Every few years I find myself sifting through my ever-growing inventory of ballcaps to execute trades with fellow enthusiasts. This task keeps me organized but I also enjoy getting lost in the memories of when certain hats made their way to me. Most tend to be purchased individually on resale sites but I find larger scale hauls to be more memorable.
One such example is the run of retro logos from the 1980s and 1990s that Ebbets Field Flannels and Lids collaborated to release in 2017 because of the deep nostalgia I feel when looking upon those designs. It has never been easy to track down vintage versions of many of those caps so I was rather disappointed that partnership only lasted for one short campaign.
I am happy however to report on recent haul of custom creations via Krownz & Kickz which has alleviated that pain. I scored a half dozen incredibly unique logos which were embroidered on blank vintage New Era caps from the 1980s so a big shout-out is due to @yellowsub73 for procuring those special relics.
The first cap that I'm writing about from that load of goodness is the 1983 Portland Beavers which is this week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection in honor of today being Arbor Day!
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| As someone who is not even remotely close to being a Philadelphia fan, I have no business loving this a Phillies-coded logo like this as much as I do. Then again, the "Big B" on the Batavia Clippers hat from 1991 and 1992 —which also happens to be a cap from the aforementioned collaboration between Ebbets and Lids—is another banger that is a perfect hat to wear to a game at Citizens Bank Park. |
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| The lighting here makes it seem as though there's schmutz around the edge of the brim but in actuality, it is all good! |
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| I'm glad to have a custom version of this cap because we all know if a current minor league team wanted to retro this cap they'd be forced to slap an MILB batterman on the rear as well as the New Era flag embroidered on the side of the cap. |
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| The only color image I could find of the Beavers wearing this particular logo —which as it turns out was only worn in 1983—is this team photo. It's hard to imagine that crown being anything other than black but my true opinion is the logo makes the most sense over a maroon background so I'm happy that's what I've got! |
This week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection is not going on the Trading Block however please don't hesitate to reach out if you want any other cap from that list and you are willing to part with any of the hats on my Wish List. Funny enough, this cap is one of the logos featured in that Wish List so I will make a note there that obtaining a vintage version of the cap is no longer a top priority!
As always, thanks for coming back to read about baseball hat geekery. If you'd like to discuss a trade or simply just chat about hats, please feel free to connect via the following social sites:
Instagram: @baseballmilquetoast
Twitter: @FittedFriday
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