This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/24/2014
Hailing from Crow Wing County, Minnesota, Charles Albert Bender, an imposing mound figure at 6-foot-2, was a member of the Chippewa Tribe. Derisively monikered "Chief," Bender helped lead Connie Mack's Athletics to five pennants and three World Series titles during his A's tenure from 1903 to 1914. During that span, Bender and Co. enjoyed winning campaigns in 11 of 12 seasons. But local competition from the Phillies—as well as threat of Federal League expansion to the City of Brotherly Love—prompted Mack to conduct a fire sale, unloading his stars. So while Mack's depleted A's went from first to worst in 1915, so did Bender. Now property of the Baltimore Terrapins, Bender logged career-lows in both record (4-16) and ERA (3.99). He would go on to toil for both the Phillies and Chicago White Sox (for one inning in a 1925 comeback attempt) and never return to the post-season. Still, 216 career wins earned Bender a Hall of Fame induction in 1953.
This professional model right handed fielder’s glove was displayed at the Helms Hall and recorded in their records as having been used by the Hall of Fame legend c.1915. A manufacturer’s label on the wrist strap is unidentifiable. The glove shows great usage wear throughout, with some deterioration to the leather on the interior palm are and a small split on the back of the glove at the base of the webbing. The glove survives as a rare and important relic from the man credited with inventing the "nickel curve" (aka "slider").
Includes a Letter of Provenance from the Helms Athletic Foundation/LA84 Collection.