Eric
02-18-2006, 12:21 PM
Forum members-
I thought this was an interesting piece. I saw it this morning, and now that I have a chance to post about it, I see someone has purchased it.
It went for $250- and was listed as
ST LOUIS BROWNS 1946-1949 GAME HAT BUILT-IN SUNGLASSES
http://home.san.rr.com/atty/browns.jpg
Here's the description
This appears to be a gamer, a game used, game worn St. Louis Browns hat with what appears to be a factory-installed FLIP-DOWN SUNGLASSES.
Worn in a game? A prototype? I have no provenance on this cap. I own a game used cap worn by Detroit Tigers Hall Of Fame star George Kell during the 1949 season and it has the same worn-in look, but a different manufacturer's label. The orange felt STL has worn spots as you can see in the scans. No number has been written in the bill nor in the inner band, which shows good use.
This hat style definitively dates to 1946-1949 Road use, per Marc Okkonen's seminal "Baseball Uniforms Of The 20th Century". It has a gray top and a brown bill. Home hats during 1946-1949 utilized a white top. This appears to have been gray from inception.
I cannot make out the manufacturer's label on the back band. If a clued-in eBayer has an idea as to the maker, I'll probably be able to easily verify it. The lettering is mostly clear but doesn't resemble any maker with which I am familiar. It looks like "ImpreOnole" in a stylized logo is one of the words., and I can make out some others...with your kind assistance.
It has a riveted-in metal ball that rolls up into the underneath of the bill, and down, at the whim of the player. This is definitely not a home brew as it concerns the sunglasses...it's factory made. At first I thought this must have been a Bill Veeck innovation, but Bill was the owner of the Cleveland Indians during the period this cap was utilized in road games by the Brownies.
Does anyone know what this is or have any matching game photos?
I thought this was an interesting piece. I saw it this morning, and now that I have a chance to post about it, I see someone has purchased it.
It went for $250- and was listed as
ST LOUIS BROWNS 1946-1949 GAME HAT BUILT-IN SUNGLASSES
http://home.san.rr.com/atty/browns.jpg
Here's the description
This appears to be a gamer, a game used, game worn St. Louis Browns hat with what appears to be a factory-installed FLIP-DOWN SUNGLASSES.
Worn in a game? A prototype? I have no provenance on this cap. I own a game used cap worn by Detroit Tigers Hall Of Fame star George Kell during the 1949 season and it has the same worn-in look, but a different manufacturer's label. The orange felt STL has worn spots as you can see in the scans. No number has been written in the bill nor in the inner band, which shows good use.
This hat style definitively dates to 1946-1949 Road use, per Marc Okkonen's seminal "Baseball Uniforms Of The 20th Century". It has a gray top and a brown bill. Home hats during 1946-1949 utilized a white top. This appears to have been gray from inception.
I cannot make out the manufacturer's label on the back band. If a clued-in eBayer has an idea as to the maker, I'll probably be able to easily verify it. The lettering is mostly clear but doesn't resemble any maker with which I am familiar. It looks like "ImpreOnole" in a stylized logo is one of the words., and I can make out some others...with your kind assistance.
It has a riveted-in metal ball that rolls up into the underneath of the bill, and down, at the whim of the player. This is definitely not a home brew as it concerns the sunglasses...it's factory made. At first I thought this must have been a Bill Veeck innovation, but Bill was the owner of the Cleveland Indians during the period this cap was utilized in road games by the Brownies.
Does anyone know what this is or have any matching game photos?