Equipment from Spalding

The 1898 Spalding Baseball Guide listed prices for many different products, along with great illustrations and descriptions (a few illustrations are linked below). A sampling of what the men in 1897 would have used to play the game is summarized below. The high-end item and the low-end item are listed together for each product.

Boys could buy a kid's ball or a bat for just 5 cents, a catcher's mitt for 10 cents, and a first baseman's mitt or infielder glove for 50 cents.

*A rough adjustment for inflation says a product that could be purchased for $1.00 in 1897 would cost about $25 today. See: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/.

Product	Price	Notes
Spalding Official League Ball	$1.50	“Warranted to last a full game without ripping or losing its elasticity or shape.”
Regulation size “Victor” ball	$.20
Spalding League Model Bat	$.75	“Made of finest selected timber, oil finish” 32, 33, 34, 35, or 36 inches
Spalding Black End “Antique” Finish Bat	$.20
Black Enameled Sun Protecting Mask	$5.00	With patented “sunshade” “Highly endorsed by the leading catchers.”
Spalding Men’s Mask	$1.00	“Heavy wire, well padded”
Spalding Catcher’s “Mit”	$7.50	“The PERFECTION of Catchers’ Mits”
Spalding’s Amateur Mit	$2.00	“Made of extra quality asbestos buck”
Spalding Basemen’s Mit	$4.00	“Adapts itself nicely to the conformation of the hand without undue straining”
Spalding’s Basemen’s and Infielders’ Mit	$1.00
Spalding Infielders’ Glove	$3.00	“Made throughout of specially tanned buckskin, lined and correctly padded with finest felt.”
Spalding Men’s Infielders’ Glove	$1.00	“All leather”
Base Ball Caps	$.40 - $1.00	Chicago, College, Boston, and University Styles
Spalding’s Baseball Shoes	$7.50	“Hand-made throughout, and of specially selected Kangaroo leather” Metal plates on the heel and sole
Amateur Special Shoes	$3.50	“Made of good quality calfskin, machine sewed.”

Official Uniform	$14.75	Shirt, belt, pants, socks, and cap included
Amateur Special Uniform	$4.50	Shirt, belt, pants, socks, and cap included