hello. ive been collecting a long time (20 plus years). Lately ive been collecting plain old flannels from little leagues and beer leagues. more fun and dont need loa's. ive found that the manufacturers labels tell the most tales. wilson, rawlings, mcgregor, and spaulding have all made changes as the years progress. maybe we can post the manufacturers label changes??? i know wilson had a label from 58-65, the 5 line label from 66-73, and the 7 line label from 74-85. anybody think this is a good idea feel free to add some comments. thanks, jeff
Sand Knitting Mills in Chicago (1950s), Sand Knitting Mills in Berlin, Wisconsin (1960s), Medalist Sand Knit (late 70s, early 80s), MacGregor Sand Knit (mid to late 80s)
Spanjian invented and owned the original patent for "spandex".
Spanjian is not pronounced "Span-Jan"....rhymes with "Tarkanian"... Made sets of jerseys for Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, San Diego Clippers, San Diego Conquistadors, San Diego Chargers, and 1,000s of Colleges and High Schools.
Thanks for the info. I have been a Sand Knit and Ripon fan for years. Mr. Hank Derleth, who runs Ripon, is a sporting goods icon and a grand gentleman.
As far as Wilson tags..they actually change again around 1978/79..The "cirle R" symbol for registered trade mark moves from the top in the "N" in Wilson to the bottom..
One thing to point out with manufacturers labels for lesser quality uniforms (Little League etc..), they are at times different from those sewn into professional quality uniforms from the same period.
Thanks Dave, i never noticed that. One more question... did wilson make satin jackets for the general public, available in sporting good stores??? thanks Dave.
Can't say for sure one way or another on the issues of retail jackets..What I consider when looking at jackets:
1. Is it of professional quality with a consistant manufacturers tagging?
2. Is it the correct style for the period in question?
3. If being attributed to a player, how does the size match up?
For older team jackets, you will not always find them with a player name,number or other idcentification sewn in. Jackets, unlike jerseys, do not appear to have been ordered each year.
If you have specific questions about a particular jacket, please let me know..will help out if I can..
