Rare Wilson "ambidextrous" glove, featuring two thumbs, two webs, and three fingers, specially produced in the 1950s for former Major League player and Wilson sales representative Ripper Collins. Considered by many early glove collectors to be the "Holy Grail" of all baseball gloves, this "ambidextrous" glove comes with a documented chain of provenance starting with Ripper Collins, as well as many articles mentioning and/or picturing the glove, including a copy of a 1955 newspaper article featuring Collins holding the glove.

Long known for his irrepressible, fun-loving personality, James "Ripper" Collins played in the Major Leagues from 1931 to 1941, during which time he was a key member of the Cardinals' famous "Gas House Gang." Following his retirement from baseball, Collins went to work as a glove salesman for Wilson Sporting Goods. An avid glove collector himself, Collins also helped design gloves for the company, including the offered "ambidextrous" model. Unlike the other gloves he designed; however, the "ambidextrous" model was produced as a sales gimmick that also fit right in with his reputation as a prankster. Collins would take the glove with him each year during his sales calls when he traveled to the various Major League spring-training camps. At each stop he would promote the virtues of the new "ambidextrous" glove to naive rookies while the veterans strained to hold in their laughter at Collins' animated sales pitch, which included on-field demonstrations. By all accounts Collins had the glove made in the early 1950s. According to reports at the time, Collins had Wilson produce four such gloves, three of which he presented as gifts to top Wilson executives. While we have no idea what happened to those other three examples, we have never seen or heard of any of them entering the hobby. This is the only example that we know of and, because it was Collins' personal glove, the most significant. The glove features the name "Ripper Collins" stamped in the pocket, with "Wilson - Made in USA" stamped on the heel. Moderate use is displayed throughout, but the glove is complete as issued, with no tears to the lacing. Accompanied by two small Wilson instructional booklets titled How to Play Big League Baseball by Rip Collins.

A tremendous amount of supporting documentation accompanies the glove. When Collins died in 1970, this glove, along with his entire glove collection, was left to his son, Randolph Collins. In 1992, Randolph Collins sold his father's glove collection to well-known Texas-based collector Ron Carlson, using a mutual friend, Tom Kennedy, as an intermediary in the deal. In a copy of the March, 1992 issue of The Glove Collector (which is included in this lot), Carlson contributed an article in which he described his joy at finally obtaining the one glove that had eluded him for many years: "Like a little boy who discovers his new pony on Christmas morning, I was excited when Tom delivered the collection. In a deliberate effort to lightly torment me, I suppose, he slowly displayed one glove at a time until finally he pulled number 25 from he bottom of the bag. It was worth the wait! The legendary ambidextrous glove really did exist" (A copy of Randolph Collins' letter of provenance to Carlson accompanies the glove, as does a copy of the inventory list for the gloves purchased by Carlson). The glove remained in Carlson's collection for many years until he sold it in 2000 to another well-known collector. Both the purchase of the glove from Carlson to the second owner and from that owner to our collector are documented in a number of correspondences included with the glove. Also accompanying the glove are additional vintage publications featuring articles about either Collins' or Carlson's collection, most of which mention the "ambidextrous glove. This is a unique and extraordinary piece, famous in the annals of glove collecting, with a documented line of provenance from its designer and original owner, Ripper Collins. Opening Bid $1,500.