1947, but it looks to me like it was made a few years later. I've also been told the Brooklyn Dodgers didn't use Wilson caps, so unless I see evidence otherwise, I'm going to assume it's some kind of salesman's sample. They seem to be fairly common among vintage pro caps. I'm seeking opinions on this one, in case anybody has anything to offer.

Chris, this is an interesting hat indeed! While the logo is an earlier style Brooklyn Dodgers logo (pre 1948), I have not seen this particular Wilson style yet. Of note is the tag too, Wilson predominately used the "Wilson Professional Cap" tag on their on field caps starting in the later half of the 40s. In the early 40s Wilson did not use tags but printed their logo straight on to the sweatband (very rare).

There are two other known Brooklyn Dodgers hats by Wilson both featuring different style logos from yours. At least one of those was a style worn briefly by some Dodger players in 1951 but very infrequently and certainly not consistently.

My best guess is that it indeed could be a salesman sample from the 50s, or something made for an old timers game later on, or that it's actually an older cap that was refurbished (unlikely).

Two questions that could provide some more clarity:

- Does the cap feature the 3 letter Wilson code on the in- or outside of the sweatband?

- Can you provide an image of the complete inside of the hat?

[CarltonHendricks]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

Art Jorgens 1929-30




Marty McHale 1913:

really like the Marty McHale 1913...what a classic...

[Chris Counts]

After collecting just about everything and anything baseball-related over the past half century, I can't think of any genre of collectable I find more satisfying collecting than caps. In the three years since I started this thread, my collection has grown by leaps and bounds, but I'm still making new discoveries, and the competition isn't too fierce — unlike pinbacks, for instance.

Here are a few of my more recent pickups, along with a link to gallery of all my caps. Included below are the early 50s Fort Worth Cats (worn by Rex Barney), the late 60s Asheville Tourists (Reds farm club), a late 40s Oakland Oak kids cap and a late 50s White Sox cap (one of the last MLB caps made by Spalding). The White Sox cap was the final one I needed to get all 16 of the original pre-expansion MLB caps.

https://chris-counts.pixpa.com/galleries/gallery-31

[perezfan]

Wally Post
Hank Foiles
Dave Concepcion
Barry Larkin
Pete Rose (Rookie)
Vada Pinson
Johnny Bench
Tony Perez (image cut off)

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

After collecting just about everything and anything baseball-related over the past half century, I can't think of any genre of collectable I find more satisfying collecting than caps. In the three years since I started this thread, my collection has grown by leaps and bounds, but I'm still making new discoveries, and the competition isn't too fierce — unlike pinbacks, for instance.

Here are a few of my more recent pickups, along with a link to gallery of all my caps. Included below are the early 50s Fort Worth Cats (worn by Rex Barney), the late 60s Asheville Tourists (Reds farm club), a late 40s Oakland Oak kids cap and a late 50s White Sox cap (one of the last MLB caps made by Spalding). The White Sox cap was the final one I needed to get all 16 of the original pre-expansion MLB caps.

https://chris-counts.pixpa.com/galleries/gallery-31

That Ft Worth cap is AWESOME!