Top Five Baseball Jersey Manufacturers
Buying a custom baseball team jersey is a great way to cheer on your favorite MLB team. It is a feeling that every sports enthusiast wants to experience.
Many companies have been making MLB jerseys since the early 1900s. One of the earliest equipment manufacturers was Spalding, which had a major share in the market until the 1950s.
Spalding
Spalding is a sports company that manufactures baseball equipment. They have been in business for over 135 years and their products are considered to be of the highest quality. The company also manufactures a line of leather goods that include wallets, bags and other accessories.
They are based in the United States but they also have manufacturing plants in China. These plants allow them to produce high-quality goods at a low cost.
Aside from producing baseballs, they also make tennis balls, footballs and golf balls. They are a leader in innovation and have been responsible for many of the innovations that have made baseball the sport it is today.
The company’s founder, Albert Goodwill Spalding, was a professional baseball player who started out with the Boston Red Stockings and became a legend in the sport. He was also a successful entrepreneur and helped create the current National League.
In 1876, Spalding began making standardized baseballs, which would later become the basis of all Major League baseballs. The company grew from a small baseball store in Chicago to a nationwide manufacturer.
Spalding is one of the most famous and reputable manufacturers of sports equipment in the world. They are also known for their baseball caps and throwback jerseys. The company is currently owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). It was purchased by KKR for as much as $1 billion in 1996.
Partridge
Partridge, a former linebackers coach at Michigan and Ole Miss, had an illustrious recruiting career. He landed five-star defensive lineman Rashan Gary at Michigan in 2015 and a year later, got his second commitment, defensive tackle D’Juan Solomon, to come to the Wolverines.
Despite his success, Partridge also made some mistakes along the way. In a recent interview with Religion News Service, Partridge admitted that he has unintentionally used others’ work without credit and said he is working to correct his mistake.
In addition to his work as a football coach, Partridge has been involved in a growing number of other businesses. He founded an online community called Relearn Church and has also written several books.
He is an avid collector of baseball gear and has a collection of vintage MLB jerseys. He has several jerseys for sale on eBay, including a Spalding brand wool jersey from the 1920s with a Spalding sewn-in neck tag and matching pants that feature a maroon pinstripe.
The jersey is in very good condition and comes with a embroidered «Michigan» on the chest area. There are some minor mothholes, but the overall quality of the uniform is great.
During the Civil War, Partridge served as a Union soldier in the 25th Maine. He wrote home frequently about his experiences, describing small-scale expeditions and baseball jersey manufacturer skirmishes. He also wrote about his duties as a signal post commander in New Bern, N.C., where he remained for two years.
Leacock
Leacock was one of the early pioneers of baseball jersey manufacturing. It supplied jerseys and equipment to the Cardinals and Browns in the early 20th century.
The company’s current headquarters is located in St. Louis, Missouri at 921 Locust Street. It is a flat roofed, five-story (historically identified as a four story plus mezzanine) brown brick commercial building with terra cotta details.
While no year tag is present on the item, MEARS was able to confirm that this is an authentic Rawlings and Leacock Sporting Goods jersey, issued in 1924. The item has light-to-moderate wear displayed throughout, including some minor fabric bleeding from the lettering across the front of the shirt.
The team name is emblazoned on the front of this gray flannel jersey in brown felt letters. The item is chain stitched in gold and contains both a Rawlings and Leacock Sporting goods label along with an inventory tag.
There is also a flannel-style name tag that reads, “Pruett.” This tag is situated on the left front tail of the shirt and is written in faded black ink. The item is an authentic vintage example of the flannel-style name tag and predates the onset of the use of numbers on uniforms.
The shirts used to be made of 100% wool flannel and were quite heavy, but these uniforms were worn by professional players from 1900 until 1970, so the weight is probably a relative measure. It was a time when baseball was played outdoors with very little air conditioning or even an umbrella, so this was one of the first attempts at making a jersey that would survive the elements.
M&N
The Mitchell & Ness brand has been making uniforms for baseball and football teams since the 1930s. Their first MLB jerseys were produced in 1938 for the Philadelphia Athletics, and the company continued to supply Philadelphia’s other major league team – the Phillies – through 1963.
M&N specializes in reproducing historic uniforms from different professional sports. The company hires history buffs and sports gurus, who do research from newspapers, books, programs, and film footage. They also consult vintage uniform collectors throughout the country and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Aside from baseball, M&N produces jerseys for other sports like basketball and football. Its Hardwood Classics collection of NBA jerseys and the Mitchell & Ness Throwback Collection for football are popular in international retail.
Its baseball jerseys include the MLB baseball jersey manufacturer «Cooperstown Collection» line, which was introduced in 1988. The company also produces MLB caps, which it distributes under the New Era name.
In addition to baseball, M&N produces other sports jerseys, including American football and NHL. Its hockey jerseys have been made in partnership with the NHL, and it has made a few NFL throwbacks.
The M&N logo is a modern take on the old underlined cursive “M.” It has a red North Star placed in the shape of Minnesota, with the wording “Minnesota Twins” beneath it. The home white and road gray pinstripe jerseys feature a navy, white and red piping, with a Minnesota-silhouette sleeve emblem and the player’s name and number in offsetting red and navy.
Capital Ace
The best part about this small town company was its sheer quality of production and the resulting high-end customer service. A brief tour of their facility is enough to get your heart pumping. They have a good name in the industry and they are still in business. The best part is their staff knows their stuff. Its best customer is the Reno Aces. As for the actual operation, they have a team of eighteen. They have a great track record in customer satisfaction and are known for their quality and service in the offseason. They are a great fit for our organization.
Cooperstown Ball Cap
The Cooperstown Ball Cap Company made very authentic-looking throwback MLB caps until 2010 when it closed due to licensing and trademark issues. It resurrected shortly afterward in a working arrangement with Ideal Cap but no longer offers MLB caps from any period.
The Leslie Company acquired Spalding’s cap making business around 1949 or 1950, and by 1953 had introduced the KM Pro model to MLB (KM meaning Kaufman-McAuliffe). Tim McAuliffe started manufacturing hats for retail under his own label with zip codes on the KM Pro label, and MLB teams used them from 1953 through 1968 when McAuliffe’s business closed in 1968 or early 1969.
In addition to making McAuliffe caps, The Leslie Company also manufactured caps for Wilson from the mid-1950’s until the late 1960’s. These caps were distributed by Mitchell & Ness and had the KM Pro model name stamped on the sweatbands, with zip codes on the KM Pro labels.
New Era was established in 1920, and by the early 1950’s was a major player in the baseball cap market. In 1954 they developed their fitted 59FIFTY style cap, which is still their most popular design.
They are also a popular supplier of throwback uniforms for various sports teams and players, focusing on classic to modern team and player jerseys that are no longer available in retail. Their throwback uniforms are a great way to show your dedication and pride in your favorite team or player.