I'm pretty psyched about this first one. 19th century Excelsior fire dept/baseball team belt.



Also picked up this RG Dun scoreboard sign. Mike H. posted a photo of one of these he picked up at the National and I really liked it. So I jumped at the chance to snag this one.

From the recent Mastro auction

From Ebay of all places.... my big purchase for the summer (and a compensation gift to myself, for missing the National)

Awesome Mark. Looks great. I sometimes forget just how big these Spaulding trophies are. Seeing it pictured next to a baseball shows its impressive size. Congrats.
Mark, when are going to hook us up with some display room photos? You've been one at a timing these great pieces to us for far too long. Help us out!!!

Nice Trophy Mark. I got lucky and found one of my new favorite pins! The Wichita Witches of the Western League.

I just received this nifty little schedule book. It's a pretty rare item and goes with my 1904 Iola, KS photo from the same league.

Clint

Here's another one that I hadn't seen until last week...the first year of John O'Donnell stadium.

Love the pins Andy. Ebay finds?\

And Mark, If that is the consolation prize for missing the National, I'll buy you an airline ticket for next year if you send me the Catcher at home...ha ha.

Hi Mike,
Not Ebay - a couple times a year a guy I know gives me a call letting me know he's found a button or two for me. These two are from him. Also, he's the one who I got the really tough Cubs Kiner PM10 from.

I do have a question for anyone who could help. I don't know a thing about "Walter Johnson's Game" but I came across a small token that has a sketch of Walter Johnson and says "Walter Johnson's Game". Were these pieces from the game and is there any value to them?

Thanks for any help.
-A

Picked this up off eBay. Just got it in mail today and it's just as bright
as in the pic. I don't know why, but I was expecting it to be bigger.
Kind of like a boxing championship belt without the huge shield, instead of
being regular belt size. Still, I think it's really cool and will be keeping it for awhile.

That belt is in really incredible shape Joe. Looks like its never even been worn.
The first photo I posted in this thread is pretty crappy so here is a better look at the one I just got.

Andy, sweet Wichita pin! And as for the Walter Johnson coins they did go with his game...they were stored inside the little top which you could open and place the coins inside. I've seen the coins sell separately for $10-$20 each.

Thanks for the info Dan, I think the seller wanted 20 bucks. Glad u liked the pin.
-a

A very tough autograph. Be very careful when buying his signature--most are forgeries. There are perhaps ten authentic examples in existence.

I was finally able to nail down the tie rack I've been looking for. Its in great shape and came with the original box as well.

Brock... That sure didn't take long! It's nice that you found one so soon (and such a pristine example, no less). Seems like a very rare/obscure item, to have turned up so quickly...

What time frame would you put on this tie rack? Originally (from the image on the poster) I would have thought 1930s - 40s. But after seeing it more clearly, as well as seeing the style of box, I am thinking late '50s - early '60s.

Either way, it is a very cool, seldom-seen piece... Congrats!

Thanks Mark. Its safe to say I was pretty shocked when I stumbled across it on ebay. I've actually have been searching for it since this past January and this is the first one I have seen offered for sale or pictured anywhere other than that poster.
Its funny, I thought the exact same thing you did about the age. The one in the poster looks like it had yellowed and dulled a little from age and it gave it more of an antique look. On mine the white is bright and the gold is shiny. It really truly looks the way it did 50 years ago. And I'd definitely say 1950's era.

Whoa Jodi, that's a crazy rare auto. Where did you pick it up?

Hey Guys, wanted to show some my recent additons.
First I picked up this great 1930's, early 40s Philadelphia Eagles Pennant:



Next I picked up this 19th century ring-bat pencil case and a Connie Mack Philadelphia A's Tin baseball shaped bank. Also shown in the photo is the ring bat pencil/chalk case that I picked up earlier. The newer pickup is I believe identical to the one that Carlton has showed before.



Lastly, I picked up this 1940's? unidentified football team pennant. It was cheap enough so I took a shot at it, but haven't gotten too far with research yet. I am assuming the team would be the Portland Cardinals or Redbirds or something like that.

just got this from John Taube...it's from Big Mac's 1998 season, John said it's one of the nicest examples he has seen from this year, with outstanding use, deeply embedded stitch marks.

Any needle marks?

that was pretty funny

even tho he is a controversial figure now, there is no doubt that the summer of '98 was a special one. i am pist/sad that '98 is now viewed as a "tainted" year, and obviously the value of his memorabilia has taken a hit over the last few years, but i think this is a pretty important bat from that era (call it the steroid era if you want)...i'm excited to own it.

MS

No offense meant.

I just couldn't resist.

none taken...it's all good, David

it's just really dissapointing that we now have to look back at that amazing summer (which at the time was so exciting), with an asterisk* in mind.

oh well

Michael,

I know what you mean.

I was living in Jersey that summer, and when McGwire broke the record, my wife and I were vacationing in Cape May. I still vividly remember sitting in the rental house on the shore and watching him hit that home run. For years it was a great memory. I suppose it still is -- just not as great.

Rob

it was 10 years ago almost to the day...i also remember that game, that at bat so vividly...i was in a bar in Brooklyn Heights, the place was packed and we were sitting infront of a huge projection screen TV...and he did it...the place went nuts, one of those great moments, like the night Ripken broke Lou's record...

All i can say is Roger Maris is still number 1 with 61 home runs and baseball should give it back to him.

I'm in full agreement. Give it back to Maris and remove his asterisk. McGwire deserves to keep that part of the record!

i'm in full agreement...Maris deserves the record back.

i just wanted this bat, because IMO, it is still an important piece, representing a great summer of memories.

Having grown up in the Bronx, I'll never forget the summer of '61.

It's Maris in my book.

Maris and Gehrig were the two men who truly exemplified what caliber of class and dignity it takes to be a Yankee, bar none. Whenever able, they were always gracious to their fans and never sparked controversy. Ruth and Mantle, in all their magnificence, had their all-too-human tendencies off the field, DiMag was aloof and became condescending as the years progressed, and Munson could be rather surly to outsiders. They all have their place in history, as well as things to love (or sometimes question) about their characters. Gehrig and Maris may not have been as fascinating from a personal standpoint, but this shared aspect seems to be what (for me, anyway) boosted them up into a class of their own. If some of you Yankee fans disagree with parts of this, keep in mind that the preceding opinions originate from the mind of a lifelong Red Sox fan!

Jodi, you're right on.

(Although Ruth's genuine love for children was second-to-none, and for that I'll always love him.)

And I agree with that too. Both Ruth and Mantle were lovable fellows who were only human. What Ruth did for kids is beyond compare to ANY celebrity at ANY time (just my opinion). Unlike many modern-day celebrities adopting little African boys and girls for what only looks like personal gain, Ruth, the superstar with the Peter Pan complex, gave freely of his time, money and heart because it did both him and the children good. It's funny how his misdeeds can be so easily overlooked as a result of the many kindnesses he extended.

I find very little that is redeeming about DiMaggio outside of his caliber of play. The fact that he turned down what was at the time the largest contract offer in baseball history because the game had lost its fun for him is also to be commended. To me, he was an abject failure in every other aspect of life. I question whether he ever made even one true friend who wasn't trying to use him or vice versa (maybe Lefty O'Doul). Perhaps the greatest travesty is that he did not appear to possess the intellectual/emotional capacity required to make such observations on his own, thereby being able to rectify his personal demons and live a fuller life.

I went to all five games on the homestand where McGwire hit #60, #61 and #62.

I flew in from California the day before on a frequent flyer ticket. Got a hotel room in a city that was completely soldout (MO State fair, Rams opening weekend) by explaiing to the hotel desk clerk that I knew from the amount of traveling I do that he had a room in his hotel that he couldn't sell due to some problem and I would rent it, even sign a waiver if needed, and I had brought a sleeping bag so if he said no I would just go sleep in a park. I think I got him (he was an older gentleman) when I said "I don't care about anything, I'm just here for baseball". He rented me a room (at half price) that had a broken tv, which I fixed.

My "Came from CA, Need One Ticket" sign served me well, as I got in for near face value to every game but the last, the "Carpenters" ticket on Monday included free food and drinks, in addition to a McGwire HR.

I refuse to miss a pitch (I'm sure many of you know how I feel), so that takes away most of my bargaining power with scalpers, the last game I had a ticket for $40 that was literally sold out from under me (I had handed the scalper my money, already) by a guy who paid $50. Of course I got my $40 back, I then bought a ticket from a 10 year old for $50. He was with his father and 2 other kids. I'm glad that my father would have never allowed such a thing to happen when I was a kid.

My 'before game' sign :

Among others, it's signed by Roger Maris Jr and Bud Selig

The tickets :


Number 60


Number 61


Number 62



I used this version of the sign after games, as I started working on a ticket for the next game :


Maybe over the course of a season there were things being done by players that would help with their healing or stamina, but over the course of those 5 games there wasn't anything going on that helps hit that round ball with that round stick in the spot that sends it over the wall in fair territory instead of in the spot that pops it up to an infielder.

I had a great time that year, and not just because my Dodgers won 14 of 20 that I saw.

If it's up to me, Mac doesn't go into the Hall until after Pete, but that doesn't change what he did over the course of a long weekend in 1998.

Hope I didn't ramble too much.
Doug



PS -
This is the sign I used to get a ticket for game #3 of the 1986 World Series :

Because my $200 scalped ticket was in the front row, behind the Sox bullpen, next to the painted guys, it says "Hi Mom" on the back. My first game at Fenway, I had been a Red Sox fan (when rooting for that other league) since I was 12, after getting Rick Burleson and Freddie Lynn to sign a baseball at the Oakland Coliseum in early 1975 (before the All-Star break).

In 1986, with Oil-Can Boyd pitching, I can still remember feeling the collective breath leave New England that night during the first inning.

That was probably all off topic...
I couldn't resist.
Doug

Not off-topic in my book. Many folks on the board get irked by perceived "off-topic" posts or "hijacked" threads. I'm of the contention that, as long as it's interesting, go with it!

That was very interesting. Thanks for posting the story Doug.

Once again, Jodi, you're spot on. I've always felt DiMaggio was a piss-poor excuse for a human being.

And for me, that's much more important than ball-playing skills.

I have little-to no interest in the Yankees from 1939, when Gehrig stopped playing, until 1951, when Mantle arrived.

Hate to throw a damper on anything, but..

regardless of popular culture (movies, articles, books, whatever announcers or broadcasters might repeat), there has NEVER been an asterisk* by Maris' accomplishment in ANY record book, official or otherwise. Just another myth. Find me one, and I'll pay big bucks.

No, there wasn't an asterisk.

It was worse than that.

There were two single-season home run records listed. The "real" 154 game record. And the not-to-be-respected, new, 162 game record.

futhermore, at the end of the movie 61*, the narrator explains that after Maris' death, the current commissioner (forget who it was), combined the records, and Maris had it all by himself, but he never knew the record was all his.

Picked this poster up at an auction today....advertising for the Coca Cola bottle caps for the Minnesota Vikings.



Also picked up some Coke advertising cards with a football player on it...1940s?

I am on a good streak lately with picking up rare early Eagles pennants, with the one I posted above, and the one below which I have never seen before.



I also picked up these six other vintage NFL Pennatns.

Hello
I dont know if you guys remember the Nap LaJoie bat that i had acouple of months ago. So i sent it off to Mears and i got it back today and they graded it a A8. They are calling it a 1905 Napoleon LaJoie professional model bat. It's 34 inches and the weight is 41.4, so its a big bat. They also say in their report that its consistent with respects to dating for onr of the frist Louisville Slugger bats, which would have been made available for his personal professional use. LaJoie signed his contract with H&B on 9/12/1905. Really nice bat. You guys will be seeing it for sale soon. I just need to find out what to ask for it. Thanks P.S. Would have taken photos of the letters but my camera aint working good.