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 and Equipment References:

• Bats & Gloves:
  • Hillerich & Bradsby Bat Collecting Reference
  • 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.
    • Vintage Baseball Uniforms Reference
      • Early Baseball Uniforms Manufacturer Tags Database
    • Baseball Uniform Tags Archive
      • GoldSmith/MacGregor GoldSmith/MacGregor baseball uniform tag reference
      • Lowe & Campbell Uniform Tag Reference
      • Wilson Sports Equipment Tag Reference
    • The MLB Uniform and Cap Reference Guide
    • A Brief History of MLB Jersey and Cap Manufacturers
    • Sports Uniform Tag Database
• 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.

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)
  • 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)
• 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
  • The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II (by Anne R. Keene)
  • The Nats and the Grays: How Baseball in the Nation’s Capital Survived WWII and Changed the Game Forever (by David E. Hubler )
  • The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg (by Nicholas Dawidoff)
  • Ted Williams At War (by Bill Nowlin)

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