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There’s nothing better than discovering something that hits your passion (or several) right in the sweet spot. For me, the wallets and ever-expanding catalog of items from Fielder’s Choice Goods did just that. I discovered their wallets last summer and have been smitten ever since. I recently nabbed a wallet of my own, a Johnny Bench model, along with their “Home” fitted cap. Once I had them in my hands, it was obvious the quality of the “Goods” were even better than my lofty expectations.

Each FCGOODS wallet is made from a vintage, made in the USA, baseball glove, keeping its entire lineage – from original production to re-purposing – American made. Each wallet is painstakingly cut from a deconstructed pre-1970 mit, re-conditioned and crafted by hand. Each one with its own personality and story – A beautiful thing. FCGOODS ball caps are vintage lids created in collaboration with another of our favorite made in America brands, Ebbets Field Flannels. Top-notch construction and quality as well as a look that only Ebbets can craft.

It’s our pleasure to give you a little more insight into Fielder’s Choice Goods and the man behind the brand, Jon. We recently did a little Q&A, talking inspiration, process and the future of the brand. We hope you enjoy.

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OMGreds: Your wallets really hit a sweet spot here at OMGreds, the same with many other baseball fans, we’re sure. Re-purposed baseball gloves handcrafted into handsome wallets. Not to mention, each wallet’s lineage is entirely made in the USA. How did inspiration hit you to create the wallets and ultimately the brand, Fielder’s Choice Goods?

My day to day background is in Graphic Design, and I’ve been a huge baseball fan my whole life, the tricky part was coming up with an idea on how to merge the two. There wasn’t just one lightning strike moment where I came up with the idea of using leather gloves as material to make wallets, there was a lot of sketching and brain storming. The brand was started to be a small hobby but when I received such a large and positive reaction I decided to move forward with the brand Fielder’s Choice Goods.

OMGreds: We imagine that each wallet takes some time. What is the general process that each wallet goes through, from sourcing to final product?

There is a lot of searching that goes on to track down quality gloves, its a little tough though because we’re not just buying up every glove pre 1970. When purchasing gloves we make sure of a few things that all gloves are American brands, made in America, we try to revive the gloves that were hiding in barns and garages. So sourcing is the difficult part and is one of the main reasons we only do monthly releases. The rest of the process is deconstructing the gloves which can get messy then conditioning and crafting which is the exciting part.

Fielder’s Choice Goods wallet (photo: FCGOODS)

OMGreds: As Reds fans, we’ve always enjoyed seeing wallets made from signature gloves of former Redlegs pop up when you do releases. I have a Johnny Bench model from FCGOODS myself and Ed Bailey and Smokey Burgess have also come up, I believe. Is there any particular player model that you personally get excited about when sourcing gloves?

No particular model, but I have noticed a trend in specific models. For some reason the Wilson, Hal Smith models tend to be a bit lighter in color of leather which makes for a unique discoloration after being broke in.

OMGreds: FCGOODS wallets are compact. Personally, I thought that I would use my FCGOODS wallet on occasion, sticking with my current wallet for day-to-day use. I tried my wallet out for a day, ended up loving it and haven’t switched back. There’s something great about taking things down to their simplest form. Between the wallets and FCGOODS’s strikingly-simple (in a great way) brand aesthetic, is there perhaps a small statement about simplification or back-to-the-basics in your approach with the brand?

We do take on a more minimal & simple feel as a brand, there is plenty of over produced products on the market. With our designs we wanted to focus on a wallet that spotlights its material first with a clean & timeless shape.

OMGreds: Was that way too deep of a question? :)

No, there is an importance to taking on a pure aesthetic to FCGOODS, we are trying to portray an era of baseball that was pure and clean.

Vintage gloves used in the production of Fielder’s Choice Goods wallets, belts, hats and more. (photo: FCGOODS)

OMGreds: The FCGOODS ball caps are gorgeous. Could you tell us a little bit about your cap collaboration with Ebbets Field Flannels?

Ebbets has been the top of its class for years producing authentic vintage sporting goods, so it was a no brain-er to collaborate with them. The materials that we used in all the caps are the exact same materials that were used in the 1950′s to construct ball club caps.

“Home” cap (photo: FCGOODS)

OMGreds: We’ve seen a few hints at FCGOODS belts coming soon. Any details about the product and information on when they might be released?

Our Mays Belt will be released Opening Day on Huckberry.com. They have helped out in the expansion of FCGOODS, so we decided to launch it with them to a wider audience. The belt features styling to your standard baseball belt that is still used today, adjustable, 100% Brass hardware, with a mix of cowhide leather and our vintage American Baseball glove leather, and of course all Made in USA. The Mays belt will also be available on FCGOODS’ site shortly after the Huckleberry release.

Mays Belt (photo: FCGOODS)

OMGreds: Speaking of adding to the FCGOODS line, are there any other product designs in the works?

Yes, we are working on smaller simple accessories such as keychains and lanyards, and also always sketching up new ideas all the time.

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Thanks again to Jon for taking the time to answer a few questions from us. Best of luck to him and the FCGOODS. If you’re interested in picking up a wallet, the next limited release is on Monday, March 25th at 8am PST. We advise you to follow them on Twitter and Facebook for release information. Make sure to follow on Instagram and Tumblr as well for sweet vintage goodness. You won’t be disappointed.

Fielder’s Choice Goods wallet (photo: FCGOODS)

Fielder’s Choice Goods wallet (photo: FCGOODS)

“Away” cap (photo: FCGOODS)

“Away” cap (photo: FCGOODS)

“Home” cap (photo: FCGOODS)