Military Baseball Research Resources

Collecting and researching military baseball artifacts is a considerable challenge due to the scarcity of the pieces in contrast to the incredible volumes of professional equipment that has been available for decades. Chevrons and Diamonds (C&D) was created to be a reliable resource providing documented and sourced research and sharing it with fellow collectors and interested historians.  Below is an ever-increasing gathering of resources that are used by C&D on a routine basis. As more are discovered and vetted, they will be added, here.

Uniforms, Equipment and Ephemera References:

• Fundraising
  • Exhibition and regular season games for fund-raising
• Bats
  • Diamond Weapons: Military Baseball Bats
• Baseballs
  • The Game’s Namesake: Identifying Military Game Balls
• Gloves 
  • Baseball Glove Dating Guide Index
    • Vintage Baseball Glove Forum
• Uniforms, Jerseys and Caps:
  • Archive of Military Baseball Uniforms and Jerseys  – Dedicated to preserving an online archive detailing baseball uniforms from the military game.
  • Baseball Uniform Tags Archive
    • GoldSmith/MacGregor GoldSmith/MacGregor baseball uniform tag reference
    • Lowe & Campbell Uniform Tag Reference
    • Wilson Sports Equipment Tag Reference
      
  • Vintage Baseball Uniforms Reference (AntiqueSportsCollector.com)
    • Early Baseball Uniforms Manufacturer Tags Database (AntiqueSportsCollector.com)
  • The MLB Uniform and Cap Reference Guide (MLBCollectors.com)
    • A Brief History of MLB Jersey and Cap Manufacturers (MLBCollectors.com)
  • Sports Uniform Tag Database (SportsTaggingDatabase)
• Ephemera
  • Library of Military Baseball Scorecards, Score-books and Game Programs

Sites Discussing Baseball in the Armed Forces:

• Baseball in Wartime – Gary Bedingfield’s comprehensive site detailing the history of the game and its players during the wars.
• Baseball’s Greatest Sacrifice – This site sheds light on those ball players who, while serving their nation, made the ultimate sacrifice.
• Baseball Enlists: National Baseball Hall of Fame – The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s online artifact exhibit dedicated to the game during World War II.
• Infinite Card Set/Studio Gary C – A baseball history site like no other, Gary Cieradkowski’s beautiful artwork in the form of baseball cards augment his detailed research and biographic narratives covering both obscure and well-known baseball figures. Several of his subjects served in the armed forces and are featured prominently among his work. Gary has authored multiple books that encapsulate his Infinite Cards, bios and additional artwork.
• KeyMan Collectibles – Wartime Baseball Memorabilia & Collectibles American History: Part I | Part II

Recommended Books:

• WWI
  • Nine Innings for the King: The Day Wartime London Stopped for Baseball, July 4, 1918 Paperback by Jim Leeke
  • From the Dugouts to the Trenches: Baseball during the Great War by Jim Leeke
• WWII
  • Baseball in World War II Europe (by Gary Bedingfield)
  • Baseball’s Dead of World War II: A Roster of Professional Players Who Died in Service (by Gary Bedingfield)
  • Baseball in Hawaii During World War II (by Gary Bedingfield)
  • For the Good of the Country: World War II Baseball in the Major and Minor Leagues (by David Finoli)
  • The Game Must Go On: Hank Greenberg, Pete Gray, and the Great Days of Baseball on the Home Front in WWII (by John Klima)
  • Playing for Their Nation: Baseball and the American Military during World War II (by Steven R. Bullock)
  • The Victory Season: The End of World War II and the Birth of Baseball’s Golden Age (by Robert Weintraub)
  • When Baseball Went to War (by Todd Anton, Bill Nowlin, Gary Bedingfield)
  • The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg (by Nicholas Dawidoff)
  • Ted Williams At War (by Bill Nowlin)
  • The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II (by Anne R. Keene)
• Teams, Players, Places and Personalities
  • Baseball in Hawai’i (by Jim Vitti)
  • Honolulu Stadium: Where Hawaii Played (by Arthur Suehiro)
  • Barbed Wire Baseball: How One Man Brought Hope to the Japanese Internment Camps of WWII (by Marissa Moss)
  • The Nats and the Grays: How Baseball in the Nation’s Capital Survived WWII and Changed the Game Forever (by David E. Hubler)

Articles, Columns and Baseball Sites:

• Our Game: Baseball and the Armed Services (part 1) – Major League Baseball’s 2016 retrospective documenting the game and its players who served in the military.
  • Pt. II: Baseball and the Armed Services
  • Pt. III: Baseball and the Armed Services
• ninety feet of perfection. – “The ninety feet between home plate and first base may be the closest man has ever come to perfection” – a site touching on the passion for the game by a former baseball player.
• Great Lakes Naval teams were best of the World War II era – One of the most dominant service teams – the Great Lakes Naval Training Center Bluejackets – featured players such as Feller, Chapman, Mize, George Dickey and was managed by Mickey Cochrane.

Forums and Collector’s Groups:

• KeyMan Collectibles – information (including price guides, dating resources) on vintage baseball collectibles as well as tips on caring for your memorabilia collection.
  • KeyMan on Facebook – A fantastic group of collectors sharing artifacts and research.
• The Baseball Glove Collector – dedicated to collectible vintage baseball gloves and mitts.
• Net54baseball.com A collection of forums devoted to both Pre- and Post- war baseball cards and vintage memorabilia, as well as other sports.
• Hauls of Shame – fraud and corruption in the baseball collectibles and auction industries.

Fraud, Fakes and Corruption

• Hauls of Shame – fraud and corruption in the baseball collectibles and auction industries.
• A Negative Original: Vintage Photo Fraud – discerning vintage photographs from fakes and reproductions.
• “Skimming” Your Way to Overpaying for Militaria – Introduction to faked vintage military baseballs.
• Is My WWII Baseball Real? – separating genuine military baseballs from fakes.
• These eBay Pitch-men are Tossing Spitballs at Unsuspecting Collectors – known fraudsters and their wares.
  • *UPDATE: These eBay Pitch-men are Tossing Spitballs at Unsuspecting Collectors
• Vintage Military Baseball Fakery: Straight Deception or a Picker’s Ignorance? – Faked USMC WWII baseball listed on eBay