1983 to 2009 New Era Hat Tagging Primer

[Insomniac186]

Very nicely done.

Dave Miedema

Thank you very much!

[sox83cubs84]

Very nicely done.

Dave Miedema

[Insomniac186]

Hi everyone,

I revised my edition of the New Era Cap Tagging Primer on my blog. It took a lot of detective work and I viewed many game used and team issued examples confirmed to be from the time period I was researching. If you have anything to add on any criticism, it's welcomed so please let me know. However, if you believe something is wrong please include factual evidence and photos if possible.

A New Era tagging primer will likely never be 100% correct. Phased-out tagging can appear in later years, sometimes up to four years after being phased out. This is due to what each team has in stock for player use and how frequently each size cap is issued to players. New Era themselves are also known to hoard a certain percent of their own stock for up to a couple of years at a time and send it out to teams and retail stores as needed. This is why we sometimes see postseason caps with older tagging. New Era pulls it from their own stash and slaps patches on them before sending them out. I tried to seek out caps that I knew for a fact were actually manufactured during each season.

Enjoy! https://ballcapblog.blogspot.com/201...-cap-tags.html

[Tallyman77]

Ebay Bob Molinaro cap

Sorry about that Dave.........I didn't even check the date on that post.

-Walt

Tallyman77

[sox83cubs84]

That was a few months ago, Walt...I have no means of finding it again, either.

Dave M.

[Tallyman77]

Ebay Bob Molinaro cap

Dave.....please double check that Ebay item # or give me the seller.........I am not pulling that cap up.

Thanks,

-Walt

Tallyman77

[sox83cubs84]

2017 Brewers cap

I just got in a 2017 common player's Brewers cap. It is the same in tagging design as the Mark Salas White Sox cap I reference a few posts earlier. Compared to the 2012-13 label (the most recent I can find pictured in this thread), the tag, like 2016's, has no print under the New Era logo.

Dave M.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: 1983 to 2009 New Era Hat Tagging Primer

Dave, upon further research it appears that those MLB tags started showing up in 1982, since I saw an authenticated game used 1982 World Series cap with the MLB tag. I haven't seen anything that is from 1981 "for sure" that has the MLB tag, but I suppose it's possible. I believe it was 1982 when Sports Specialties joined the on-field MLB cap market and made themselves the first MLB "licensee", then New Era and Roman Pro quickly followed suit.

I ran across another 1981 cap with the MLB tag present. Since my PC won't post eBay photos onto this site, I direct you to eBay item 152850905287 currently open for bids. The cap is a style last used in 1981, and is a common player (Bob Molinaro) that looks to be game used from the photos. Can you, Tallyman, or any other contributors to this thread check this out and post your thoughts (and maybe post the appropriate photos, also?) Thanks.

Also, the item is misdated by the seller as 1976.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Re: 1983 to 2009 New Era Hat Tagging Primer

Referring again to post #68 photos, I compared the White Sox 2016 Mother's Day cap tagging on the Mark Salas lid I just received to the 2012-13 tag photos. The MLB and size tags are the same, but the New Era tag has no print beneath the company logo.

Dave Miedema

The Twins GU cap I received from Eddie Guardado yesterday is tagged in identical fashion to the Salas lid.

Dave M.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: 1983 to 2009 New Era Hat Tagging Primer

Referring again to post #68 photos, I compared the White Sox 2016 Mother's Day cap tagging on the Mark Salas lid I just received to the 2012-13 tag photos. The MLB and size tags are the same, but the New Era tag has no print beneath the company logo.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Re: 1983 to 2009 New Era Hat Tagging Primer

I picked up a Dave Clark Tigers TBTC cap from a 2015 game via MLB Auctions. It appears that the tag designs have gone back to wht ws used in the 2012-13 time frame. (See post #68 from Joel S.)

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Re: 1983 to 2009 New Era Hat Tagging Primer

Bob,

One of the most helpful things would be if you had already a column for the date that you bought the item or the date that each cap came into your collection and how you you obtain it. Hopefully that is something that you kept track of.

Joel:

Can you please send me any photos you have of pre-1970 Spaldding CAP tags? Or print them here? I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Dave Miedema
sox83cubs84@hotmail.com

[sox83cubs84]

Re: 1983 to 2009 New Era Hat Tagging Primer

I received a team-issued 2014 4th of July cap from a White Sox coach today. Like the Phillies BP cap, it, too, lacks the "Official On-Field Cap" on the MLB logo tag.


Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Re: 1983 to 2009 New Era Hat Tagging Primer

Updated. See first post for earlier tags

I got a 2014 BP cap from a Phillies coach a couple of weeks ago, and the tagging has only 1 difference from the 2012-13 version, that being the absence of the "OFFICIAL ON-FIELD CAP" line under the MLB logo.

Dave Miedema

[joelsabi]

Re: 1983 to 2009 New Era Hat Tagging Primer

I've noticed that sometimes changes on the tags happen late in the season. And the case with hiramman and the Braves caps, they are surely leftover team stock that was issued to those players for the season. It happens. I have a bunch of 2012 MiLB caps that have the older tags.

Perhaps the primer should mention that the 2009 though 2011 Stars N' Stripes caps had white tags and sweatbands. Maybe just a note? They're the same tags, just white. Also, a note for 2013 tags; all 2013 caps that were made in China (the new BP/Spring Training caps, certain Turn Back The Clock caps) lack the "OFFICIAL ON-FIELD CAP" text underneath the Authentic Collection logo. I'll take some pictures when time allows.

MILB hats have different tags so its not included in the findings.

from the original post: "this covers regular hats and not bp or and not special hats. adding bp hats to the research really confused the situation so i discounted them in my search"