Houston Astros 1971 Nolan Ryan Style Throwback
Written: Oct 24 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: High quality, great fit. Unique color.
Cons: No laundering instructions. Expensive.
The Bottom Line: This is a quality cap that no Astros fan should be without.
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| LonghornMan's Full Review: American Needle Houston Astros 1971 Cooperstown Co... |
Despite the fact that I’ve been a Houston fan ever since I can remember, this is only the second fitted Astros cap that I have purchased. Even though the Rangers are my all-time favorite Major League Baseball team, the Astros will always be my favorite National League team. Though another baseball season has gone by without my dream of a Lone Star State World Series pitting the Rangers against the Astros being realized, I am ecstatic that the Astros will make their World Series debut against the Chicago White Sox.
The Cap
The Houston Astros 1971 Cooperstown Collection cap, made by American Needle, is a great looking cap. The portion of the cap that covers one’s head is a soft orange and features the old Astros trademark white capital H in courier new font over a navy blue star is centered between the two panels on the front of the cap. Unlike today’s baseball caps there is no Major League Baseball logo on the back of the cap. This cap is identical in appearance to the one worn by Houston Astros players in 1971.
The cap is 80% acrylic and 20% wool according to the tag on the inside of the cap. Like all modern baseball caps, the dome of the hat is made up of six panels. On the inside of the cap the six panels are reinforced with three orange strips where the panels meet. There are ventilation holes finished with orange stitching in each panel of the dome of the cap. Where the six panels meet at the top of the cap, there is a metal button. The front two panels of the cap are reinforced with hard, white thickly woven polyester to keep the hat’s shape.
Embroidered between the two front panels on the outside of the cap is the old Houston Astros logo. The fabric is secured to the brim with eight rows of stitches. A brand new cap has a sticker giving the hat’s size with the Cooperstown Collection and American Needle logo on it. It will also have two tags that dangle from one of the two ventilation holes on the front two panels of the cap. One of them is a rectangular tag that says American Needle in capital white letters with a red background. Directly under that it says quality headgear since 1918 in capital letters. The second tag is square and has the Cooperstown Collection logo on the front and opens to reveal the particular cap model purchased. The back of the tag says, “Few sports have a past as rich and colorful, as Major League Baseball’s and few sports have fans who identify with teams from the past as strongly as Major League Baseball fans. Cooperstown products are designed with this sense of history in mind. The Cooperstown Collection consists of authentic and replica uniforms, apparel, headwear, outerwear, collectibles and gifts bearing the marks of some of the most popular Major League Baseball teams in history as well as Hall Of Fame licensed products that are designed to bring together the best that the National Baseball Hall of Fame and museum has to offer.” Centered at the bottom of the tag it says Cooperstown Collection in all capital letters with a Major League Baseball logo under it.
The inner headband of the cap is white in color and made of soft fabric that is very comfortable on the forehead and brow. There are four tags sewn on the back portion of the headband. Centered between the stitching of the back two panels is a white tag that says American Needle with a red background. Directly under that it reads Quality Headgear in navy blue with a white background. Centered directly under that it says 1918 in red with a white background.
Holding the cap with the brim facing you, looking at the inside of the cap, there is a gray tag on the back left panel that has a square Cooperstown Collection logo that takes up a third of the tag on the right side. The remaining two-thirds of the left portion of the tag says Houston Astros in cursive at the top with 1971 centered under it with the Houston Astros logo on the left and Major League Baseball logo on the right. Above the thin gray border on the bottom it says American Needle Company in cursive. On the right panel there is a tag that says professional in white all capital letters with a navy blue background at the top of the tag and model in all capital letters with a navy blue background. In between professional and model is the size of the cap in red numbers with navy blue trim on a white background.
Laundering Instructions
There are no laundering instructions on the sewn in tags or the removable tags. I’m not really sure how this cap should be laundered and can’t speak from personal experience since I’ve had no need to wash it yet. However, I do know that it would be a huge mistake to put it in the washing machine since the cap is 20% wool which will make it prone to shrink if laundered in hot water. The washing machine also tends to ruin the brim of a cap if it is not carefully shaped during the drying process. Absolutely, positively DO NOT put this cap in the dryer, no matter how you choose to wash it. I think your best bet will be to go to a reliable dry cleaners, tell them what the cap is made of and ask them if it would be safe to dry clean it.
My Recommendation
I am extremely pleased with my fitted 1971 Astros Cooperstown Collection cap thus far. I highly recommend this cap to all Houston Astros fans or anyone who wants to represent Houston with a stylish and unique ball cap.
Price
I paid $24.99 plus $4.99 postage and handling for my cap on Ebay about a month ago. I didn’t score a bargain by any means, but $29.98 was a good price for me because I was tired of being outbid at the last minute on auctions that ended up closing anywhere between $23.99 to $29.99 before postage and handling. My advice is to shop around and not pay anymore than $35.00 for the cap.
My Baseball Apparel Philosophy
You’ll never catch me wearing a Major League Baseball cap representing a team other than the Rangers, Astros, Senators (franchise that became the Rangers), or Colt .45’s (became the Astros) unless I’m sporting a throwback cap that matches a legendary ballplayer’s jersey. I don’t think this is being untrue to my two favorite teams, since my throwback caps were purchased to match my throwback jerseys that pay homage to baseball greats such as Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente. Since both of these legendary players have long passed away and no doubt served as role models for countless ballplayers that have played for my two favorite teams, I see no conflict of interest.
I am a staunch opponent of fair weather fans who don’t cheer for their team or wear their team’s merchandise until they become frontrunners. They are just as despicable as those who are currently buying and wearing Astros and White Sox caps and merchandise now that they have made it to the 2005 World Series.
Other Caps of Interest
If you’re a big Houston Astros fan and like throwback and alternate caps like this, you might want to check out these other caps:
Colt .45’s fitted Navy Blue with Orange .45’s logo
Houston Astros fitted Navy Blue with Orange Star and White “H” (1980’s)
Houston Astros fitted Icey White with Icey White logo (1980’s variation) (Bun B is wearing this cap on the cover of his new album Trill)
Tuscon Toros fitted Navy Blue with Toros logo (Astros Minor League Team)
Roundrock Express fitted Navy Blue with Red and White Express Logo (Astros Minor League Team)
Search Ebay and the internet to find more Houston Astros cap variations.
Recommended:
Yes
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LonghornMan
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Location: Dallas, TX Dirty South
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