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Lot # 175: Circa Early 1960s Los Angeles Angels Game Worn Cap

Category: Baseball Equipment

Starting Bid: $100.00

Bids: 8 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "2024 Winter Pop-Up",
which ran from 1/14/2024 7:00 PM to
1/28/2024 10:00 PM



Presented is a game used Los Angeles Angels' cap that was worn at some time span during the Angels' first four seasons as a franchise. There is no indication on the cap of which player wore it. The Los Angeles Angels were an American League expansion team that debuted in the 1961 season. In the team's first incarnation as the Los Angeles Angels, some of the prominent players included slugging outfielder Leon Wagner, who bashed 91 home runs in his three seasons with the team, and pitchers Bo Belinsky and Dean Chance, both known for dating gorgeous Hollywood movie stars. In the four years when this style cap was worn, Bill Rigney managed the club, and the team played its first season at the Los Angeles Wrigley Field and then shared Dodger Stadium with the National League franchise. The team wore this style cap for the club's first four seasons. The franchise has played under various names: Los Angeles Angels (1961-64 & 2016-present), California Angels (1965-96), Anaheim Angels (1997-2004), and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2005-15). For an expansion franchise, the Angels got off to a decent start, finishing in eighth place in the ten-team American League in '61, and then jumping to a surprising third place in '62, but then the franchise struggled for a number of seasons. Eventually, the franchise won its only World Series in 2002, as the California Angels. The cap is blue, with a red bill and an interlocking red, with white trim, "LA" on front and a silver "halo" on top. the cap has a frayed "Tim McAuliffe" manufacturer's tag on the back hatband. On the left side hatband is "PRO KM cap" and size 7 1/2. There is a very small split in the back of the hatband and some very small loss of the coating material at a few places on the hatband. There are also sweat stains on the hatband and on the underside of the bill. The cap was formerly part of the well-known Louis Kendrick Collection. Stapled to the bill is a 3x5" index card (which exhibits some darkening) typed by Kendrick, that reads, "CALIFORNIA ANGELS [sic]. This is one of the 1st caps owned by the California Angels baseball club." The vintage cap is in very good condition.

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