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Great Collection of Vintage Major League Umpire's Game Worn Hats w/Art Williams (9)
Displayed is an outstanding collection of umpire caps from former Major League umpires, including a cap from Art Williams, the first African American umpire in the National League. These umpire caps are all from the collection of Louis Kendrick, a noted collector who received the hats from the umpires themselves. The caps that are identified by Louis Kendrick have small cards stapled to the caps with typed information about the cap. These small information cards are stapled to the front of the identified caps, but the staples can easily be removed: 1) Art Williams Umpire Cap - the 2x3.5" card that was typed and stapled to the cap by Kendrick reads, "1975. ART WILLIAMS UMPIRE CAP./This cap was worn by the 1st. Black umpire in National League history. Received this cap from Art Williams/Wednesday SEPT 12, 1973." Williams first umpired in the NL in 1972, on a 19-game fill-in basis. He became a full-time NL umpire in 1973 and umpired in the NL through the 1977 season. He umpired 806 NL games and was an umpire in the 1975 NL Championship Series. The Navy-blue cap has a KM Pro Cap manufacturer's tag in the back of the hatband. Also has a KM stamp and has a size "7" stamp. Shows nice use. 2) Ron Luciano Cap - The Kendrick card stapled to the cap reads, "1972. UMPIRE - CAP. This cap was won by my close friend American League umpire Ron Luciano/6-7-72." The cap has an AL crest on the front and a KM Pro Cap manufacturer's tag in the rear hatband. Size 7 3/8 is stamped on the hatband next to a KM stamp. The cap exhibits light use. 3) Bill Kunkel Umpire Cap - The Kendrick card stapled to the cap reads, "UMPIRE CAP/BILL KUNKEL/This cap was worn by my close friend American League umpire Bill Kunkel. 11-5. (sic) 71". The cap has a Pro Model Leslie Company manufacturer's tag on the rear hatband. "Kunkel" is hand-printed in blue ink on the front hatband. The hat shows moderate use. No size is given. 4) An AL umpire's cap, most likely worn by Larry Barnett, with a KM Pro Cap manufacturer's tag on the back hatband. On the left side of the hatband is a KM stamp and a stamped "7 3/8", for size. The cap has AL, in red block letters with white trim, on the front. On the underside of the bill is "Barnett," printed in black marker by an unknown hand. The cap is probably from Larry Barnett, an umpire in the AL from 1969-99. On the cap bill, small areas on both sides in front show a loss of the outer, cloth material. The left side of the hatband shows a KM stamp and a size "7 3/8" stamp. 5) An unidentified National League umpire's cap. It has a New Era Pro Model manufacturer's tag, partially torn, on the rear hatband. The front has NL, but there is some staining on the NL. There is a small box tag for size, but the size is no longer legible. The cap shows good use. 6) An unidentified umpire's cap. Has AL on the front. There is a New Era pro model manufacturer's tag on the back hatband. The back hatband is partially cracked. The cap shows good use. No size is indicated. 7) An unidentified umpire's cap. It has a KM Pro Cap manufacturer's tag on the back hatband. A tiny piece of fabric is missing from the underside of the bill. No size is indicated. The cap shows good use. 8) An unidentified American League umpire's cap. The royal blue cap has a red AL, outlined in white, on the front. There is a New Era manufacturer's tag on the rear hatband, and the initials "H. L." have been hand-printed onto the New Era tag with a black marker, by an unknown hand. The hatband has a "7 3/8" size tag. There is a very slight loss of material on the right side where the bill meets the main part of the cap. 9) An unidentified minor league Triple A umpire's cap. Has AAA on the front. The back hatband has a Roman Pro manufacturer's tag. There is a size 7 1/8 tag. Shows light use. Included in the offering is a hand-written signed letter, by an unidentified Major League umpire, to Kendrick, about the umpire caps the umpire was sending to Kendrick. The offering makes an interesting, and varied, collection of umpires' caps, with the cap of the first African American National League umpire, and caps of big-name umpires such as Ron Luciano (a former AFL player with the Buffalo Bills and an author of humorous baseball books, including The Umpire Strikes Back), Bill Kunkel (a former New York Yankee pitcher) and Larry Barnett, the home plate umpire during the controversial Jeffrey Meier game on Oct. 9, 1996, during the AL Championship Series at Yankee Stadium between the Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles.
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