Cooperstown Cap Company New York Giants Caps

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

Don't know what happened to the message I posted with the foregoing photos but this is an original 1950s New York Giants cap which I recently purchased. Believe it or not it's in brand new condition.

I apologize for the size and hope that you can reduce it on your computer.

The cap is virtually the same cap I purchased in 1954 from Gerry Cosby & Co. The only difference being the manufacturer, Pro KM. Pro KM I believe, took over the manufacture of many MLB teams caps from Tim McAuliffe & Co. around 1956 or '57 and continued through the mid to late 70s.

If I wasn't so happy I'd be almost embarrassed to admit that I got it for $86.00 on ebay. You may wish to compare this cap to a Sal Maglie cap sold at a memorabillia auction a few years ago. That cap can be seen at:

www.huntauctions.com/online/imageviewer.cfm?auction_num=21&lot_num=717&lot_qual+[/url]

Once again sorry for the size of those photos.

Logo is a Met one, not the NY on my avatar that was the NY in the 50's. Your cap is, however, relatively well made and replete with thicker wool than Cooperstown Cap Co. now uses. Most importantly, how do you like it?

[rcl986@aol.com]

http://www.huntauctions.com/live/ima...=717&lot_qual=

Ralph

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. The cap sold at auction by Hunt (link above) is identical to that of the one I just purchased.

[jimm]

Have a 1951 cap on the way along with a 1957 Milwaukee Braves cap for a co-worker, thanks for the tip on the sale!

[Bitter Fan]

http://www.huntauctions.com/live/ima...=717&lot_qual=

Ralph

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. The cap sold at auction by Hunt (link above) is identical to that of the one I just purchased.

The cap you purchased is not vintage, though it's a pretty nice replica. Notice the Pro KM tag: Boston 02111. ZIP codes were not introduced until 1963.

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

The cap you purchased is not vintage, though it's a pretty nice replica. Notice the Pro KM tag: Boston 02111. ZIP codes were not introduced until 1963.

Wow, Bitter Fan, you are quite the cap-mystery solver!!

[rcl986@aol.com]

The cap you purchased is not vintage, though it's a pretty nice replica. Notice the Pro KM tag: Boston 02111. ZIP codes were not introduced until 1963.

Great catch Bitter Fan! I never noticed that and sure can't argue it.

Ralph, It's a great cap which I will now describe as a replica of a vintage cap manufactured by the original cap maker. Though it's a size too big I found some cap sizers on the web which allow me to wear it. Most people do ask if it's an old Mets cap.

A thought....I think something went out of baseball when product licensing came in. It seems to me that quality and workmanship suffered when names like Spalding, MacGregor, McAulliffe, Wilson et al. no longer sold to individual teams. Maybe I'm just getting old but I still prefer the uniform look of the Fifties and Sixties to the skin tight or very baggy pants to ankles look of today. In my mind polyester will never replace well made wool caps and light weight wool flannel uniforms. But that's just me.

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

Great catch Bitter Fan! I never noticed that and sure can't argue it.

Ralph, It's a great cap which I will now describe as a replica of a vintage cap manufactured by the original cap maker. Though it's a size too big I found some cap sizers on the web which allow me to wear it. Most people do ask if it's an old Mets cap.

A thought....I think something went out of baseball when product licensing came in. It seems to me that quality and workmanship suffered when names like Spalding, MacGregor, McAulliffe, Wilson et al. no longer sold to individual teams. Maybe I'm just getting old but I still prefer the uniform look of the Fifties and Sixties to the skin tight or very baggy pants to ankles look of today. In my mind polyester will never replace well made wool caps and light weight wool flannel uniforms. But that's just me.

We all want it to be the way it was when we were children... unless, of course, you're Bing Crosby's kid. :-)

[JOVE23]

We all want it to be the way it was when we were children... unless, of course, you're Bing Crosby's kid. :-)

LOL

[jimm]

Got my Giants cap and my co worker Milwaukee Braves.

[rcl986@aol.com]

I have just received the following email from the Cooperstown Ballcap Company:

"After Twenty Years of Making Quality Reproduction Historic Baseball Caps, The Great Cooperstown Ball Cap Co is obliged, by the retirement of our head of production, Susan Whitmore, by impending legal actions and by the sheer difficulty of custom making one-of–a-kind ball caps, to alter the way we go about things.
Until the end of 2009 we will continue to make caps from our current on-line catalog in the way we always have. CBC will fill holiday orders as we do usually and complete all orders within the accustomed time frame.
From January 1, 2010 to July 1, 2010 as a service to our esteemed customers, we will make 20 caps per week as custom orders. However, these caps will be offered only in the unconstructed traditional style and carry no logo after 1960. There will be changes to the way we list our caps as well.
Also beginning Jan 1, we will offer an increasing variety of stock caps. These caps will be available at $36 from a menu similar to our Caps on Sale, arranged by size and maintain the same quality of production and materials for which Cooperstown Ball Cap Co is famous.
We understand that change is disruptive and CBC will do all we can to fill your ball cap needs during this change over."

It looks as if they are trying their best to stay afloat but, it also looks like the day of ordering a custom cap from these folks is coming to an end. Sad!

[Bitter Fan]

Looks to me like they are gettin a lawsuit thrown at them by MLB, and the settlement is they don't go modern.

[Bitter Fan]

Just bought my first Ballcap....not much time left to get a cap made of the Cooperstown Ballcap's quality.

[OrangeandBlack14]

Don't look at their homepage now, guys

[Bitter Fan]

Don't look at their homepage now, guys

I am one of those orders to be fulfilled. Thank gawd, I might get the very last NY Giants cap made by CBCC.

Commercial, financial and legal difficulties; and the complexity of sewing one-of-a-kind caps in the U.S, make this decision inevitable.

Sounds like their head of production retiring recently has also affected things. It's hard getting employees to Cooperstown.

[OrangeandBlack14]

I am one of those orders to be fulfilled. Thank gawd, I might get the very last NY Giants cap made by CBCC.

You and me brother, I got one through the night before, too..I was amazed, I knew they were shutting down the ordering soon but I didn't know it'd be the day after. Wow.

[Bitter Fan]

My cap is due to be mailed out on Monday.

It is a shame they are closing. There were at least two non-MLB caps they could have made that I wanted, but I didn't think they were going to close out so soon.

[westsidegrounds]

It's sad. They made a great product. I have half a dozen of their caps and would have ordered more.

But creating a small business and keeping it going for almost a quarter century is quite an achievement, and I guess a time comes when you want to retire.

It would be great if somebody could be found to carry on. Wonder if there'd be any possibility of becoming MLB's official "premium" repro cap maker?

[Bitter Fan]

Just got mine today. A beaut. It's not perfect - it's got the flaws that comes from not being made on an assembly line (and possibly from a rushed schedule) - but it's got character.

Going out to Lefty's in a couple hours to have a beer with some friends and I am definitely wearing this cap. Ralph, we gotta grab a beer - in our NY Giant caps, naturally - before I head back across the pond.

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

Just got mine today. A beaut. It's not perfect - it's got the flaws that comes from not being made on an assembly line (and possibly from a rushed schedule) - but it's got character.

Going out to Lefty's in a couple hours to have a beer with some friends and I am definitely wearing this cap. Ralph, we gotta grab a beer - in our NY Giant caps, naturally - before I head back across the pond.

It looks terrific, Bitter Fan... flaws and all. :-)

[theAmazingMet]

Don't look at their homepage now, guys

This is a sad day for any and all throwback cap buffs. A sad day indeed.

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

I'm not trying to make lemonade out of lemons here, but it's not like their quality of work [colors, logos, service]] hasn't decreased appreciably, over the past few years. Hopefully another group of folks will buy them and...

[Bitter Fan]

Apparently they were licensed by MLB after all - the note I got in my cap said they lost their license. It's a shame because of that they are closing.

Though it does make me curious if MLB licensed another company to make bespoke caps. Hopefully it wasn't just American Needle (ugh, terrible) paying MLB off or something.

[jimm]

Glad I got one when I did

[OrangeandBlack14]

I was curious about the hats at Ebbets Field Flannels, and was wondering if anyone has any?

1) Do you like them?

And..

2) How do the sizes run compared to Cooperstown?

[Bitter Fan]

Got a kid?