In a bit of a departure from my usual modus operandi of collecting New Era caps, this 1956 PCL Padres cap is an Ebbets Field Flannel creation.
Based out of Seattle, Ebbets Field Flannels focuses on recreating ballcaps and jerseys of the franchises of yesteryear. Their recreations help bring otherwise unattainable caps and jerseys into the modern age with touches of authenticity in their construction and look. Ebbets Field Flannels boast of their research and care put into each creation, and it shows in their products.
Of course, I can’t talk about a Padres Pacific Coast League cap without turning to the authority on all things Padres past. Good friend to the SD Cap Collectors and formidable collector in his own right Duane Harris of 90 Feet Of Perfection was kind enough to bestow some knowledge on this particular cap:
In the 32-year existence of the Pacific Coast League Padres, the team wore many different caps and uniforms. The constant uniform changes were not unique to the Padres either, as all the classic PCL teams seemed to change up their caps and uniforms quite often. With that said, the PCL Padres introduced a uniform in 1953 that included a white interlocking SD, on a navy blue cap, which is similar to the modern cap. The blue and white color scheme for the cap only lasted one season, as they added a red “D” in 1954, but the rest of the jersey and the interlocking SD logo lasted until the end of the PCL Padre era (1968). I’d assume that when the Padres “graduated” to the big leagues in 1969, they decided to keep the interlocking SD, because it’s simple, classy, and added an element of familiarity for baseball fans in San Diego, due to the PCL team using it for the past 16 seasons.I don’t quite remember when Ebbets Field Flannels originally created the 1954-’68 red “D” cap, but if I were to guess, I’d say that it was early to mid-2000s, back when they still used leather sweatbands. When I saw they recreated the cap again this year, it caught me off guard, as I do seem to remember someone at Ebbets telling me at one point that they would not do an interlocking SD again. I’m not sure why I was told this, but I assume it has something to licensing and MLB.
Cap Availability Status: Discontinued
EFF generally only makes one run of their products before they’re relegated to being a collector’s item, and this cap is no different. As of this writing, EFF only has the absolute largest sizes of this particular cap. I recommend giving Ebbets Field Flannels a follow on Twitter if you want to stay informed on their latest releases.
My thanks once again to Duane Harris for his help and support of the SD Cap Collectors. I personally suggest following him on Twitter @duaneharris19 and visiting his site full of baseball photos of the past: 90 Feet Of Perfection.
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