New Era 59Fiftys

[VitaminD]

Something I noticed a while back but never asked about:

My New Era hats go back over 20 years, to an '83 Padres hat. Up through the early '90s, the embroidery on the logo was pretty much flat against the front panels of the hat. But a while back - right about the time that New Era became the official hat of MLB, and you really started noticing their brand name and advertisements - the embroidery became noticeably raised off of the rest of the hat.

Was there a redesign? Or a change in manufacturing technique? Or is this just something done for the mass-market caps sold in stores, and they make the ones that go directly to the teams the more traditional way?

Sorry for all the questions, but this is probably the right place to find an answer.

[sj32]

New Era had experimented with the raised logos in the late-70's, early 80's - the Dodgers and the Cardinals were the guinea pigs. It seems that around 1993, New Era made a conscious decision to make Major League caps uniform - raised logos where possible, grey underbills and MLB logos on the back. This is roughly the same time New Era became the exclusive supplier of MLB caps. The on-field caps have the same raised embroidery as those sold in stores. The thing that frosts me about New Era (not including their inability to be consistent in anything) is that they have started using raised embroidery in Cooperstown Collection caps that had the standard, flat embroidery. They seem to be cutting corners on the Cooperstown caps, such as marketing 1958-76 and 1977-82 Giants caps that have the current "SF" logo and not the ones they used during those periods.

[schwep76]

It seems that around 1993, New Era made a conscious decision to make Major League caps uniform - raised logos where possible, grey underbills and MLB logos on the back. 

Even this is skewed because the Angels use a black underbill...they did some scientific study that showed it helped reduce glare.

They're the only team that does that though.

[sj32]

It seems that around 1993, New Era made a conscious decision to make Major League caps uniform - raised logos where possible, grey underbills and MLB logos on the back. 

Even this is skewed because the Angels use a black underbill...they did some scientific study that showed it helped reduce glare.

They're the only team that does that though.

In 93, they all were grey. The Angels changed to black underbills in 1997 when they went from the California Angels to the Anaheim Angels. Somebody on the board said that the Rangers were going to black underbills this season, but I have not seen a Rangers game this year, so I'm not sure if they actually made the switch. The Pirates have had a red underbill on the Alternate caps (black, yellow bill and button, yellow "P" outlined in red) since they were introduced about three years ago. It is still a team's perogative as to what colors will appear on their caps, even the underbills, but New Era has set grey as the default.

As far as the scientific study story and the Angels, it's remarkably similar to the story about how grey underbills came in vogue. The Cincinnati Reds commissioned a study in the mid 1970's regarding what underbill color reduces the most glare and came up with battleship grey (the glare-reducing quality of the color is why the Navy puts it on ships). For some reason, there were more National League teams that used grey underbills in the late 1970s (Reds, Cardinals, Braves, Giants, Pirates & Expos) than American League teams (Blue Jays & White Sox).

[bterreson]

http://www.ssur.org/articles/UniWatch/item...21_UniWatch.htm

[schwep76]

It seems that around 1993, New Era made a conscious decision to make Major League caps uniform - raised logos where possible, grey underbills and MLB logos on the back. 

Even this is skewed because the Angels use a black underbill...they did some scientific study that showed it helped reduce glare.

They're the only team that does that though.

The Pirates have had a red underbill on the Alternate caps (black, yellow bill and button, yellow "P" outlined in red) since they were introduced about three years ago.

Woah, I've never seen that. Does anyone have a picture of this?

[Survival79]

It seems that around 1993, New Era made a conscious decision to make Major League caps uniform - raised logos where possible, grey underbills and MLB logos on the back. 

Even this is skewed because the Angels use a black underbill...they did some scientific study that showed it helped reduce glare.

They're the only team that does that though.

The Pirates have had a red underbill on the Alternate caps (black, yellow bill and button, yellow "P" outlined in red) since they were introduced about three years ago.

Woah, I've never seen that. Does anyone have a picture of this?

[griffelh]

I have a Yankees cap that I purchased in 1983 that has a raised logo like New Era currently makes. It was inconsistent back then, as I have another that I purchased in 1985 where the logo is flat. They have, though, been at least inconsistently doing it for a while.

[Puckguy14]

I believe it was 1997 when the logos were raised to a 3D look. 1993 or 1994 the MLB logo came onto the back and in 1994 the bronze MLB 125th Anniversary Pin was optional.

FYI the MLB patch on the uniform on the back neck came in 2000.

[sj32]

I believe it was 1997 when the logos were raised to a 3D look.  1993 or 1994 the MLB logo came onto the back and in 1994 the bronze MLB 125th Anniversary Pin was optional.

FYI the MLB patch on the uniform on the back neck came in 2000.

Puckguy, since you are in the general vicinity you might be able to answer this, didn't the Giants wear the MLB logo on the back of their caps in 1992 before everybody else started wearing it in 1993. I seem to remember the Giants as being the first to wear the logo and I don't think anybody else was wearing it at that time.

[Jungle Jim]

The thing that frosts me about New Era (not including their inability to be consistent in anything) is that they have started using raised embroidery in Cooperstown Collection caps that had the standard, flat embroidery.

Yes, that drives me crazy, too. I bought a 1984 Padres and one of the Astros 1970s orange caps and both had the raised letters. I wanted them authentic, and these clearly are not. If they have the Cooperstown tag, they should be exact.

[sj32]

Well, this might make you feel a little better Jungle Jim, but I purchased one of those Padres hats in 1983, and the letters are slightly raised (not quite to the degree New Era does today, but they are raised). As for the Astros - not only was the logo flat, but the orange caps were 100% polyester. That is one change I'm glad New Era did on the Cooperstown Caps - they ditched the plastic. In the 70's and 80's, the colors yellow, orange and white were usually done in polyester. About the only exception I can think of to this rule were the original Expos caps (the white fronts were wool), but in 1980 (at the same time they switched to grey underbills on the caps and put blue and red stripes down the sleeves and down the sides) they changed the material from wool to polyester on the entire cap. The first Blue Jays caps were polyester as were the 1978-85 Cleveland Indians caps (with the block "C") and the Baltimore Orioles caps with the white front (although I don't think New Era started supplying those until around 1980). The yellow Pittsburgh Pirates box caps were polyester on the crown (the black bill was wool) while the black box caps were all-wool.

[schtee]

I'm not a fan of the raised lettering, i think it looks goofy.

then again, i'm not a fan of the 59/50, too stiff and suffocating. i prefer the thinner material used in most college baseball hats and the flexfit.

of course, i'm so off my rocker that i wouldn't mind seeing mlb players use mesh-and-foam hats on the field, those are the comfiest, y'all can't deny.

[jm1266]

In response to sj32, yes... the Giants along with the Brewers were the first teams to wear the MLB logos on the back of their caps. I believe that was '92... all of the other teams followed suit the next season.

This is going back quite some time now but I believe what happened was New Era used the MLB logo on those teams as a test. Sports Specialties was also an official supplier of caps to a bunch of other teams too. However, MLB really liked their logo on the back of the caps and eventually New Era got the contract to supply all the teams.

[BBTV]

In response to sj32, yes... the Giants along with the Brewers were the first teams to wear the MLB logos on the back of their caps. I believe that was '92... all of the other teams followed suit the next season.

This is going back quite some time now but I believe what happened was New Era used the MLB logo on those teams as a test. Sports Specialties was also an official supplier of caps to a bunch of other teams too. However, MLB really liked their logo on the back of the caps and eventually New Era got the contract to supply all the teams.

I think you may be off by one year. I think all teams had it in 1992, and the experiments may have been 1991.

I only say this because I know that right before the Phillies began selling their new caps (April 1992) the sporting goods stores around here all got shipments of the maroon style, but they had the MLB logo on the back. I wish I bought one, because that would have been one of those rare things - an authentic cap that was never worn. When the bright red caps (The current ones) came out a month later, they had the mlb logo on them, just like the other teams.

[ebod39]

I worked at New Era and to quote my new idol Al Swearingen "they're a bunch of hoopleheads".

[no97]

If you ever watch "John Ratzenberger's Made in America" on the Travel Channel, they toured the New Era factory once, and showed how those raised embroidery logos are made - by putting foam under the embroidery machine before it stitches. I guess someone who's tried to cut one off (or had one so worn, that it fell off) would know that, but I found it interesting. I had always assumed when they first came out that it was simply a thick layer of thread...

Moose

[VitaminD]

If you ever watch "John Ratzenberger's Made in America" on the Travel Channel, they toured the New Era factory once...

Wouldn't it figure - Cliff Claven comes through with solid trivia knowledge, long after he hung up his mailbag!

[CubsFanBudMan]

I'm probably in the minority, but I only wear 5950s. And pretty much for the last five years -- only Cubs home 5950s. I have an extensive cap collection -- used to want one from every team -- and I used to mix and match but that was a phase of my youth I guess, and now I really only want to wear my team's cap. (I have 5950s of Cowboys and Bulls, too, but they rarely get used anymore, either.)

[rmackman]

I have the 1992 Brewers cap if you want to see it with the MLB logo on it. ALSO, the alternate SF Giants cap that they wore when they lost the World Series (you know the black hat with the black SF outlined in orange that didn't last very long) also had a black underbill. My Brewers batting practice cap from right before they switched to the 3930's also has a black underbill. I can get photos of this too if you want.