Baseball Hat Question [Archive]

In Mo I Trust

05-11-07, 11:13 AM

Random question, does anyone know when fans started to wear baseball hats of the team they followed?

ymike673

05-11-07, 11:27 AM

At least back to the 1960's. That's when teams started having "Cap Days".

In Mo I Trust

05-11-07, 08:52 PM

What about in the 20s and 30s? Anyone?

ymike673

05-12-07, 09:07 AM

Anytime I see a picture of MLB games played back in the 20's & 30's it seems like everyone is wearing a suit at the games. I would guess back then that no one made copies of the players caps like they do today and the real caps would have been too expensive for the average person to buy.

GoYanks

05-12-07, 04:21 PM

Good question.

My dad (growing up west of the Mississippi) is a Cards fan & last Christmas I got him a 1931 WS cap ... I'm sure that he didn't have one in the '30s. They were fortunate to have food & any clothes given the economic conditions.

On the other hand, if they were available at the time, I'll bet my mom's dad had a Yankees cap. I'll check with my uncle, who used to go to games with him.

yankeebot

05-12-07, 04:28 PM

Interesting topic. I have no answer but I did submit the question to the research dept at the HOF. Hopefully someone there has an answer.

MACMAN1

07-25-07, 05:54 PM

Interesting question.

I've been collecting Yankees caps for 15 years now. Unfortunately, there is still one I can't find.

I'm looking for the 1995 Yankees AL Wild Card Cap. If anyone comes across one for sale, please let me know. I regularly search eBay.

Dave Visbeck

07-26-07, 01:17 AM

Ahh ... the good old baseball hat. I've always wondered something ... :-ponder-:
...I've always wondered why the same trend has never caught on for football. :dunno: I mean ... I'd love walking around in my Patriots Helmet -- especially in the winter.

Imagine seeing George walking around in his Packer helmet at a NYYFans forum get together! :P Imagine walking down the street with all the different fans wearing all their favorites! :looking:

Is the damn Browns helmet still a nothing?

Dave Visbeck

07-26-07, 01:23 AM

Imagine some more. How about those old baseball hats like for the Dodgers and Giants from when they played in New York. Same thing for football. You could see the old farts wearing those old helmets from the 50's and 60's as an example. Even further back with the really old farts wearing the leather helmets ... like what Jim Thorpe wore! Wow ... that would really be cool. :p

yankeebot

07-26-07, 05:58 AM

I forgot about this thread. I received a 7 page handout from the HOF about the history of baseball hats in response to my question. The question was left unanswered. :(

RJ44

07-26-07, 07:42 AM

Imagine some more. How about those old baseball hats like for the Dodgers and Giants from when they played in New York. Same thing for football. You could see the old farts wearing those old helmets from the 50's and 60's as an example. Even further back with the really old farts wearing the leather helmets ... like what Jim Thorpe wore! Wow ... that would really be cool. :p

The CT Defenders (SF Giants AA Team) had a hat giveaway not too long ago for a NY Giants hat. I wore it to a family function, and all I heard was that it looks like a Mets hat.. It's in storage now, only to be worn at the Defenders games (not on the way to or from the games, but AT the games)...ugh.

BRNXBMRS

07-26-07, 07:45 AM

The wearing the hat of your team had to have started in the 60's. In all of the old footage up until the 60's no one in the stands has a "team" hat on.

4bronxbombers

07-26-07, 09:15 AM

Here is a question. I saw a guy wearing a blue Yanks hat that said, Bronx Bombers on it. I love it and want one. Anyone see them anywhere?

Sixty one

07-26-07, 09:28 AM

Since I'm one of the older fans on this site, I can tell you that I received my first yankee hat in the mid 50's so my guess would be that this trend started sometime in the 1940's.

TheYankee

07-26-07, 10:06 AM

Since I'm one of the older fans on this site, I can tell you that I received my first yankee hat in the mid 50's so my guess would be that this trend started sometime in the 1940's.Wow... I would have guessed in the 60's... thanks for the update.

Yankeebot, what exactly did that handout tell you? Just a bunch of fluff?

Steve J. Rogers

07-26-07, 11:12 AM

Anytime I see a picture of MLB games played back in the 20's & 30's it seems like everyone is wearing a suit at the games. I would guess back then that no one made copies of the players caps like they do today and the real caps would have been too expensive for the average person to buy.

I definantly have seen images of kids wearing caps of their favorite teams back in those years, maybe not to the ballpark.

My guess is that it started in the culture revolution of the 60s when it was okay to dress down for a ballgame.

Steve J. Rogers

07-26-07, 11:15 AM

Interesting question.

I've been collecting Yankees caps for 15 years now. Unfortunately, there is still one I can't find.

I'm looking for the 1995 Yankees AL Wild Card Cap. If anyone comes across one for sale, please let me know. I regularly search eBay.

I don't think they had the official clubhouse celebration caps untill the following year. Are you sure it exists? And I'm not talking about the cheap knockoffs that you'd find on Jerome Avenue/flea markets/ect

yankeebot

07-26-07, 11:16 AM

Wow... I would have guessed in the 60's... thanks for the update.

Yankeebot, what exactly did that handout tell you? Just a bunch of fluff?
Pretty much. Nothing that you wouldn't find by googling history of the baseball hat. The only thing even slightly related to the discussion here was that they were hand made and very expensive and that the players had to buy their own. That would explain them not being common place amongst fans until mass production became available.

MACMAN1

07-26-07, 02:39 PM

I don't think they had the official clubhouse celebration caps untill the following year. Are you sure it exists? And I'm not talking about the cheap knockoffs that you'd find on Jerome Avenue/flea markets/ect

Definitely! They were selling then at Modell's, but they were sold out when I got there. If I remember correctly, it had a playing card with the interlocking NY instead of an ace.

Snatch Catch

07-26-07, 03:30 PM

I could swear it's way earlier than most have speculated here. I'm thinking 30s or 40s.

mitchrock

07-26-07, 04:07 PM

Speaking of hats. Anyone remember back in the 70's 80's where you could get a mesh hat for $8-$10 and wool caps were $20? Now because of the devil Ashton Kutcher, Mesh caps are the same price as the others. WTF?

PatKelly14

07-29-07, 11:46 AM

Definitely! They were selling then at Modell's, but they were sold out when I got there. If I remember correctly, it had a playing card with the interlocking NY instead of an ace.

You are right, It was a playing card with the Yankees logo on it. I remember those hats. Havent seen one in awhile.

kriscor

08-09-07, 11:50 AM

I also have been looking for that 1995 Wild Card Hat since then as well. I went to 3 modell's the next day and they were GONE. They never re-ordered them and it's a missing hat in my collection as well. If you ever find one (or more than one :) ) please post. I search ebay all of the time as well and can't find it.

Dave Visbeck

08-09-07, 11:54 AM

I could swear it's way earlier than most have speculated here. I'm thinking 30s or 40s.

Wearing as common place Snatch? I'm trying to work on the answer myself. :)

White Knight

08-11-07, 01:49 AM

Anyone see the movie Stand By Me? There's a lot of talk about Gordy's Yankee cap, given to him by his older brother before he died. The movie takes place in the Summer of 1959. I think. :)

Dave Visbeck

08-11-07, 05:06 AM

Anyone see the movie Stand By Me? There's a lot of talk about Gordy's Yankee cap, given to him by his older brother before he died. The movie takes place in the Summer of 1959. I think. :)

Well ... for sure hats weren't being worn pre-1953. You could be right about 1959.

South Facing Epitaph

08-11-07, 02:41 PM

I stumbled upon this pic of a Sox fan before a game in the Yankee Stadium bleachers, dated October 1st, 1949. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/morbidvisions/BleacherCreaturessleepbeforeame1Oct.jpg

Dave Visbeck

08-12-07, 12:13 AM

I forgot about this thread. I received a 7 page handout from the HOF about the history of baseball hats in response to my question. The question was left unanswered. :(

Hats were being sold in 1953 for sure during World Series time.. Became a little more popular by 1955 -- with a small scattering here and there in the stands -- mostly worn by kids. The old dress hat still dominated the stands though back then in 1955. A whole lot of people were now going to games hatless though. By 1958, adults were starting to wear baseball hats for games -- just as much as the children had been doing so in the past. The old dress hats were still more common in the stands though. Would still remain that way into very early 1960's.

I've been doing some visual scouting to see what I could find in the past. Some hats were seen further back then the Series of 1953 -- but hardly any of the few were being worn at games. You'd see them here and there in street stick-ball and such, worn by kids. Adults hardly ever wore them back then -- pre 1950.

Mattingly3-6-3

08-12-07, 04:11 AM

Interesting question.

I've been collecting Yankees caps for 15 years now. Unfortunately, there is still one I can't find.

I'm looking for the 1995 Yankees AL Wild Card Cap. If anyone comes across one for sale, please let me know. I regularly search eBay.

I have one of these hats in mint condition with the tags still intact. I never wore it. I never realized they were that hard to find.

MACMAN1

08-13-07, 03:49 PM

I have one of these hats in mint condition with the tags still intact. I never wore it. I never realized they were that hard to find.

*Update* I finally found one on eBay. It arrived today.
http://i19.ebayimg.com/06/i/000/b7/04/7b9b_1.JPG

Mattingly3-6-3

08-30-07, 05:47 PM

Sorry to say but I am going to be holding on to it.