Capshot: San Diego Padres “Faux Prototype” 59Fifty

Every so often you’ll see a modern remake of a particular cap from the past hit the market. I have a few modern remakes of the classic Padres caps from ’69-’84, but this particular cap really stands out; it’s a faux remake of a prototype cap.

If you’ve read my work on Gaslamp Ball, you’ll see that I’ve dove into these oddball prototype caps before. While definitely not the most attractive caps to many, they serve a purpose as a footnote as to what could have been for our Padres in those respective years.

For reference, here’s the prototype this particular cap is replicating. This cap was a prototype for the 1985 Padres. It’s notable in the fact that it looks just like the 1984 cap with an obvious yellow brim. An extreme rarity, this cap is highly sought after by many Padres cap collectors including yours truly.

Yellow front panels and brim
Brown crown
Orange piping, button and eyelets
Older interlocking SD in brown with orange border

The most obvious difference between this modern cap and the prototype it mimics is the fact that this isn’t a true bell-shape cap; the front panels are colored the same yellow as the brim. I’m guessing the split-panel wasn’t done for this cap due to prohibitive costs or to speed its production. Otherwise, this cap borrows the same color motif as the prototype cap.

This cap also lacks the MLB Batterman logo which didn’t begin to appear on caps until around 1992, first as a tacked-on glued patch and then as a properly embroidered addition.

The underbrim is also the period correct kelly green. The cap is completed with a vintage white sweatband. Another interesting detail is the use of white branded taping on the interior of the cap; such taping isn’t too common in New Era examples and is generally reserved for special or unique caps.

Cap Availability Status: Rare

To be honest, this is the first cap of its style that I’ve ever seen crop up. As such, I believe it to be pretty rare. Your best bet (as was mine) is taking to eBay to find this unique remake of a past prototype.