Saturday, September 25, 2010
RANDOM 341 OBJECT
1919 World Series CHAMPIONS - Baseball PENNANT, REDS-$3,050
Let’s get a couple things out of the way before we begin in earnest. First, I’ve been told over and over again that this piece should be sold by one of those fancy-smancy baseball auctions rather than on eBay where the “big boys” might not see it. My only reason for not doing so is that I am an eBay loyalist. I sell only on eBay.
Second: I’ve only met one person who says he has seen another pennant like it. I think I know the reason for its rarity, but it is only hearsay. (I’ll get to that in a jiffy, so just keep your panties on.) Let’s have a close look at what may very well be the “Holy Grail” of baseball pennants.
It is 21 1/2” long and 13 ¼” at the big end.
Obviously it has wear, age toning and a couple other issues at which we’ll look very closely. But you have to remember; it is 91-years-old, and – Who knew back then that the 1919 Cincinnati vs Black Sox series (best of nine games rather than seven) would become the most talked about series in the history of the sport? Remember the scandal?
The red baseball is heavy cloth hand stitched into place. It is also “stamped” with “R” for Reds, the lacing on the ball is hand painted. Note the two little holes with soiling around them. I have a feeling someone simply had it tacked to a wall and would take it down from time to time to show it off to anyone who’d ask. That’s just conjecture of course, but it would explain the little holes as well as the “knuckle stain.”
Why wasn’t the applied ball hemmed before baste stitching it to the pennant, thus allowing it to fray? I think I may know the answer, if what I was told by the person who’d seen one other example is fact.
Two local women (Cincinnati) sat up a stand outside the park, making the pennants. One would cut and sew: The other would stamp and paint. Obviously, unless they had inside information or were psychic seamstresses, they could have made this particular version only at the end of the last inning of the final game. Perhaps, and this is purely conjecture on my part . . . perhaps, if they were there during prior games, the pennants they made by hand and sold said simply “World Series” rather than “World Champions.”
The wear and staining on the back are most certainly appropriate for the age and likely use.
The “thread” used to baste the applied baseball is the same as that used for all seams. It is more of a thin, twisted cord than thread. It reminds me of some of the old fishing line, but it is probably something less “heavy-duty.” It is only my bright photo lamp that makes it appear white and stand out. In person, the stitches blend in and are difficult to see except on very close examination.
The stitches, though widely spaced, show something else important. Since they hold the fold securely, they cause a slight depression where they enter and emerge. That’s why there is less soiling in the small area around each stitch.
Why the widely spaced stitches? Well, if the story of the two women is true, they weren’t there to make a dress. They were there to make a little “egg money,” probably making what few they could as quickly as possible. I certainly hope the story of the two gals is fact. It is such a quaint ‘mind image’ of these two little ole ladies sitting there in the heat making and selling something they hadn’t a clue would become such an incredibly rare object long after they were dead and gone.
This is probably as good a place as any for me to ask you to do something. Please take a few moments and read some of my 12 years of feedback. Jump around, page to page. I’m very proud to have maintained a 100% rating for well over a decade.
One reason is very simple, and it’s my guarantee – which is also very simple: If, for any reason, you aren’t totally thrilled with anything you get from me, all you have to do is send it back, notifying me within seven days, and I’ll give you a 100% refund. If you live in the U. S., I’ll even pay return shipping. Am I an expert in baseball memorabilia? Absolutely not. Frankly, I don’t think I’ve even watched a game on TV since Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were battling it out for baddest batter.
One more thing, and I’ll let you go. If you’d like to examine the piece in person, that’s no problem. Just let me know. You’re welcome to visit most any morning. I nap, but I’m always here (Me, the dog, the cat and She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed). Had I not sold my plane because of ticker problems, I might even have been able to fly over and land at your local airport. But that’s not possible anymore. (I once flew way up into Michigan to deliver a wonderful antique glass cane to the buyer because I was afraid the shipper would bust it up. Selling price = $200.00 - - Fuel cost and expenses = $175.00 - - - Value of the fun we had = Priceless. (in spite of the fact I’d paid $150 for it a year or so before selling it. Made my wife proud.) But I made a new friend.
If you have any questions, just ask. I reply to ALL e-mails asap. I don’t even mind phone calls. Just use “My Messages” and ask me for the number. If I’m napping, it has voice mail, and I return all calls unless you sound like a cantankerous old poop like me.
RANDOM PHOTO ALBUM
Friday, September 24, 2010
RANDOM 341 OBJECTS
2 Exquisite OLD Art Glass PAPERWEIGHTS Ground & SWIRLED-$31
Since I can’t find a signature on either of these, I’m just going to have to rely on you. I’ll measure the rascals, and I’ll tell you about weight and things like that, but that’s about as far as I can go. They came out of an estate months and months ago. I’ve just been starring at the ever since. Oh well . . . I guess that’s the point.
That big red one is 4” wide and 3” tall. It is ground and polished on both top and bottom as well as a panel on either side. It’s a beauty, and it weighs a little over 2 lbs.
Don’t be fooled by your first glance at the little 5 oz. blue one. It is a WHOLE lot more than first meets the eye. It is 1 ¾” in diameter and 1 ½” tall. The frosty surface conceals the inner swirling until light comes through.
They’re both in excellent condition, so let me show them off and shut the heck up.
