One stitch at a time...
Droke crafts old baseball gloves into collectible baseballs Story and Photos by Ivan Sanders & Contributed
D
on Droke creates treasures — and a little bit of baseball magic — from discarded gloves. About five years ago, the Carter County resident sat down and began teaching himself to stitch baseballs by trial and error. He was inspired by the methods used by Civil War soldiers more than 160 years ago. Today, those hand-stitched Civil War baseballs sell for $3,000 to $4,000, and the balls created by Droke are proving priceless to many of the recipients. “One of the favorite ones that I have made was a tribute to a dad who had passed away and hadn’t take the time to sign a baseball,” Droke said. “If your father is still alive or whoever instilled the love of the game in you — go get a ball and have them sign it for you. Even if you are a dad or mom — sign one for your child because they will be sure to cherish it.” Droke told of a customer who sent a picture of his late father’s autograph. Droke replicated it perfectly on the ball while also adding his father’s favorite team, player, and his father’s nickname. That custom ball is now the centerpiece in a large baseball collection. 22
