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Friday, January 29, 2010
WILLIE MAYS "HARTLAND" BIRTHDAY CAKE
  
WILLIE MAYS "HARTLAND" BIRTHDAY CAKE We found this great picture in a 1963 "Musial-Mays" magazine. Willie Mays was leaving a hospital and the staff gave him a cake. Atop the cake is a Hartland statue of Willie. We always find it "kinda cool" when we see the actual players with their statues.
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Friday, January 22, 2010
1963 HALL OF FAME BUSTS ADVERTISEMENT
1963 HALL OF FAME BUSTS ADVERTISEMENT Here's a great looking advertisement for what we consider one of the most under-rated series of sports statues in the hobby. The 1963 Baseball Hall of Fame busts are stunning and are an exact likeness to those used during induction ceremonies at Cooperstown. There were 20 players in the series. There was the promise for more- but the statues were not well received when first issued and the project was scrapped. Too bad- it would have- or could have been- a terrific ongoing series. 
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
CARTER-HOFFMAN / ANRI UCLA BRUINS
**** Happy New Year everyone! We'll be opening up our latest Blow-Out Auction on January 1, 2010. It will close on Friday January 22. There are 100 items - all starting at $100 and under. As always- there is No Buyer's Premium and No Hidden Reserves. Click the Auction Tab at the top of the screen to preview the items. *********************************************************************** Carter-Hoffman/Anri UCLA statue The pictures below were submitted to us by an advanced collector of Carter-Hoffman statues. It's of a UCLA Bruins football player. Now, as you know, Carter-Hoffman specialized in making mascot statues in the early 50's. This one is unusual for a couple of reasons. First- is it's size- measuring about 14" tall. The second is the action- all of the Carter-Hoffman statues that we've seen have never had an actual football scenario. Third- we have seen smaller UCLA Carter-Hoffman's and they are always of their mascot bear. Being that there is no visible markings that state carter-Hoffman, we believe that it could have been made by their biggest competitor- Anri. In any event, this piece is aweome!  
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Tuesday, December 01, 2009
AURORA SPORTS MODEL ADVERTISEMENTS
AURORA SPORTS MODEL ADVERTISEMENTS One of the best series of model kits produced by aurora plastics was the 6 kits series titled Great Moments In Sport. It was released in 1965 in very limited numbers. The six models were of Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Johnny Unitas, Jimmy Brown, Jerry West and Jack Dempsey. The box cover artwork is magnificent and when properly built, the model kits make a great addition to any figural collection. Below are several advertisements for these kits that would have appeared in comic books or sport magazines.   
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Friday, November 20, 2009
1961 FRED KAIL STATUES ADVERTISEMENT
KAIL STATUES ADVERTISEMENT We just found a terrific advertisement for the Fred Kail inspired statues in a 1961 Green Bay Packers home program. The ad pictures many of the statues in both standing and down-lineman form. The ad copy lists the sizes, variations and teams produced- with the amazing price of just $2.50 each.  
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Friday, November 13, 2009
TED WILLIAMS FIGURAL CANDY DISPENSER
***Just a quick reminder- our Fall 2009 Sports Memorabilia Auction ends Friday November 20, 2009. We will also be attending the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show from Decemeber 4-6. It's located at the Valley Forge Convention Center, Valley Forge Pa. We will be bringing hundreds of items for direct sale including bobbing head dolls, Hartland & Kail statues, Pennants and much more. As always, we will be actively looking to purchase any vintage sports memorabilia.***** ************************************************************************************ TED WILLIAMS CANDY DISPENSER Over the course of the last 15-20 years, ITPC auctions have sold a number of the Jackie Robinson figural candy dispensers. We have always found it to be one of our favorites. It's made of plastic and has a clear bottom where candy was held. One the front of the bust are the embossed lettering of his name. These dispensers generally sell in the $250- $350 range. 
To our surprise, we found the top of another candy dispenser at the Boston Shriner Show. It's of Red Sox great- Ted Williams. It is made of the same plastic, has similar coloring and his name is embsooed on the front, just like the Robinson statue. The opening on the bottom is the exact size as the Robinson, leading us to believe it was made by the same comapny (Petitto Studios of Hudson Mass.). It is a phenominal looking piece. Look for it in our next catalog auction.
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
ROBERT GOULD CATALOG + ORDER FORM
***Hi Folks! Before we get into this week's subject, let's get caught up on some past and future business. We thank all of those who participated in our latest Blow-Out auction of October 9th. We were very happy with the results and plan on doing more next year. It's a way of offering lesses priced items to our loyal customer base. Our next catalog auction will end Friday November 20, 2009. We would also like to let you know what our upcoming show schedule looks like. 1. October 10-11, 2009. We will be setting up at the Kane County Farigrounds Toy Show in St. Charles Illinois. We will be bringing vintage toys, dolls & sports memorabilia including bobbing head dolls and other figural items. 2. November 6-8, 2009. This will be our first time setting up at the Greater Boston Sports Collectors Show. It's located at the Aleppo Shriners' Auditorium-99 Fordham Road, Wilmington, MA. We will be bringing hundreds of figural items including vintage bobbing heads, Hartland & Kail statues, hall of Fame busts, pennants and more. 3. December 4-6, 2009. This will be our thrid visit to the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show located in valley Forge pennsyvania. Again- we will be bringing hundreds of figural items for direct sale. If your in these areas, please come by and say hello! ********************************************************************** ROBERT GOULD CATALOG & ORDER FORM The Robert Gould statue series of 1955 is one of the most under-rated in the hobby. In a past Blog entry, we lauded the virtues of this 28 statue set. What we didn't cover is their terrific catalog(see pictures below). the catalog features pictures of every card that accompanied each statue. The inside cover is an address from Robert Gould to collectors. The back inside cover promises more statues which unfortunately never came about. the back cover lists all of the 1955 issue.     
We recently found and incredible order sheet that was a mail away from baby Ruth & Butterfinger's Candy bars. With this order sheet, 50 cents and 2 wrappers of either candy bar, a collectors could order 1 of 4 different sets of 7 statues from the company. We've never seen this order form before. Pretty neat- right?  
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009
NATIONAL 2009 REVIEW
This year's National Sports Memorabilia Convention was held at Cleveland's I-X Center and the week flew by for us. We started our trip on Monday morning July 27 leaving at about 5:00 AM to beat the New York traffic. Once over the George Washington Bridge, we drove on Route 80 for close to 8 hours without much traffic. We had set up a couple of appointments with collectors and ended up buying over 40 bobbing heads along with some other interesting memorabilia. We then headed straight for Cleveland to get ready for set-up on Tuesday. Set-up did not start well for us as when we got to our booth, the glass cases we rented from an outside supplier we not at our booth. We were told that the convention center was holding them from being delivered for an additional fee of $208. These places are really getting greedy and it makes it difficult to do the show. For small-time dealers like us to do the show, we have to incur a lot of expenses. We drive our merchandise to the show (over $300 in gas), the booth is about $1,000 for the week, renting the show cases is another $500, plugging in the case is $150 and staying at the hotel was close to $1,000. Before we calculate the cost of eating- our expenses for the week are close to $3,000 (that's a lot of bobbing heads). Then the convention center has the nerve to hold us up for additional $208 for us to bring in the cases.  Okay- enough complaining and now for the good stuff. Both the buying and selling was solid during the week. Our best purchases were a complete set of Hartland baseball statues- many with boxes & tags, an extremely rare Washington Redskins "Ear Pad" bobbing head and an equally rare Stanford Pottery Boston Red Sox bank. We'll feature these items in upcoming auctions. We are also happy to announce that it appears that this hobby has gotten over its "recession blues". The selling was very active and from speaking with other dealers- most appeared to have good shows. The best part of the show was meeting the public. We do so few shows, so it's always great to see our long-time customers(and friends) and also adding to our customer list. It could not have been a better time and we hope that everyone who attended feels the same way. Thanks to all of you who attended. Lou & John
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Friday, June 12, 2009
STANFORD POTTERY BANKS
*** As we approach the summer, ITPC is planning for an eventful one. We will have two auctions - another Blow-Out Auction in July and our Summer Extravaganza in August. the dates are to be determined,but please check back at our web site for updates. We will also be setting up at the "National" in Cleveland. We will be bringing hundreds of figural and display type items for direct sale. please stop by and see us **** STANFORD POTTERY BANKS There is no doubt that Stanford pottery produced some of the nicest porcelain bnks that the hobby has seen. They sold these banks circa the late 40's to mid 50's. Their mascot banks included the hometown Cleveland Indians as well as banks of the Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelpia Athletics, Detroit Tigers and the Brooklyn Dodgers. the workmanship of these banks have been admired by collectors for many years. Over the years we have been lucky enough to stumble on quite a number of rare pieces. One of our favorite finds was at the 1999 National in Atlanta where we found the incredibly rare Boston Braves Stanford Pottery bank variation with headdress. We have since seen only one other. Both banks sold in our auctions for over $8,000.  
Although not quite as rare as the Braves, the Philadelphia Athletics banks also commands some hefty prices- up to $5,000 each. The Tigers and Dodgers have dropped a little in price over the last several years, but mint examples can still bring over $1,000. 
More common banks (but just as beautiful) are the Pirates, Indians and single feathered Brave banks that range in price from $200 up to $450. These banks display nicely in any figural collection. 
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
THE BOYS THAT NEVER WERE (HYBRID BOBBING HEADS)- BY FRANK PARRELLA
***This week's Blog entry was written by long-time friend and hobbyist Frank Parrella. His passion for bobbing heads is pure as he collects only for enjoyment. He loves the Yankees (a man after my own heart) and has added to his collection hybrid dolls made to his specifications. We thank him for his take on this style of collecting. We urge all of you to send your own thoughts on the hobby or your special interest.*** "THE BOYS THAT NEVER WERE"- by Frank Parrella INTRODUCTIONYou will never see the nodders displayed on the following pages in any publication or on any website devoted to describing the sports nodders produced in Japan during the Golden Era from 1960 through the early 1970s. THEY SIMPLY DID NOT EXIST. These creations are the results of my desire to own nodder variations that were non-existent. Most of the nodders are New York Yankees as I have been a fan of the team since I was a little boy. They are the collaborative efforts of discussions between myself and my good friend Joe Marasco, who is well versed in the restoration of nodders. The discussions primarily centered on doll components and colors, color shades, decal configurations and final finish. The Actual restorations along with final details associated with each restoration action were deferred to his discretion and expertise. It is worthy to note that, with the exception of the original White Square Base Yankees elbows out variation, "good condition" nodders were not modified to produce these variations. They were created and assembled from damaged parts that were restored by Joe Marasco. The sole purpose for creation of the nodders was to add to my existing collection of sports and non-sports nodders. They were not created to be duplicated for resale. They were commissioned for my own enjoyment. They are truly "one-of-one" pieces and it is my intention to keep their singular nature as such. I thought it would be nice to share my passion for the hobby by documenting one aspect of my nodder collecting experience that is different from main stream collecting but is also appealing to me. My intention is not to diminish or degrade the purist view for collecting real, unaltered examples of nodders from the Golden Era. I too have several fine examples of both original and restored nodders from the period that I truly enjoyed collecting and enjoy displaying. I ask that you keep these thoughts in mind as a precursor to reading this document. My hope is that you will enjoy its contents. 
New York Yankees This nodder had a head from the round Green Base Series and a body from the White Square Base Series. The original base decal (New York) was replaced with a "Yankees" decal. New York Yankees This nodder has a head from the round Green Base Series and a body from the White Square Base Series with the base painted green. The only difference between this nodder and the original green Square Base Series issue is that the hair on this nodder is brown instead of black. New York Yankees This nodder has a head from the round Green Base Series and a Los Angeles Angels body from the White Square Base Series with the base painted gold. Note the bat is on the left hand side in this mold. The original Yankees mold (pictured in the White Square Base nodder to the far left) has the bat on the right hand side. The interlocking "NY" logo has been embossed on to this Angels mold. The base decal is from the Gold Base Football/Hockey Series. New York Yankees This nodder is an original White Square Base Series elbows out variation that has the hair painted black, the base painted green and the original base decal (New York) replaced with a "Yankees" decal. 
Blackface New York YankeesThis nodder has a head from the square Color Base Series and a body from the round Green Base Series. Houston Colts This nodder has a head from the White Square Base Series and a body from the Wedge Base Series. (Note: The Houston Astros nodder existed in the Wedge Base Series, the Houston Colts nodder did not.) New York Yankees This nodder has a head and a body from the round Green Base Series and a base decal from the Gold Base Football/Hockey Series.
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Saturday, May 16, 2009
DARKTOWN BATTERY
DARKTOWN BATTERY The Darktown Battery bank pictured above exhibits the insensative nature of our country regarding racial issues during the late 1800's/early1900's. The bank poked fun at "black' baseball players and these types of banks were not uncommon during that period. This mechanical bank is quite rare and has sold for several thousand dollars over the last few years. It is considered a "cross-over" collectible as it appeals to sports memorabilia collectors as well as collectors of "Black Americana". There are highly collectible reproductions of this bank that were issued in the 50's made by "Book of Knowledge" in which the players are all white. The bank is titled "Hometown Battery" and sells in the $150 - $200 range. Be careful, as there was an identical bank made in Taiwan in the 70's/80's that can be bought for about $25.
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Thursday, May 07, 2009
ITPC NEWS
Sorry it's been so long since our last Blog entry- we've been busy re-organizing and hopefully we can now get back on track. We have been operating our business for close to 20 years and since 1997 I (Lou) have been working full time selling sports memorabilia with my partner John as a part-time helper. John was recently laid off from his job after 27 years. At first it was a shock, but he is welcoming his new life as a full-timer with ITPC. We plan on expanding our business by doing more shows and running more auctions. We are still planning on doing our regular auction schedule, but we will be running smaller auctions to fill in the gaps between our standard auctions. We are checking out new shows to do. We are committed to setting up at the National and all of the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Shows. We are hoping to add to our show schedule by the end of the year. With John now on-board full time, it will also allow us to "double-team" Ebay and do more updates to our Online Store.
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Tuesday, January 20, 2009
PATENTS FOR BOBBING HEADS
*** Today's Blog entry was written by long-time friend of the hobby- Joe Marasco. Joe has contributed to this Blog before and we were thrilled when he agreed to write about some patents he found for bobbing head dolls. For those of you who do not know Joe, he is one of the leading experts (if not the ultimate expert) on vintage hockey bobbing heads. He was very helpful and gracious with his expertise when we put the Bobbing Head Field Guide together a few years back. Many of the pictures are from his personal collection. We thank Joe and look forward to future articles from him. By the way, we are offering the Bobbing Head Field Guide to all our customers and readers of this Blog for the low price of $7.50 (plus $5 shipping in the U.S.). It's over 500 pages of color pictures, tips on collecting and a price guide that we feel will be very helpful to both advanced and new collectors. Call 516-747-7932 or email sharlou28@aol.com to reserve your copy.*** ********************************************************************** "Most Ideas or Designs Have a Patent" by Joe Marasco Being a design engineer for Xerox Corporation and having received several U.S. Patents of my own, I understand how important it is to capture an idea for yourself or for your company so as to protect the rights to the idea. The focus of this article is on the research that I did last year concerning patents granted by the Japanese for the manufacture of bobbing head dolls. Have you ever wondered about the designation stamped "JAPAN PAT. # and the 6 digits" on the bottom of some of the 60's bobbing heads in your individual collections? These stampings only seem to appear on the underside of "GREENBASE" baseball bobbing heads manufactured between 1963 and 1965. I have never seen a Pat. Pending number stamped on hockey or football bobbing heads produced in Japan during the 1960s and 1970s. However, I did find a patent for a hockey bobbing head produced in 1962. Patents for both a baseball and a hockey bobbing head are depicted in the pictures presented below.  
If you would like to see more baseball patents that I found, my website contains several patent numbers from "GREENBASE" baseball bobbing heads along with the teams associated with these designations. In addition, I have provided actual patent information for nine baseball bobbing heads and one hockey bobbing head along with individual links to these patents. My Patents Sections also contains an expanded explanation of the symbols and numbers contained in each patent. If collectors find different patent numbers on their bobbing heads that are not contained in my Patents Section, please send me the information and I will add the patent and its associated artwork to my website. The patents research project was time consuming but it did satisfy my curiosity and I hope it will provide valuable insights into the origins of bobbing heads for those involved in our hobby. The link to my hockey bobbing head website is http://www.frontiernet.net/~hknodder/Index.shtml and the specific link to my Patents Section is http://www.frontiernet.net/~hknodder/patents.html
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009
HOCKEY FIGURALS
*** Our latest sports memorabilia auction is now up and running and open for bidding. It ends Friday February 13, 2009. There are 150 lots with our usual No Buyer's Premium policy in effect. We are proud to announce that several of the lots come from the personal collection of famed sports artist Fred Kail. Just click on the Auction Tab at the top above to view all the items. *** *********************************************************************** HOCKEY FIGURALS Because of the sudden end of the NFL season for me (my Giants lost to the Eagles this past Sunday), my attention is now focused on the NHL and the N.Y. Rangers. I guess I'm dating myself, but I remember the days of going to the "Old" Madison Square Garden on 50th Street & 8th Ave in N.Y. to watch NHL hockey. There were only 6 teams back then (Rangers, Black Hawks, Red Wings, Bruins, Canadiens & Maple Leafs) and the rivalries were intense. Those games made me a hockey fan for life. As figural collectors, most of us are familar with the NHL series of bobbing head dolls from the early 60's and subsequent hockey dolls. But there are a number of great pieces of hockey figural memorabilia that for the most part go un-noticed. 
As mentioned in the previous Blog entry (Decanter brochures), the early 70's decanters issued by McCormick are some of the most stunning figurals you will ever see. It was not comprehensive series, but the teams that were made are just gorgeous. They feature a realistic face with tremendous detail to the uniforms. They apparently were made two ways- with a team name decal on the base and without.  We saw an interesting hockey item on Ebay a few weeks back. It was a pair of hockey salt & pepper shakers with the uniform colors of the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are pretty crude looking, but a neat oddball piece. 
One of the best hockey pieces that we've seen is the Cleveland Barons mascot bank from the early/mid 50's. It was made by a company called Eldon and features the amazing looking mascot of the Barons complete with top hat and hockey stick. It's quite rare, but if you are lucky enough to own one, it would surely be one of the highlights of your collection. If you're a hockey buff like we are, let us know what other figural hockey items are out there.
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Sunday, January 04, 2009
DECANTER BROCHURES
BAD NEWS- If you read our last Blog entry, we were very excited about receiving a number of pieces of original Fred Kail football pieces from his personal collection. They were to be the feature items in our next auction. Unfortunately, they were shipped to us and out of 5 pieces that were to be consigned, 3 arrived broken. We had taken extra precaution to insure their safety by arranging for them to be professionally packed by a shipping company. The boxes arrived in perfect shape, but because of movement within the box, there was considerable damage. One of the pieces was the 1958 tribute to the Colts Defensive Line- a one of a kind piece that survived almost 50 years to the day of the famous "Greatest NFL Game Ever Played". We are more upset about the fact that these peices are lost forever than the monetary loss. It really breaks our heart to know that these pieces will never be appreciated by collectors. There is a ray of sunshine to this story. We have kept in touch with Mr. Kail (he could not be more gracious) and he has agreed to send several more of his original pieces for consignment in our auctions. Please keep your "fingers crossed" that they arrive safely. We are honored to be chosen to be the ones to handle these incredible works of art. ********************************************************************** DECANTER BROCHURES Below are a couple of scans from sales brochures of a couple of decanters that we have a high regard for. The first is for the series of NHL decanters issued in the 70's. They feature a large sized hockey player that wears the uniforms of several NHL teams. The second scan is for the Chicago Cubs Jim Beam decanter issued in the 80's. It has always been one of our favorite pieces.  
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Tuesday, December 09, 2008
FRED KAIL's TRIBUTE TO THE 1958 COLTS
***Our Holiday auction ends this Friday- December 12, 2008. There is still plenty of time to place your bids and we'll try our best to get the winning bidders their "goodies" before the holidays. To view the entire auction, just click on the Auction tab at the top of the screen*** *********************************************************************** FRED KAIL's TRIBUTE TO THE 1958 COLTS This morning I had the extreme pleasure to talk to Fred Kail. For those of you who don't know of Mr. Kail (we can't imagine that many figural collectors don't), he is the artist most famous in this hobby for creating NFL football statues & banks in the late 50's/ early 60's. His Joe Jolter series are some of the most popular figurals in the hobby today- and for good reason, they are awesome. The attention to detail of the helmets and uniform colors was simply spectacular. Our conversation took us in many directions including his humble beginnings as an upstart artist. He first started creating his football statues in the late 50's and many of his works were done right on his mother's kitchen table. As an 18 year old, he got to know many NFL executives and players who loved his statues so much that he would custom make them and sell them via individual orders. It is well documented how the "Santa Claus" company literally stole his idea and tried to mass produce his statues in Japan. Unfortunately for Mr. Kail, he profited very little from his original creations. We are happy to report that Mr. Kail went on to bigger and better things and was actually commisioned to sculpt the statue of Johnny Unitas that stands outside of M&T Bank Stadium (home of the Baltimore Ravens). During our conversation, Mr. Kail informed me of a piece he made that has a special historical interest this year. It was made 50 years ago shortly after the Colts won the game that many consider the "Greatest Game Ever Played"- the 1958 World Championship game against the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium. The game was the first "sudden death" game played in the NFL and it is credited with making NFL football the most popular sport in America. The statue is of the Colts defensive line. Each statue contains the number of the player and was mounted on a 2 foot board. The names of the players, Gino Marchetti, Art Donovan, Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, and Don Joyce are noted on engraved plaques in front of each player. This statue set has never been seen by any collector in 50 years and we are happy to announce that we are in negotiations to offer it for sale, perhaps by our first 2009 auction. It's an amazing work- that certainly will attract the attention of any Kail or figural collector. 
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Saturday, November 08, 2008
IOWA STATE CYCLONES "CARTER-HOFFMAN"
*** Our next auction will open for bidding next week (Tuesday November 11,2008) and will end Friday December 12. There are 125 lots with our usual heavy emphasis on display and figural sports memorabilia. As with all our auctions, we will have our NO BUYER'S PREMIUM policy in effect. Please check back to view the auction site.*** *********************************************************************** IOWA STATE CYCLONES "CARTER-HOFFMAN" STATUE If you have followed this Blog or our sports memorabilia auctions, you know that we have a great appreciation for the incredible works of the Carter-Hoffman Company. Carter-Hoffman issued an amazing series of wood carved college mascot statues. As is the case with most college mascots- they mostly revolved around animals or Native American tribes. We recently had the pleasure to view perhaps the company's finest and most ingenius offering. It's of the Iowa State Cyclones and the mascot produced by the company is not only intricate, but one of the most stunning looking mascot pieces we've ever seen. Check out the pictures below and you'll see what we mean.  
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Tuesday, November 04, 2008
BLINKER EYED NHL BOBBING HEADS
*** Our next auction will be Friday December 12, 2008. We will be opening it in a couple of weeks and will send out email notices and catalogs well before the ending date. please check back at the site for future notices. *********************************************************************** BLINKER EYED NHL BOBBING HEADS In a past Blog entry, Joe Marasco (probably the most knowledgeable collectors of hockey bobbing heads) lent us his expertise on hockey dolls and the elusive Blinky eyed NHL dolls. These dolls are extremely rare and in our 25 years in the hobby, have never had a one. Joe is the owner of several, but would like to ask our readers if they have ever seen a Boston Bruins or Montreal Canadiens doll in this series. Joe told us that he knows of a Totonto Maple Leafs goalie. They were apparently part of a send-away promotion of the Laura Secord Chocolate Company of Canada in the 60's. If anyone has any information about them, please contact us and we'll be happy to send the information to Joe. 
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Tuesday, October 28, 2008
MR MAGOO BOBBING HEAD
Thanks again to all of you who participated in our fall 2008 auction. We've said it before- but it's worth repeating- our customer base is the best. Please look for our next auction which is tentatively scheduled for Friday December 12, 2008. We started building the site and the items look awesome. It should be a good one. *********************************************************************** MR MAGOO BOBBING HEAD Sometimes we see things on Ebay that amaze us. In our over 25 years in the hobby, we have seen almost every rare bobbing head that exists. We've sold everything from NFL Promo dolls to the super rare San Francisco Giants Weirdos. We have had hard to find variations including the Minneapolis Twins White base (only three known to exist). So it took us by surprise that last month when a Mr Magoo doll showed up on Ebay. We had never seen this doll offered for sale and only knew of one other in existence. The doll was being offered for a Buy it Now price of $10,000. Although it didn't sell on Ebay, we were able to get the seller and one of our advanced collector's together & a deal was struck between the two parties. As the "go-between" , we were lucky enough to have the doll for a few days until it was picked up by its new owner. Although I will probably never handle another, it was an honor to have it in my case for even just a short while. Below are some pictures we took of this amazing doll. Pretty cool- right?!  
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Monday, October 06, 2008
YOGI BERRA HARTLAND ASHTRAY
**** Our Fall 2008 Auction is now open for bidding. Just click on the Auction tab at the top of any screen and it will guide you right to it. There are 100 lots of interesting sports memorabilia. *********************************************************************** YOGI BERRA HARTLAND ASHTRAY Today's Blog entry was inspired by our good friend and Hartland expert Fred McKie. For several years he has told us about an ashtray that was given to select employees of Yoo-Hoo. As many of you may already know, Berra was Yoo-Hoo's main endorser during the late 50's through the 60's. In our current auction (Fall 2008) we are featuring as our #1 item, an advertising clock from Yoo-Hoo that has his likeness. 
The ashtray had an attached Yogi Berra Hartland statue on one end. The ashtrays are super rare(this is the only one we've seen in over 25 years in the hobby). Much like the Mantle Hartland lamp, we suspect that they used excess statues to make these customized pieces. As far as value, it is impossible to gauge what they could fetch in an auction scenerio.
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Sunday, September 21, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS SOUVENIR CATALOG
SAD NEWS- I'm sorry to report that my mother passed away last week from complications after hip surgery. She lived a good, long and happy life. She was almost 93 when she passed. I will always be thankful for all her support of my hobby- especially in the early years. Because I've been bogged down with taking care of her arrangements, our next auction will be slightly delayed but we are still planning on having it in late October. ********************************************************************** SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS CATALOG Our thanks go to long-time San Francisco Giants collector Rob Greene who was nice enough to send us copies of this great catalog. As Rob points out, check the prices compared to today. We of course know how much the bobbing heads have risen in price, but the PM 10 pins of Davenport and Haller are very hard to find and sell in the $200- $300 range today. The shipping charges ranged from 10 cents to 50 cents.    
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Sunday, September 07, 2008
WE NEED YOUR HELP- CARTER-HOFFMAN
HELP! Sometimes ya just get "stumped". An avid collector of Carter-Hoffman figurines recently purchased 3 incredible statues and asked our help in trying to figure out exactly what schools they represent (see pictures below).  
The first is of an American Indian with a "D" on his chest. I know what you're thinking- but it's not Dartmouth as the colors do not match.   The second is a very cool looking ancient soldier with the initials PLC on his helmet. It could be a Trojan or Spartan- but we can't seem to find any schools with those initials.   The last one is what appears to be a lumberjack with the initials CPS. Okay- your assignment is to find out who they are. Here's a few tips when searching- Carter-Hoffman not only made mascots for high profile college teams- but also made them for Junior Colleges & High Schools. Also (in the case of the American Indian), let's not forget that many schools changed their team mascots to be more politically correct. We would be grateful for any help you can give. Thanks!
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Thursday, August 21, 2008
DODGERS AND ANGELS MAIL ORDER CATALOGS
DODGERS & ANGELS MAIL ORDER CATALOGS Our good friend Joe Marasco was kind enough to send me some pictures of early 60's catalogs which contain souvenir items for sale of the Dodgers & Angels. Check out the bobbing heads, blow-up dolls and ashtrays being offered. I love this kind of stuff, but always wish that I could travel back in time.  
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Thursday, August 07, 2008
THE 2008 NATIONAL SPORTS COLLECTORS CONVENTION
(Our booth) We just got back the other day from a week in Chicago at the National Sports Collectors Convention. The show was fantastic. Not only did we do some great buying and selling, but we got to see many of the friends we've made throughout the years in the hobby. It was wonderful to see old friends Brian L., Mark M, Charlie B., Noel E. and Bob F. as well as making new friends like Harvey P., Charlie L. and Billy R. The venue in Chicago is perfect. The Donlad Stephens Convention Center was right across the street from our hotel. When the show was over we had a short walk to our room where we could collapse. We ate good too. Gibson's and Morton's Steak houses were right there and were delicious - but I think we've now had our yearly supply of red meat. It's back to the gym to knock-off all the weight we put on. 
(our booth) As usual, most of our sales were vintage figural items. We brought over 300 bobbing heads, Kails statues and Gibbs-Conner banks and the action was brisk. We also bought well and will be featring some of the items in upcoming auctions. 
The other dealers merchandise at the show was outstanding. It seems to get better and better each year. If you've never been to a National Show- please make it your business to get to one. If you buy nothing, the experience of seeing this incredible memorabilia will be worth your trip. One of our favorite moments of the week actually happened at the airport waiting to go home. We got the opportunity to sit next to Ralph Kiner in the waiting area before boarding our flight home. He was kind enough to talk with us for about an hour and told us stories of his days in baseball and as an announcer. He is not only a Hall of Fame baseball player, but a Hall of Fame human being. It was an honor to meet him. Next year's National will be held in Cleveland (a great area) and the following year will be in a new location- Baltimore. Make your plans early and we hope to see you all next year.
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008
YANKEE STADIUM
YANKEE STADIUM Tonight is the All-Star Game and it will be played at Yankee Stadium. The game is bitter-sweet as it celebrates the last year of one of the great stadiums of the world. It has witnessed countless World Championships by the Yankees, majestic home-runs by Babe Ruth, the courageous speech of the dying Lou Gehrig, championship fights, the greatest football game ever played and even masses by Popes. But more importantly to me, was the many times that I visited the Stadium and the memories of my youth. I first entered this "cathederal" in 1959 and like so many before and after me was awed by its size and beauty. The original stadium with its surrounding facade, mounuments in the field and incredible dimensions was a sight to behold. I will never forget going to the games with my parents and my brother and sister. When the games were over, fans were allowed onto the field and could exit out of the Yankee bullpen. My seven year old eyes couldn't believe that any man could hit one over the fence in center as it looked to be a mile away. When the renovation was done to the stadium after the 1973 season, it saddened me, but I grew to love the stadium again as it still was magical. In October (hopefully late October), when the final game is played there, many fans will be saddened again. Sure, we'll grow to love the new stadium, but it will never replace the memories for many of their first game.  On the collectible side- there are many vintage items that show the old ball park. A model kit issued by Superior Plastics is a beautiful reminder of the beauty of Yankee Stadium. Another favorite of collectors, is the board game titled "Challenge the Yankees". It was issued in the mid 60's and the box cover has a fantastic airial drawing of the stadium. Of course, the old wooden seats of Yankee Stadium are always a hot comodity. 
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
CUBAN BASEBALL STATUES
CUBAN BASEBALL STATUES About 10 years ago, I became acquainted with the Cuban baseball statues. When I saw them, I thought they were some of the most beautiful baseball memorabilia in the hobby. They compare favorably to the Major League banks and statues made by companies like Stanford Pottery and Gibbs-Conner. 
(Havana Leones vase & statues) These porcelain pieces were made in the 50's- the "hey day" of Cuban baseball. There were 4 major teams - the Havana Leanes (Lions), the Almendares Alacrnes (Scorpions), the Cienfuegos Elefantes (Elephants) and the Marianao Tigres (Tigers). There are quite a few variations of styles and sizes theat include vases, statues and wall sconces. They are beautifully hand-painted and incredibly colorful. If these pieces were of American major League teams, they would be sky-high in price. You can still find the Cubans at reasonable prices and once you get one- you'll be happy to display them with the rest of your baseball memorabilia.
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Friday, May 23, 2008
COLLEGE MASCOT BANKS
This weeks topic is the college mascot banks of the 60's/ early 70's. Before we delve into it, for those who would like to read about the history of college mascots- there is a great book on the subject. It's called "Mascots- the History of Senoir/Junior College & University Mascots and Nicknames". It was written by Roy Yarbrough in 2004. I'm not sure if the book is still available, but if you are interested you can contact Bluff University Communications, 630 Park Street, California, Pennsylvania 15419. COLLEGE MASCOT BANKS If you've followed our Blog entries or our auctions, you know that we have a fascination with college mascots. Over the years, there have been hundreds of different mascot figural collectibles issued. Some of the different issues include the Carter-Hoffman wood carved figurines, team decanters and the subject of this Blog entry- the composition banks of the 60's & 70's.   QUINCO GEORGIA BULLDOGS & MISSOURI TIGERS BANKS One of the most attractive series of college mascot banks was issued in the mid 60's by a New Orleans based company named Quinco. They produced dozens of teams with two basic styles. One is their boy faced cheerleader and the other is a fantastic selection of team mascots. There were mascots made for most of the major college football conferences.  
BANTRICO WISCONSIN BADGER & UNKNOWN MAKER OF WITCHITA STATE SHOCKER There were other issues made in similar styling by companies like Buco and Bantrico and even a few unmarked series that are awesome. The best part of collecting these banks is that prices have not yet soared and bargains can be had. They also are made of the same basic composition as the vintage bobbing heads and are about the same size. This makes for a very handsome display.
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Saturday, March 29, 2008
RITTGERS NON-SPORT FIGURINES
REMINDER- Our Spring Sports Memorabilia Auction ends next Friday- April 4, 2008. If you have not yet placed your bids- please do not forget- there are 100 quality pieces in this auction. To view the entire auction, just click on the Auction bar at the top of the screen. *********************************************************************** RITTGERS NON-SPORT FIGURINES If you read our April 3, 2007 Blog entry on the works of L.L. Rittgers, you know how much we love his series of comical sports figurines. What you may not know, is that the company produced and equally creative series of non-sport statue sets that rival the sports series.   These statue sets were produced from the 40's through mid-50's. Some of the sets include a pair of homely tourists wearing bathing suits, an absolutely hilarious "pick-pocket set, a blind man (faker) spotting a gorgeous girl and their famous miltary set. These statues are the perfect compliment to your rittgers sports sets.
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Friday, March 21, 2008
CLEVELAND INDIANS MAZZOLINI "CHIEF WAHOO" STATUE
****We just sent out our catalogs for our next auction - so look for them in your mail box. Remember- the auction ends Friday April 4, 2008. Please get your bids in early**** *********************************************************************** MAZZOLINI CHIEF WAHOO STATUE "Chief Wahoo" of the Cleveland Indians is one of the most popular and recognizable mascots in all of sports. It is also a source of some contraversy. He is considered politically incorrect by some Native American groups and they've lobbied unsuccessfully to have him removed. 
Some of the best figural items revolve around Chief Wahoo. Companies such as Gibbs-Conner and Stanford Pottery made him a focal point in their productions. Another Cleveland based company named Mazzolino made perhaps the finest rendition of this great mascot. It is dated 1947 under the base and apparently was ordered by the Cleveland Indians for distribution. Original statues can sell for up to $1,500, but be careful as there is a later reproduction that is worth about 1/10 of the original.
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Monday, March 10, 2008
JOE LOUIS MEMORABILIA
*** We would like to thank everyone who showed up at the Reading Show last week. It turned out to be a great show for us and hopefully all that attended had a good time. It was good to see some of our regular customers and it was a pleasure to meet some new ones. We hope to see you all again there in October. *** *********************************************************************** JOE LOUIS MEMORABILIA If you haven't yet seen the HBO Special on Joe Louis, it's a must see. As a boxing lover I was rivited, but I think it will appeal to almost everyone. Joe Louis led an interesting life and was a national hero when this country needed one most. His over-whelming defeat over Max Schmeling in their second fight, lifted the spirits of our nation and was a cause of embarrasment for the Third Riech of Germany. Louis was a man who gave a lot to this country during the war. He was generous to the war effort, but the government turned its back on him after the war demanding large sums of back taxes. He died in relative poverty.     As would be expected of any athlete of Louis' popularity, he was widely used as a sponsor. There are many pieces of memorabilia that had Joe Louis' image including clocks, lamps and ashtrays. They are some of the most popular figural boxing items in the hobby.
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Friday, February 29, 2008
KAIL BASKETBALL PLAYER
***Just a reminder to all those in the Reading Pa area- we will be setting up from February 29-March 2 at the Greater Reading Expo Center. We will be bringing hundreds of figural items for sale. We'll also be looking to buy. Our booth number is 402. We have also just posted our latest auction which will end Friday April 4, 2008. Clcik on the Auction button above to see all the items.*** ********************************************************************** KAIL BASKETBALL PLAYER If you've read this Blog, you know that we love the works of Fred Kail. His series of NFL team statues are incredibly detailed and much sought after by collectors. We recently obtained a nice sized collection of them, and plan on auctioning them off over the next few auctions. You also may know that to a much lesser degree, there was also a line of Kail Major league teams. These statues can and usually do sell in the thousands of dollars. We have only seen original 60's examples of the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. We believe there may be other teams made.  Now, what you may not know. The company producing the Kail figurines in the 60's also made a generic basketball player. He has the same style face and body type as the football abd baseball figures. We've only handled one in over 20 years in the hobby. Pretty cool- right?
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Friday, February 15, 2008
BABE RUTH CLOCK RADIO
*** We would like to thank everyone who participated in our February 8, 2008 auction. We hope all the winners are happy with their new additions. We will be setting up at the Reading Pa. Sports Memorabilia Show from February 29 through March 2. The show is located at the Greater Reading Expo Center, 2525 n 12th St in Reading Pa. We will be bringing hundreds of figural sports items including vintage bobbing heads, Hartlands, Gibbs-Conner banks and much more. We will also be looking to purchase like memorabilia. Please come visit us at Booth 402. *** ********************************************************************** BABE RUTH CLOCK RADIO In light of the recent Congressional hearings about steroid use in baseball, I thought it was good timing to write a little bit about Babe Ruth. As most of you already know, Ruth may have single-handidly saved the game of baseball after the scandal of the infamous 1919 Chicago "Black" Sox. After "throwing" the 1919 World Series, 8 members of the Chicago White Sox were brought before a commitee, much like Roger Clemens was the other day. Although they were exonerated after this hearing, the lords of baseball and more importantly Judge Landis, banned them from the game for their association with gambling. The game was reeling and in jeapardy of losing its fan base until the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees after the 1919 season. Ruth captivated the country with his home run rampage of 1920. He belted 54 homers in his first year with the Yankees- which was more then every team in the American League that year. His exploits took fans minds off the scandal and is credited with saving the game. We can only hope that todays steroid scandal will not affect baseball's popularity- as I don't see another Ruth on the horizon. Because of his massive popularity, Ruth memorabilia is still one of the most popular among collectors. He endorsed everything from underwear to cigars and his image is still used in marketing today. If you decide to collect Ruth, there is a seemingly endless amount of memorabilia to find. 
We recently obtained a very popular piece of "Ruth-abilia"- the clock that was issued shortly after his death in 1948. The clock is electric and sits on top of a wooden base. On the top mantle of the clock are three simulated bronze pieces. One is a bust of Ruth. Next to the bust are two baseballs with his lifetime home run stats engraved on each ball. This clock is a little different variation than most seen. It also contains a built in radio. This is the first one of this variation that we've seen in over 25 years in the hobby. We will be offering this piece in our Spring 2008 auction. BABE RUTH FACTS - Ruth holds the single season slugging average with an amazing .847
- Babe Ruth led the American league in home runs 12 times.
- In his 15 years with the Yankees, Ruth averaged almost 44 home runs per year.
- After being traded from Boston, Ruth out-homered the entire Red Sox team in 10 of the next 12 seasons.
- In 1927 when ruth hit 60 home runs, it was about 14% of all the home runs hit in the league. If a player today were to match that percentage, he would need to hit more than 300 home runs in one year.
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Friday, February 15, 2008
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Monday, February 04, 2008
N.Y. GIANTS #1
WOW! I can honestly say that of all my years of watching sports and my passion for my teams (Yankees, Rangers, Giants)- yesterday's game has to be put right on top of the list. The Giants battled enormous odds throughout the play-offs and slew all the dragons. They beat a team that was destined to be the greatest team of all time. The proved almost every expert wrong. I, like every other Giants fan, am very proud today. I would also like to apologize to Eli Manning. Throughout the year, I (along with many others) would have ridden him out of town on a rail. I beat him up verbally, questioned his talent and his ability to win a big game. I was wrong and will be eternally grateful to him for the memories of this play-off season. He was awesome! I would like to dedicate the below poem to Eli Manning. I think it sums up his N.Y. Giants career. "IF" by Rudyard Kipling If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!" If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
ANRI WOOD CARVED COLLEGE MASCOTS CATALOG
*** Just a quick reminder that our first auction of 2008 will end Friday February 8. There are 100 quality lots of vintage sports memorabilia. if you have not yet viewed the auction or if you want to place your bids, just click the Auction button at the top of the screen. *********************************************************************** ANRI WOOD CARVED COLLEGE MASCOTS CATALOG Our December 31 entry concerning the Carter-Hoffman & ANRI wood carved mascots brought us a number of emails concerning the differeneces between the two and how to tell the difference. The simpliest way to detect the difference is that it appears that all Carter-Hoffman statues are stamped with the company name somewhere on the bottom of each piece. For the most part, the ANRI pieces are unmarked. On occasion we have seen them stamped "Italy" on the bottom. Since they really do resemble one another, the only other thing that we can say, is that the ANRI pieces are generally slightly larger and not quite as detailed as the Carter-Hoffman mascots. We were lucky enough to acquire a copy of an ANRI catalog. We're sorry about the quality of the scans, but we think you'll get the idea. The catalog is fascinating. The company not only made the traditional mascot statues, but also bottle stoppers, letter openers, book ends, pins and cigarette boxes- all incorporating the wooden statues. The price for the standard statues were $21 per dozen. Below are copies of 6 pages of the 15 page catalog. Enjoy!   
  
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
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Monday, January 21, 2008
GO BIG BLUE!
There's not much for me to say today- except that I'm shocked, surprised, elated- but most of all proud to be a N.Y. Football Giants fan. Now if they can win one more game this year- it will be the "icing on the cake". GO BIG BLUE!
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Sunday, January 20, 2008
KAIL BASEBALL FIGURINES
*** I just got back from a week in Florida. Although the weather was not terrific, it sure does beat the freezing weather we came back to. The best part of the vacation was watching the Giants beat the Cowboys with my brother. This victory will go down as one of my favorites of all time. Watching "T.O." cry after the game was the "icing on the cake". ***Our Winter auction is up and running. You can check it out by clicking the Auction button on the top bar of this page. ********************************************************************** KAIL BASEBALL FIGURINES Most collectors of figural sports memorabilia associate the name Fred Kail with his fabulous series of football statues. The NFL series consist of 5 different pieces for each of the early 60's NFL franchises. There is a large and small size of both the standing lineman and down-lineman. There is also an ashtray with a stadium and small standing lineman for each team. But there is also a much limited series of baseball statues that many collectors do not know about. We have only handled a handful over the last 20 years. Many years ago we  sold a large Philadelphia Phillies and a smaller sized N.Y. Yankees that came on an ashtray. A few years back we had a large sized  Baltimore Orioles statue that was made specifically for the then Orioles pitching ace- Milt Pappas (most famous for being traded for Frank Robinson). It was an early statue and was made of solid chalk-ware. We have seen only one other Kail baseball statue- it's of a large Pirate and it came with an attached ash tray. To say these statues are rare would be an under-statement.   Just as a footnote, there are generic Kail basketball statues too. There is also a relatively common series of bowlers.
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Sunday, January 20, 2008
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Wednesday, January 09, 2008
SPALDING TROPHIES
**** We want to announce that our first auction of 2008 is now open for bidding. We had originally scheduled to open the bidding on 1/21, but after numerous requests to start the auction early we decided to open it up early. So, please take a look at the 100 items we have by clicking the Auction button on the top of the screen. We will be on vacation from 1/12 through 1/19, but will be happy to answer all your questions after we return.**** **** I'll be away in Florida this weekend, but you know that I'll be rooting "Big Blue" onto victory over the Cowboys. ********************************************************************** SPALDING TROPHIES Did you ever wonder how Major League ball players could sell off their old trophies? I've seen numerous times where an athlete will sell off his Gold Glove trophy or a champioship ring and wonder- why? It's probably as simple as us tossing away an old bowling trophy- it becomes a dust collector- so why not turn it into cash.      Now, the Spalding Trophies of the 20's/30's are much more than dust collectors- they are pieces of art. They feature different poses of baseball players that are simply incredible and very hard to come by. We have seen these trophies fetch as much as $3,500 each. I doubt if any of us had been given one of these, we would be quick to get rid of them.
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Saturday, January 05, 2008
STANFORD POTTERY PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS BANK
**** Just a quick note- our first auction of the year has been posted for preview. There are 100 quality items in the auction. The auction will officially open for bidding on January 21 and will end on Friday February 8. We are trying something a little new for this auction. We will not be sending out reminder catalogs, but will notify all of those with emails on file about the auction. If you are not currently on file, or have changed your email address you can easily register or adjust your personal information Online. ********************************************************************** STANFORD POTTERY PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS BANK Stanford Pottery has long been recognized as one of the leading producers of porcelain sports banks. There works spanned a time frame from the late 40's through the early 60's. They are most famous for their series of baseball team mascot banks. There are known examples of the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, Detroit Tigers, N.Y. Yankees, Boston Red Sox and the topic of this week's Blog entry- the Philadelphia Athletics.  
The A's bank is very rare, but also very unusual in that there are at least two different sizes and a number of different variations. As you can see from the pictures above, the center bank is slightly taller than the other two. Also notice the hat variations, the two on the sides have a "P" on the hat and the center bank has an "A". The large bank also just has an "A" painted on the chest. The two side banks have "Athletics", but one is in script form and the other block letters. It was not unusual for Stanford Pottery to have different paint schemes on their banks- as they were all hand-painted and depending on the artist, subject to their interpretation. In any event, the Philadelphia A's bank is extremely rare. We have not seen one offered for sale in the number of years and prices have been known to eclipse $5,000 for minty examples. They really are gorgeous.
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Monday, December 31, 2007
CARTER-HOFFMAN VS ANRI - WOOD CARVED COLLEGE MASCOTS
*** Before we get into this week's topic, we would like to wish you all a very Happy & Healthy New Year! ****We have started to post our next auction (tentatively scheduled for early February). You can preview the auction while we build the site by clicking the Auction button at the top of the screen. Please note that the lots are subject to re-ordering and changes. ********************************************************************** CARTER-HOFFMAN VS ANRI - WOOD CARVED COLLEGE MASCOTS It's never too late to learn something in this hobby. We think that we've finally solved the mystery of the wood carved college mascots that resemble the works of Carter-Hoffman. They were made by a company named ANRI that was based in Europe. The company has been around for a long time (probably the turn of the 20th century) and has made wood carved figurines of all sorts. They are best known for their religious statues, but also made a series of corked bottle tops for wine. They also made a series of college mascots that are so close in resemblance to the Carter-Hoffman figurines, that many collectors have been fooled. the ANRI figures are slightly less detailed and the lettering is a little cruder. Like Carter-Hoffman, they made a number of different sizes and many of the schools are repeated. In actuality, we are not sure who copied who- as the ANRI company certainly pre-dated Carter-Hoffman. What we do know, is that the workmanship of both companies is spectacular and that both series of figurines can be easily displayed together.  
The first picture is of a standard sized Dartmouth Indian and two mini sized (Harvard & Princeton) ANRI figurines. please note that they are not as detailed as the Carter-Hoffman series and that the lettering is hand painted as opposed to decaled. The second picture shows a ANRI Cornell Bear bottle stopper and a Carter-Hoffman Stanford Indian Bottle Pourer. One sure fire way to tell the difference between the two companies is that Carter-Hoffman statues all appear to be stamped with the company name somewhere. Occasionally the ANRI figures will be marked "Italy".
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Monday, December 24, 2007
JUST ADDED SOME NEW BOBBING HEADS TO THE ONLINE STORE.
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Monday, December 24, 2007
CHRISTMAS BONUS PICTURE - RARE WEIRDO BOBBING HEAD
Happy Holidays to all the readers of this Blog. As a little bonus and quickie posting on Christmas Eve, I would like to share a picture that I found in our files of an extremely rare bobbing head doll. It is part of the highly sought after L.A. Dodgers Wierdo series of the 60's. We have seen only this example of this doll. It is of a Dodgers player with a "fly-swatter". Oddly, this doll nods at the waist- not the head. Pretty cool- right? 
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Thursday, December 20, 2007
RITTGERS COVERS
*** If you know me, you know I can't stand the Boston Red Sox or their fans. But in fairness, I have gained some real respect for them after watching what they did during this particular singing of our National Anthem. Click here to check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhcZRFcjbhw ********************************************************************** RITTGERS COVERS  
I was going through some old photo files and I found these two great booklet covers that feature Rittgers statues. i thought you guys might get a "kick' out of them. If you have any old programs or magazines that feature figural sports memorabilia, please send scans to us so that we can share them with other collectors. Happy holidays!
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
HARTLAND BOXES & TAGS
****SAD NEWS: As reported by Sports Collectors Digest, long-time baseball card collector/ dealer Larry Fritsch passed away on December 8, 2007. Although we never met Larry in person, we often spoke on the phone about his other interests in the hobby- figural memorabilia- in particular bobbing heads and Kails. He was always a pleasure to deal with. He will be missed. Our condolenses to his family and friends. Below is the SCD notice of his death.
TOP STORY HOBBY PIONEER, LARRY FRITSCH DIES
 It's probably a good lesson for those involved in buying and selling baseball cards: the man with the largest, most comprehensive collection ever accumulated was the largest dealer in America and, conversely, wasn't really even a dealer at all. Larry Fritsch, 71, of Stevens Point, Wis., died Dec. 8 at the Aspirus Wausau Hospital in Wausau, Wis. Fritsch will be remembered in a special section of the Jan. 4, 2008, issue of SCD, mailed to subscribers on Dec. 17. ********************************************************************** HARTLAND BOXES AND TAGS We thought it might be of interest to show some of the most sought after items in the hobby. Of course, we all know how terrific the Hartland baseball statues are, but their complimentry boxes and tags are also terrific and not easy to find. There are several styles of boxes including the original with a wrap-around baseball litho. These boxes came in two sizes. They also came with different styles- some have player photos on the smaller sides of the box. The later boxes that were issued for some of the statues of the early 60's were a slick looking box that had a punch out panel that could be used as a window display.     The neck tags can be a real challenge to collect. Although there were 18 player statues  originally issued, only 17 tags were produced. For some reason, Hartland did not make a Roger Maris tag. As is the case with the Dick Groat statue, the Groat box and tag are the most difficult to find. We have seen the Groat tag sell for several thousand dollars. Not too shabby if you happen to own one. There is a caveat to collecting the tags- there are some very good reproduction tags floating around. For the novice collector, it is very difficult to decipher the difference. That is why we always urge collectors to buy from dealers they know and trust.
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Monday, December 10, 2007
BROOKLYN DODGERS CHINAWARE
Before we get into this week's Blog entry, we would like to thank everyone who participated in our December 7, 2007 Holiday Auction. There were some amazing prices paid, but some of the pieces were extremely rare and may not be offered for sale again for a long time. Some of the highlights of the auction were a 60's Washington Redskins Kail ashtray ($4,183), a Gibbs-Conner promotional Cleveland Indians statue ($3,328), a 1955 World series pennant ($3,141) and a Carter-Hoffman large sized Minnesota Gophers ($2,860). You can view all the prices realized by clicking the Auction Results button on the top of the screen. ********************************************************************** BROOKLYN DODGERS CHINAWARE If you are a collector of vintage sports memorabilia, you probably already know that Brooklyn Dodgers items are some of the most highly sought after in the hobby. Record prices are usually generated with their pennants, statuary, cards, programs, pins and virtually any other Dodgers items. The team has attained "cult status" by old-time fans of the team and baseball historians.   One of the most popular and hard to find collectibles were two separate set of Dodger chinaware that date back to the early 50's. The easiest to date is the 1952 National League Champions set. This set included coffee mugs & saucers, dinner & desert plates and a trivet. each piece proclaims the dodgers 1952 N.L. Champs and shows the flags of other Dodger pennant winning teams. It is assumed that this china was given to players, coaches and team employees. They are rich in color and very hard to find in any condition.   The second set is even more sought after and much more difficult to find. It is a player set that actually pictures individual players in the center. These were also produced in  the early 50's and again it is assumed that they were issued to team employees. The same pieces appear to be made for this set- with several differant styles of mugs. Most of the star players were made including Reese, Campanella, Snider, Hodges, Furillo, Erskine and Cox ( we belive there is a Robinson, but we've never seen one) They are simply awesome and bring "big bucks" in auctions. If you are lucky enough to own any, you know just how "sweet" they are.
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Monday, December 03, 2007
VINTAGE WOOD CARVED COLLEGE MASCOTS
**PLEASE REMEMBER, OUR AUCTION ENDS THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2007. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET PLACED YOUR BIDS, PLEASE HURRY. WE HAVE ALSO ADDED MANY NEW ITEMS TO OUR ONLINE STORE. *********************************************************************** VINTAGE WOOD CARVED COLLEGE MASCOTS .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) Todays topic has been a mystery to collectors for along time. These statues are made of wood and finely detailed & hand painted. There is no known manufacturer of these large sized(about 14" tall) mascots. It is generally assumed that they were made in the late 40's/ early 50's- about the same time that the Carter-Hoffman Company was producing their line of wooded mascots. They are rarely seen offered for sale. They are some of the best looking figurines in the hobby. .jpg)  .jpg)
If any of our readers has more information about them, please contact us.
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Tuesday, November 27, 2007
TEX COULTER BOBBING HEADS
In the November 23 issue of Sports Collectors Digest, it was reported that Tex Coulter had passed away on October 2 of this year. Although he was a great athlete, those in the hobby know him for his artistic talent and his early marketing of souvenir dolls known as bobbing heads. Tex Coulter was an All- American offensive tackle who played on Army's 1945 National Championship team. He would go on to play for the N.Y. Football Giants from 1946 through 1952 and in fact was a Pro-Bowler in 1948 and 1949. When he was released from the Giants, he went north to Canada where he starred for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL from 1953 through 1956. 
(CFL program picturing Coulter marketed dolls) But the hobby will always remember him for his post-playing days. Following his career as a player, Coulter used his artistic talents. He was an accomplished illustrator who often did cover work for college and professional football programs. He also was an illustator for his home town Fort Worth Star Telegram. Figural collectors should know him for his marketing of the earliest NHL and CFL bobbing head dolls. He formed a company named Tex Coulter Enterprises Inc which handled a series of Canadian Football League dolls and the NHL dolls that we call the "High Skate" series. They happen to be some of the finest made dolls in the hobby. If you would like to view pictures of some of his dolls, please visit our friend joe Marasco's Hockey bobbing Head web site at: http://www.frontiernet.net/~hknodder/Index.shtml
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Friday, November 16, 2007
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY- THE YANKEE PROMO BOBBING HEAD DOLL
*** We have just sent out our reminder catalogs for our upcoming auction that ends Friday December 7, 2007. If you are not already on our mailing list and would like a copy, please contact us with your name and address at: sharlou28@aol.com . The auction is now open for bidding. ***Joe Marasco, our good friend and a bobbing head expert, sent us this You Tube video that may give you a few laughs. Just click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCBLYDTX-rA ********************************************************************** THE YANKEE PROMO BOBBING HEAD It's been a little more than 6 years since I blew the opportunity to own one of the rarest sports bobbing head dolls in the hobby. It's the Yankee Promo doll that was made in the early 60's to promote the very first baseball series of bobbing heads. We've had a number of the NFL Promos over the years, but this is the only known baseball promo. It was advertised in an auction that ended October 24, 2001. Although I still regret not being more active in bidding for it, our minds were still on the disaster of 9/11 and at that time, this doll held little importance. The auction description described it as 14" tall with only 3 light hairlines on the lower  part of the face. My recollection is that it sold for about $3,500. This was a nice price for the time, but in today's strong market, my guess is that it would bring 4 to 5 times that amount. It wasn't the first mistake I've made in the hobby and it certainly won't be my last, but it may be the one that I regret the most.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
CARTER-HOFFMAN PROGRAM
** We've been posting many new items for Direct Sale in our Online Store. Please check it out by clicking the Store button at the top of the page. Don't forget- our Holiday Auction is now open for bidding (ends Friday December 7, 2007) *** I know you guys are on "pins & needles" wondering about my shoulder surgery, so here's the update. It went better than expected. The surgery was a "piece of cake". The re-hab, now that's a different story. I've gone two times and I'll admit, I'm a bit of a baby. It feels like the Spanish Inquisition. My physical therapist got his degree in torture. I would give up government secrets while he's stretching my arm. I scream like a woman. Anyway, I went ot the doctor today to get my stitches out and he said I can't do anything with this arm for 6 weeks. I guess that gets me out of some household chores (he he)- maybe I can "milk" this a little while longer. ********************************************************************** CARTER-HOFFMAN PROGRAM COVER Here's a quickie for this week's blog entry. This Ivy league program is from 1954 and shows the entire Carter-Hoffman Ivy League series. They are listed for sale on the inside cover. Pretty neat- right? 
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Monday, November 05, 2007
COMPANY CATALOGS
***Our latest auction is now open for bidding and ends Friday December 7. There are 150 lots of vintage sports memorabilia. Just click on the Auction button on the top bar of the screen to view all the items. It's fast and easy to register & bid. If you have previously registered and forgotten your User Name or Password, you can either obtain it online or by contacting us. ***We are re-vamping our Online store and have added many new items. Please check out the different categories by clicking the Store button on the top of the screen. ** Well- tomorrow's my big day. I'm having right shoulder surgery and will be out of commission for awhile. My right arm will be in a sling for a couple of months. I've been practicing doing things with my left hand- with little success. I never realized how "right-handed" I am. I tried shaving today with my left hand and nearly cut my ear off (what a mess). I combed my hair and came out looking like Albert Einstein. And typing- forget about it. Ordinarilly, I only use two fingers, but now my typing will really be slow. It took me 20 minutes to type my name. Oh well, I'll survive ( if my wife doesn't kill me). ********************************************************************** COMPANY CATALOGS As a follow-up to last weeks Blog entry, here's another interesting thing you can collect. Company catalogs are fascinating. They sometimes picture the figural items and show their original pricing. Check out a few that we think are pretty interesting. 
This is an early 60's catalog from a bobbing head distributor. Please note that the Mays doll has a green base. As far as we know, this color base was never issued. 
This is a partial copy of a Hartland Plastics brochure. Check out how they picture Mantle & Ruth with white hats. 
This is a partial brochure from Carter-Hoffman. the rest of the brochure lists many of the teams that were produced. This catalog was from the early 50's. These pieces were not cheap.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
ADVERTISEMENTS
Hi Everyone! Sorry that I have not posted in awhile, but I've been really busy. A renovation to my basement made it neccessary to pack up all our merchandise and put it in storage. We have done two shows- one in Reading Pa and a Toy Show in St. Charles IL. The next thing on my agenda is shoulder surgery next week. Get this, this 55 year old idiot still thinks he can play ball. So my apologies and hopefully I'll get back on track now. By the way, I am also re-stocking our Online Store. I'm starting with the Bobbing Heads and will work my way through the other categories over the next few weeks. also, please check out our latest auction that opens for bidding on Thursday November 1 and will close Friday December 7th. It's a good one! ********************************************************************** ADVERTISEMENTS Have you ever gone through old issues of Sports magazines and noticed the ads for some of the memorabilia? It really is incredible that some of the collectible treasures of today were sold so cheaply back in the 50's/60's. Take a look at this great ad for Fred Kail statues. It was sent to me by my close friend Mike Hattley of Touchdown Treasures. Check out his auction site at: http://touchdowntreasuresauction.com/CATALOG.ASPX . 
Here's an ad out of a 60's sport magazine. Look at the Mantle Hartland lamp and the Hartlands for sale. Oh- to go back in time just for an hour. This ad was sent to us by Hartland expert Fred McKie. 
Lastly, this hockey ad was from a 1971 issue of Hockey Illustrated. It was sent to us by long-time friend Joe Marasco. 
If you have any interesting ads you've found, send them to us at : sharlou28@aol.com.
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Thursday, September 13, 2007
SYRACUSE DOG QUESTION
****We recently were asked a question about a Syracuse dog doll (see picture below) that was bought with a Syracuse bobbing head. Does anyone know the deravation of this dog? We know that originally the Syracuse Orangemen were known as the Saltine Warriors, but because of political correctness- changed their name and mascot. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! 
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Wednesday, September 12, 2007
NON-SPORT BOBBING HEADS
**Just a quick note to all of you who check our Online Store on a regular basis. I apologize for the delay in posting new items for sale. I am doing a renovation in my basemant and have packed up the dolls until the end of September. Hopefully, I will be able to post items on a regular basis starting in October. ***Reminder- we will be setting up at the 98th Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show from Friday October 12 through Sunday October 14. The show is actually at the Greater Reading Expo Center- 2525 N 12th Street in Reading Pa. We will be bringing several hundred bobbing heads, mascot banks, pennants, hartlands and other miscellaneous memorabilia. If you are around, please come visit us at Booth 402. ********************************************************************************** NON-SPORT BOBBING HEADS For those who have collected bobbing head sports dolls over the years and are alomst complete with our collection, there's another area of dolls that may be of interest to you. Welcome to the wonderful world of the non-sport bobbing heads. These dolls can be a terrific addition to your collection. They span many different categories that include political, celebrity, comic characters and advertising. There are enough in each category to keep your collecting needs going for a long time. .jpg) Political- there are a number of fantastic dolls that poke fun of some of the main leaders of the world in the 60's. Dolls of John Kennedy, Castro, Mao Tse Tung and Kruschev head the list. There are three different dolls of JFK, three of Kruschev and two of Castro. All are great fun. Celebrity- There are also quite a few celebrity dolls of both T.V. and Movie stars. Early 60's television personalities such as Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, Dobie Gillis, Maynard G. Krebbs, Roy Rogers and Charlie Weaver were made into dolls. Comic Characters- These dolls are some of the most collectible in the hobby. There is an incredible series of 6 dolls that are of the Peanuts characters Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Schroder, Pigpen and of course Snoopy. There is another series based on the Warner brothers characters that include Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales, Wilie Coyote and Yosemite Sam. There are some individual dolls that are extremely scarce. Popeye, Dick Tracy and Mr. Magoo dolls can easily sell in the $5,000 and up range. Batman and Robin dolls are so scarce that the sky is the limit on the price. Advertising- These dolls are very interesting and can be a challange to find. Resturaunt dolls of Bob's  Big Boy, Tom Pouce (Canadian hamburger joint) and Kentucky Fried Chicken's Colonel Sanders head the list. There are also dolls of the Phillips 66 Cowboy, Red Goose Shoes mascot, the Poll parrot and Weatherbird Shoes (rooster).Some of the rarer advertising dolls include the Natural Gas Genie, Knotts Berry Farm and K.C. Piston. There are really too many dolls to list, so you'll have a fun time adding these to your collection.For a more detailed look at these dolls, you can always pick up our Bobbing Head Field Guide. It is available to all our readers for only $14 which includes Priority Mail shipping in the U.S. It's 500 pages of color pictures, prices and collecting tips.
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Saturday, September 01, 2007
COLLECTING GOLF FIGURALS
**We would like to thank everyone who participated in our Summer Extravaganza Auction which ended August 24. It was one of our most successful auctions. We tried to bring in a more diverse selection of memorabilia and based on the amount of bids and phone calls we received, it appears that most were satisfied. We are hoping tentatively scheduling our next auction for early December and have already obtained a number of quality pieces. ************************************************************************************ GOLF MEMORABILIA As summer nears its end, I have finished another season of softball. At age 55, I made the mistake of thinking that I was in good enough shape to play on 4 different teams. It seems that I was playing almost every night and my body went into "shock". This year I tore my rotator cuff, dislocated a finger and pulled muscles I never knew I had. It's made me think over my future in sports. With all the softball that I played this summer, I was still able to squeeze in a new sport for me. I had played a few rounds of golf in previous years, but this year it became a passion. Unfortunately, my play has been just a tad better than horrible. Getting out on the course is a little different than the golf I was used to. These courses have no windmills to hit under or clowns that give you an extra game for a "hole in one". I have truly gotten my money's worth on each course that i've played- based on the amount of shots that I've taken. Thank god they don't charge by the stroke. In any event, the game has become my latest passion. It's a fun game and my only golf injury so far is to my ego. This leads me to this week's subject- golf collectibles. There are a lot to choose from. Advanced collectors may collect vintage golf equipment such as clubs and balls. Of course, there's the usual collections of autographs, but for this blog entry, we concentrate on golf figural items.   At one time, I had counted over 25 different vintage golf bobbing heads (and I'm sure there are .jpg) .jpg) more). That in itself can be a lifetime venture with many rewards. There are also a number of comical statue sets with golfing themes. My personal favorite is the two piece set issued by L.L. Rittgers in the 40's. Go to any "flea market" and you might find advertising figurals , trophies and other statues that will add to your collection. You'll have fun with these and for the most part they do not command the kind of prices that the other sport figurals do.
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Monday, August 13, 2007
I'M A GRANDPA
*** The following is a comment from long-time customer and friend Frank Parrella about our National Blog entry. I read your blog and have a comment to make about your observation relative to the gate. I believe the prepay package contained a daily entrance fee of $15.00. If you did not purchase the package your entrance fee at the door was $17.50 according to the daily add I saw in the Cleveland newspaper. This is pretty steep for even a large show such as the National. This may he a contributing factor to lower attendance. You probably will get the same die hard collectors to attend. But at those prices it may be hard to attract new collectors. At home I do not even attend these Sports shows (they are about one-one hundredth the size of the National) anymore (even though the entrance fee has been reduced from $2.00 to zero for the past several years) because of the quality of the product for sale and the lack of dealer participation. The card hobby especially has taken a dive because the market place had just been flooded up until last year with more cards than one could collect even if he had the time and resources. The card companies ruined the card portion of the hobby. I agree that we must continue to support the hobby but from my perspective it may very well be thru telephone purchases with reputable dealers such as yourself. ***** I haven't been able to make an update to either the Blog or our Online Store. The last few weeks have been pretty hectic. We were at the National in Cleveland for over a week. On Friday August 3, 2007, I became a grandpa for the first time. My son and daughter-in-law presented us with a new baby grandson name John Raymond Criscione. We rushed to get home from the National and I met him for the first time on August 6. He's a beauty and the love of my life already, so please excuse me for a little while as I am walking in the clouds. I'll get back to regular posting soon. 
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Tuesday, August 07, 2007
THE NATIONAL SPORTS COLLECTORS CONVENTION - 2007
**** We just got back from this year's National Sports Collectors Convention and we are happy to report that the show went smoothly despite the absence of Mr. Mint. We realize that we are "small potatoes" in the hobby, but we considered the show and overwhelming success. Our sales were brisk and we made some very nice purchases. But more importantly, we were able to "smooze" with long-time friends and hopefully made a few new friends along the way. We put faces to voices of customers we have known for years only over the phone. We had a great time visiting the booths of dealer friends like Mike Lipka, Gene Haas, John Kanuit, John Collins and the boys from Lelands (there are really too many more to list). We also had quite a few laughs with our good buddies Les Wolff and Mike Hattley of Touchdown Treasures. We hope all that attended had as good a time as we did. As mentioned, we did make some nice purchases and saw some incredible memorabilia. We bought a large sized Muhammad Ali chalk ware statue dated 1972. It was the first one that we had ever seen and it was amazing looking. It was the equivelant size of the large Babe Ruth statue that we have had several times. Because of its size and fragility, we decided to display it at the show and it lasted all of about ten minutes before it was purchased by a collector. We did not make all that much on it, but we were glad we didn't have to pack it up. It weighed a ton. There was the usual fine array of bobbing head dolls, Hartland statues, Kails and other figural memorabilia. The show really did have a little bit of everything. There were a few dissapointments and concerns about the show. Although sales were more than satisfactory for us and dealers we spoke to, the overall consensus was that the gate was relatively small compared to past Nationals. The trend has been a downward spiral over the last several years and it would be a shame if it continues. We have already experienced the loss of most of the local shows and the hobby has suffered because of this. We realize that internet buying is easier and less work, but it can never compare with the experience of buying a piece in person. We urge all collectors to support the shows (both large and small) for the good of the hobby. We would like to thank all of you who stopped by our booth to say hello. We hope those who bought from us were happy with their purchases. For those who have never experienced a National, please try to make it to just one. If you buy nothing, it will be worth your time to see some of the most amazing sports memorabilia the hobby has to offer. We'll be there at the National in 2008 (Chicago) and we look forward to seeing you all again. Lou & John ***Just a quick reminder- the flyers for our August 24 auction will be mailed sometime this week. You can register, bid and view all the items in the auction by clicking the Auction button at the top of each screen.
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
SPORTS RELATED RECORD ALBUMS
**** WE WILL BE SET UP AT THE NATIONAL SPORTS COLLECTORS CONVENTION NEXT WEEK FROM 8/1 THROUGH 8/5. This year's convention is in Cleveland at the I-X Center. You can go to the shows web site at: www.nsccshow.com for directions and show hours. We are bringing several hundred bobbing head dolls, Gibbs-Conner pieces, Kail and Hartland statues, mascot banks, pennants and much more. Please come by and say hello. We will be at booths 1901/2000. We will also be looking to purchase, so if you have anything you are looking to sell or trade we would love to see it. COMMENTS: I would just like to comment on a few things that have appeared in SCD (Sports Collectors Digest) over the past few weeks. One was a wonderful article about one of our favorite sports artists Fred Kail. The article gives a brief background to his start as an artist and his passion for sports. We would like to think that we were instrumental in helping with his recent popularity. Ten or fewer years ago, most collectors did not know of the works of Mr. Kail. The more we saw of his NFL figurines and banks, the more we pushed our loyal customers into collecting them. It would be fair to say, that they are now a mainstream collectible. My second comment revolves around the front page of the 8/3/07 issue of SCD. Al Rosen (aka Mr. Mint) writes a heart warming editorial on his decision not to participate in this and future Nationals. He feels slighted because he felt he wasn't treated fairly by the committee at last year's National. His complaint revolves around where his booth was situated in relationship to the front door. "Poor baby!" I will agree that Mr. Mint has done a lot to promote the hobby, but he isn't the only one out there who has worked hard. His motives are purely selfish. There are hundreds of other dealers who are not afforded his privledges at shows. These are the dealers who toil through the whole show- not leaving after a few days when their opportunities to buy seem exhausted. These are the dealers in the back rows who are involved in the hobby not only for the financial rewards, but because they really do love the memorabilia. It's time that these dealers are rewarded with some pampering too. Sorry Mr. Mint, you'll be missed by some, but the show will go on without you (and so will the hobby). ********************************************************************************** SPORTS RELATED RECORDS For those of you who are old enough to have owned a record player, you know how great some of the old albums were. We had something to open, to look at, to read while listening to our favorite groups. Today, thousands of songs can be stored in an IPOD for fast easy listening. Almost everyone on the street is seen with something hanging in their ear.Maybe it's me and my old fashion ways, but it just doesn't seem as much fun as slipping one of those vinyl discs onto the turn-table and blasting some tunes in your room.I guess someday I'll enter the 21st century- but I am fighting it. Anyway, this brings to to some pretty amazing sports collectibles. You might not know it, but there are hundreds of record albums available that relate to sports. They are not only great to listen to, but they  make for some terrific display. Just about every major league team put out an album- either about their players or a particular season. You can listen to old play-by-play of some of the most historic events in sports history or listin to a great player giving instructions on how to play his game. The best part of collecting sports related record albums- is that for the most part- they are still relatively inexpensive. Many are priced in th $20- $50 range, with very few topping $100. Some of our favorites invlove Hall of Fame players such as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Joe  DiMaggio. The records are not limited to baseball- there are numerous albums about NFL teams and games, the NBA and the NHL. There are even records concering boxing, golf and horse racing. It pretty much runs the gamut of collecting. So the next time you are at a garage sale or flea market and you see a bunch of records- leaf through them. you may just find a sports treasure.
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Friday, July 13, 2007
BROOKLYN DODGERS MEMORABILIA
**** We have just opened our Summer Extravaganza Sports Memorabilia Auction for bidding. The auctions ends Friday August 24, 2007. We are featuring 200 quality lots of vintage memorabilia. This auction is a little more diverse then past ITPC auctions. We have a number of autographed pieces including a single signed Babe Ruth ball, advertising die-cuts, a Yogi Berra Yoo-Hoo clock, Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia, pennants, decanters, Hartland & Kail statues, Bobbing Head dolls and much more. Please click on the AUCTION button at the top of the page to view all the items. **This week's Blog entry concerns the Brooklyn Dodgers and their memorabilia. It is inspired by the fabulous HBO 2 hour documentary that aired for the first time this past Wednesday night. If you have not yet seen it, we strongly advise that you do- it is magnificent. It deals mainly with the "Golden Age" of the Brooklyn Dodgers- from 1947-1957. The film clips and narration is first class. You'll feel the heartbreak that the loyal Dodger fans felt when they learned that their "bums" would be leaving them. ********************************************************************************** Brooklyn Dodgers Memorabilia .jpg) Was there ever a team that was more beloved by the city they played in than the Brooklyn Dodgers? It would be hard to imagine. The other night I watched the HBO special on this wonderful team. It showed the joy the team brought to this community and ultimitely the heartbreak when they packed their bags and left for Los Angeles. Growing up and living just 15 miles from the Brooklyn border, I still hear stories about the glory days of Brooklyn's "bums". For those left who remember, it was the best & worst of times. This year marks the 50 anniversay of the Dodgers last year in Brooklyn. Believe it or not, they have actually played more games in L.A. than they did at Ebbets Field. All that being said, Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia still remains one of the hottest and most desirable pieces in the hobby. The team has taken on "cult status" as both young and old treasure this teams memorabilia. There are so many different categories of Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia to collect and all seem to go up in value each year. From pennants to pins, statues to Ebbets Field artifacts, autographs to wire photos- both dealers and collectors can't get enough of this legendary team. We (ITPC) have been lucky enough over the years to have bought and sold quite a number of incredible Dodgers pieces. Our next auction which ends on August 24, 2007 will feature a number of  fine items. One piece that we have was prominently featured on the above mentioned HBO special. It's a pinback that dates back to the Dodgers last year in broollyn that reads "Keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn". If you watch the special, you will even see it worn by the hated Walter O'Malley in one clip. These pins are super rare and highly desired. Another piece that is featured in our auction is held in high regard by Brooklyn  Dodgers fanatics. It's the 1955 Schaeffer Team Photo plaque. This plaque is die-cut card-board and is highlighted by a 3-D looking team photo of the entire team. Throughout the years we have had a number of different Dodger pennants. Some are still relatively inexpensive, but all look great. Pennants really can dress up the walls of your hobby room. If you want to get a little more exotic and historic, a  stadium seat from Ebbets Field is always a favorite. Even though the bulk of the seats are buried under the housing project where Ebbets Field once stood- there are still a number that are available. Can you imagine the historic games that those seats witnessed? If you love the Dodgers, what better collectible is there than something related to Jackie Robinson. Advanced collectors would be happy to own the dolls, banks, pennants, pins and even "T-Shirts" that bear his likeness. They are some of the finest peices in the hobby. Again, we implore you to watch the HBO special and learn the history of this proud franchise. You too, may be tempted to fill your collections with their memorabilia.
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Tuesday, July 03, 2007
SPORTS RELATED BOARD GAMES
**Thanks to everyone who participated in our June 29, 2007 auction. The action was fast and furious and it made for a very successful auction. We hope all the winners will be happy with their new additions to their collections. If you would like to view all the Prices Realized, just click on the Auction Results button at the top of the page. Our next auction is tentatively scheduled for August 24, 2007. Please keep an eye out for our preview in a couple of weeks. It promises to have something for everyone. **We will be leaving for this year's National Sports Collectors Show in Cleveland at the end of this month and will be set up there between August 1 and August 5. We will be actively looking to buy any sports memorabilia and we'll also have our usual selection for sale. If you are planning on going, please make sure to stop by our booth to say hello. We look forward to seeing you all. This week's Blog topic is about sports related board games. There is a terrific book authored by Dr. Mark Cooper titled "Baseball Games- Home Versions of the National Pastime- 1860's-1960's". The book was published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. in 1995. There are close 160 pages filled with pictures, text and a price guide. If you get a chance to purchase this book, we feel it will be a great addition to your library. ********************************************************************************** SPORTS RELATED BOARD GAMES As a kid growing up in the 50's/60's in the Northeast, playing board games occupied a good portion of our free time, especially during the cold winter months. Many of the games were based on T.V. shows of the time or had themes relating to war or finance. But our favorite board games to play were always the ones related to sports. These games could be strategy baseball games like Stat-O-Matic or APBA or more skillful games like Electric Football or Nok-Hockey. They were a great source of killing time and staying out of trouble.   If we forward time 40 years, we find that many of these games have become popular with collectors- and for good reason- many of these games are stunning. The covers of the boxes may show actual athletes, teams or have graphics that are very displayable. Sports board games were produced from the late 1800's right up to present day. Some of the early games can bring thousands of dollars in auction. Price is determined by condition, the looks of the boxes & accessories and of course the rarity. Although there are some great looking football, hockey, basketball, horse racing and boxing games, as usual the baseball board games are the most highly sought after. There are some amazing player  endorsed games. Some of the early endorsed games come from Hall of fame  greats like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. Baby Boomers will probably remember games endorsed by Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Roger Maris and Sandy Koufax.  
One of my personal favorites (I wonder why?) is a game called Challenge the Yankees. The game is just a masterpiece to look at. The box cover has an incredible litho of the old Yankee Stadium and shows action scenes of stars Mickey Mantle, Elston Howard and Tom Tresh. As great as the box cover is, the game pieces are equally impressive. There are 50-player picture cards- 25 Yankees and 25 All-Star players from 1964/65. The cards by themselves can often bring high prices from card collectors. Other game pieces include a playing field (with the Yankee logo) and a scoreboard. It is one of the most asked for games by collectors. So, take a look in your parents attic or basement, they may have saved one of these fine games. We think you'll find that not only do they display well, but they also play well too. It's a nice way to pass time on a cold winter's day.
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
WHAT IS THIS?
****HEY FOLKS- DON'T FORGET, OUR AUCTION ENDS NEXT WEEK- FRIDAY JUNE 29, 2007. THERE ARE 125 QUALITY LOTS OF SPORTS MEMORABILIA. YOU CAN VIEW ALL THE LOTS BY CLICKING THE AUCTION BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE. IT'S FAST AND EASY TO REGISTER & BID AND REMEMBER- WE CHARGE NO BUYER'S PREMIUM! *********************************************************************************** WHAT IS THIS? This Blog is designed to give collectors an education on sports memorabilia. This week's entry is a little different. We are turning the tables and asking you for help in solving a mystery we're struggling with.  A few years back we bought this incredible statue of an American Indian sitting on a baseball(see pictures). It is of chalk ware composition. On the front of the ball is engraved "Reds" and on the back is the artist's name and the date(Claudell Ottman - 1910). We have racked up hours trying to find out what team this mascot represents. We have showed this piece to some of the most knowledgible dealers and collectors with no help.   Although it says "Reds" on the ball, we are fairly confident that it does not mean the Cincinnati Reds. We also doubt that the mascot is of the Cleveland Indians. It may be a minor league team of the time, or an amatuer team and maybe even a college or high school team. Does anyone out there in cyber-space have an answer for us? C'mon guys- get to work and - hit the reference books and find us a clue. Thanks in advance for your efforts!
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Monday, June 11, 2007
RITTGERS KNOCK-OFFS
*** DON'T FORGET- OUR LATEST SPORTS MEMORABILIA AUCTION ENDS IN A FEW WEEKS- FRIDAY JUNE 29, 2007. WE WILL BE SENDING OUT REMINDER FLYERS AND EMAILS THIS WEEK TO EVERYONE ON OUR MAILING LIST. YOU CAN VIEW THE ENTIRE AUCTION BY CLICKING THE "AUCTION" BUTTON ON THE TOP OF THIS PAGE. RANT: Okay, this is a little off the topic, but did you happen to catch the last episode of The Sopranos. What a disappointment? I followed this show religiously for 8 years and the ending left me no closure. As a matter of fact, when the ending was a blank black screen, I thought my T.V. broke just as Tony was going to get "popped". I'm mad- and if they decide to bring back the show or make a movie, I'm not watching. Well- maybe I'll watch- okay I will watch- but under protest. God, I miss those guys already. Today's Topic: We are going to delve into knock-off pieces. We are only going to discuss knock-off's of the works of L.L. Rittgers (see Blog entry), but we know that other great artists have been copied including Fred Kail and the Carter-Hoffman company. Somehow, these knock-offs never compare in quality to the originals. **************************************************************** RITTGERS KNOCK-OFFS
If you read our Blog entry about the works of L.L. Rittgers, you know that we believe they are some of the best figural sport and non-sport figurines in the hobby. Because of their popularity back when they were made, they spawned numerous knock-off or copycat pieces throughout the years. The companies making these pieces did nothing to disguise their imitations and some of the themes are almost exact copies. All that being said, these pieces are still highly desirable and terrific looking. The most copied theme of Rittgers is that of his 3-piece baseball set. The set consisted of two arguing baseball players and  a very indignant umpire. We have seen ceramic statue sets and even salt and pepper shakers with virtually the same theme and positioning.   .JPG)  Probably the most obvious copycat pieces of Rittgers are a series of black(African) figurines that copy Rittgers to a "tee". We have seen these statues as baseball players, football players, basketball players, boxers, golfers and even bowlers. They do have a cross-over collectible effect as collectors of both sports figurines and "black" memorabilia seem to gravitate to them. Although prices for knock-offs tend to be slightly lower than the original Rittgers, some can go for hefty prices. They are a wonderful addition to any collection.
  
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Tuesday, June 05, 2007
ITALIAN BASEBALL FIGURINES
****I blew my chance at stardom! I was contacted (along with other local dealers) to be a part of a movie titled "Diminished Capacity" starring Mathew Broderick, Alan Alda, Virginia Madsen and Ernie Banks. Part of the movie will take place at a Baseball Card Show and they wanted dealers to set up booths and be extras. I thought about it- the pay was lousy, the hours were long and I just know I would have ended up on the "cutting room floor"- so I declined. But what if- I was discovered and became a Hollywood star- nah- wouldn't happen. I've been told that I have a face for radio. Oh well- another dream shattered- I'm still waiting for the Yankees to call. ********************************************************************* ITALIAN BASEBALL FIGURINES  
Today's topic is about a series of Italian made baseball figurines that were issued in the 40's. I first noticed them about 15 years ago at Atlantique (Atlantic City) and I knew  they were right up my alley. They are some of the craziest figurines you will ever see. There are two teams (red and blue) and several that include umpires. They are made of paper-mache and the tallest figure stands about 4 inches tall. Each figure is posed in a different comical baseball scene. The fielders make hysterical errors, the batter whiffs and the umpires are priceless. They remind us of the works of L.L. Rittgers in that some of the players are almost ogre-like. As far as we can tell there are 9 differnt players of each color(the players are repeated in each color) and at least two umpires. The batter is the only black player made. These figurines display beautifully in any figural collection. Because of their fragility, there are usually some condition problems. Even with their flaws, they still look great. We have featured them in several of  our auctions (see our June 29 auction) and they seem to be catching on fast with collectors. We think you'll enjoy the challenge of collecting them.
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Monday, May 28, 2007
NFL PROMOTIONAL BOBBING HEADS - by John Pergine
Memorial Day message: Today we celebrate Memorial Day in the United States. Many of us will usher in the unofficial beginning of summer with barbeques, picnics and visits to the beach. It would be nice if even for just one minute we pause and remember the real reason for this holiday- to honor those who have served this country and given their lives to help protect our freedoms. This Blog centers on figural items but let us never forget that there is a very important and special statue that we all should be thankful for- the Statue of Liberty. ***** This week's Blog entry was written by John Pergine. John has been a loyal customer and great friend for many years. He has amassed what could arguably be the finest AFL/NFL collection of bobbing heads and Kail statues in the world. John's collection includes several extremely rare variations and one of a kind pieces. This article concentrates on his NFL Promotional doll collection. Most collectors would be lucky to own just one of these incredibly rare dolls, but as you will note, John currently has six. John has also started to sell framed pictures of his collection. He can break it down into teams or series. He made us one of our favorite team (the Giants) and it proudly hangs in our office. It shows all the Giants dolls including his Promo Giants. Thanks John! **************************************************************** NFL PROMOTIONAL BOBBING HEADS - by John Pergine .JPG)
My journey into collecting vintage football bobbing head dolls started quite innocently. About ten years ago, my Mom had been bugging me to help her clean out her attic and I did everything possible to avoid this ugly task. One day  she cornered me and I reluctantly went upstairs to clean. As we were rummaging through all kinds of family treasures, I found a Gold Based Philadelphia Eagle bobbing head doll. Seeing that doll brought back memories of going to my first Eagles football game with my Dad back in the late 60's. He bought that doll for me as a souvenir of that game. Over the years it has been fun to collect many Eagles dolls (see picture). A couple of months later I went to a yard sale and found another old football bobbing head among the treasures of that day. Since I love football, these bobbing head dolls were a "natural" for me to collect. It started to spark my interest in finding out more about these dolls and more importantly - how to get more. There wasn't a yard sale or flea market that I would pass up, always with hope of finding another addition for my collection. My favorite pieces however, are the Promo dolls. They are called Promo dolls because they were given out as a  promotion to stores to help sell the very first NFL series- the Square base dolls of the early 60's. They stand a whopping 13.5" tall without a base. The team nickname is on the chest. All the NFL teams were made, except the Vikings (although there are rumors that one may exist). The Eagles are the most unique because there are two variations of them. There is the standard and very rare Eagles with an embossed winged helmet. Because they won the NFL Championship in 1960, the producers thought it a good idea to repaint other team promotional dolls with the Eagles colors. They simply painted many of these dolls in Eagle green and hand painted Eagles across the chest. The helmet is solid green with no wings. Instant Eagles! If you find one that has cursive "Eagles" on the chest you know that there is another team underneath. I have the original Eagles doll with block lettering on the chest and silver wings on the helmet. It is the only one I have ever seen. Several years ago, I purchased a Cleveland Browns promo from ITPC. They had found a repaint Eagles and found some orange paint under the lip of the helmet. Upon further examination, they noticed the faint outline of the "Browns" decal on the chest. They sent the doll to the late Larry Reed (the Bobbing Head Doctor), who was able to strip the green paint off the doll and restore the doll to its original form. As far as I know, this is the only known example and one of my prized dolls . My entire collection has grown to over 250 pieces. I am still looking for a number of dolls to complete my sets, but I realize that this may be a life-long avocation. If you have any unusual or rare dolls, please contact me at: johbar@comcast.net.
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Monday, May 21, 2007
HOFFMAN HELMET DECANTERS by Matt Reading
REMINDER: Our first Summer Sports Memorabilia Auction is now open for bidding. We have added some new things to the auction site to make your visit easier and faster. Please check out the new Search features. You can plug in a word (i.e. Braves) and after hitting the Search button, only Lots with the word "Braves" will appear. If you want to check items by category- that option is also available. Remember- if you have any suggestions on how to make the site better we would love to hear your ideas. **** Matt Reading wrote this week's Blog entry. Matt has been a good customer and friend for a number of years. His collection of decanters is incredible and we thank him for sharing some of his pictures and thoughts. We're sure you'll agree that these decanters would make an awesome addition to any collection. ********************************************************************************** HOFFMAN DECANTERS- by Matt Reading  I have been collecting decanters for about 14 years. I take great pride in my collection. I hope that this entry into the Blog will help promote the decanters and show other collectors how beautiful they can look in your collection. Years ago, to promote the sale of their liquor, companies started issuing decorative decanters with different themes. There were decanters of cars, trains, movie stars and a host of other themes. My favorite was the line of decanters that centered on college mascots. Several different companies found it cheaper to produce college teams as licensing for professional teams was much too expensive. The top companies that produced the college decanters were McCormick, Ezra Brooks and the topic of this article Hoffman Distilleries.     Hoffman Distilleries is located in Lawrenceburg Kentucky and are known for their 80 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon. To help promote sales, they marketed their bourbon in several different styles of decanters that featured college mascots. In 1981 the decanters were made in the shape of football helmets with mascot heads wearing them. Under the base, a wind-up music box played the schools "fight song". As far as I know, only 10 teams were produced and sold to the public. The teams included the Auburn Tigers, Clemson Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Kansas State Wildcats, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oklahoma Sooners and the Tennessee Volunteers. I have been lucky enough to acquire nine of the ten- I am missing only the hard to find Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Nebraska decanter can get pretty expensive, as die-hard fans of the school pay top dollar for it. 
Hoffman also made several sample decanters that are commonly referred to as "mock up's" These samples were produced in limited quantities. They were never filled with whiskey and did not include music boxes. They are slightly larger in stature then their standard decanter. They are rarely seen and I know of only 10 teams that exist. The known teams are the Michigan Wolverines, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Washington State Cougars, Texas A & M Aggies, Miami of Ohio Redskins, Indiana Hoosiers, Alabama Crimson Tide (elephant), Alabama Crimson Tide (man), Michigan State Spartans and the Iowa Hawkeyes. I have been fortunate enough to acquire 8 of the 10 for my collection. This article has addressed only one style of the college decanters. There are several others that are equally interesting and collectible. I hope that this has helped garnish some interest in the section of the hobby that I love. If anyone has any more information or knows of any that I didn't mention, please let me know. Of course, if anybody has any for sale, I think I know of a good home for them. I can be reached by email at : joannereading@yahoo.com Finally, I would like to give special thanks to my good friend Gary and of course to Lou & John of Inside the Park Collectibles. You guys are the best and you always have top-notch sports collectibles. Matt- thanks for the kind words and for your great article. Lou & John NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC- NFL PROMOTIONAL FOOTBALL BOBBING HEADS- by John Pergine
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Monday, May 07, 2007
FOLLOW-UP TO LAST WEEK'S ARTICLE ON HOCKEY BOBBING HEADS
*****We finished building our auction site earlier than expected, so we have opened up bidding. The auction ends Friday June 29, 2007. It's fast and easy to register & bid. If you have already registered for previous ITPC auctions and have forgotten your User ID or Password, just contact us and we'll forward you your information. We also have made some changes to the site that we think will make your visit easier and faster to navigate. We have new Search tools to narrow down what you are looking for. Let us know what you think or if you have any suggestions to improve the site. ********************************************************************************* Follow-Up- We would like to follow up on last week's article written by Joe Marasco (great stuff-Joe). We recently purchased off of Ebay an article that appeared in a 1964 Hockey Magazine (may have been Hockey Illustrated). The article was written by Larry Fox and dealt with of all things- the Bobbing Head craze of the 60's. In the article, Mr. Fox interviewed Jim Redmond- the treasurer of Sportservice Corporation, which handled the vending stands at various hockey arenas and other sports venues in the 60's. In talking about bobbing heads, Mr. Redmond said, "We understand it's the fourth leading novelty seller in any rink. We started in this (bobbing heads) with our own dolls in baseball about four years ago. Then about three years ago we bought out the Bobbie Doll Corp from the Los Angeles Rams, of all people, and we got the rights to the pro football teams. We make our football deals with the two professional leagues (remember there was the AFL back then) and buy baseball rights from the teams. We also pay royalties to the hockey teams for their rights". "On a good day the dolls can make up 5 per cent of our gross," chimes Joe Misley, concessions manager of Madison Square Garden in the 60's. The article goes on to talk about the individual player dolls made in baseball (Mantle, Maris & Mays- no mention of the Clemente doll) and the remote possibility of the company making a Bobby Hull doll (too bad it never came to fruition). Redmond was again quoted saying, "Our top hockey seller is the Chicago Black Hawks, and if we ever start with hockey players, Bobby Hull will probably be the first". Redmond went on to say that the typical doll purchaser is "an adult who buys one for the kids at home, but the kid never gets to play with the doll because it ends up on the mantle". So even back in the early 60's, adults were enamored with bobbing heads. It's a fascinating article that gives us a little behind the scenes background to the little guys that have remained so popular more than 40 years after their inception. If anyone would like a copy of the article, just drop us an email and we'll scan it over to you.
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Monday, April 30, 2007
ODDBALL HOCKEY BOBBING HEADS- by Joe Marasco
****We are currently in the process of setting up the web site for our next Online/Phone Sports Memorabilia Auction. The auction end date will be Friday June 29, 2007. You are welcome to preview the auction as the site is being built by clicking on the Auction Button on the top of the page. We will open the auction for bidding once all the items are posted. **** Just a little note about Joe Marasco who was kind enough to write an article about his expertise- Hockey Bobbing Heads. Joe has been a customer and friend for a number of years. We look forward to seeing him each year at the National and our frequent talks on the phone are always welcome. Joe is probably the foremost authority on Hockey Bobbing Heads in the world. His collection is amazing and includes some of the rarest dolls in the hobby. Joe was best of friends with the late Larry Reed. For those who didn't know Mr. Reed, he was affectionately known as the Bobbing Head Doctor (he was a master restorer of bobbing heads). Joe has taken up the mantle for Mr Reed and has started doing repair work on bobbing heads. Having learned from the master, Joe is continuing Larry's legacy. All in the hobby miss Larry, but he has left his trade in good hands. Thanks Joe! If you want to visit Joe's website, please go to http://www.frontiernet.net/~hknodder/Index.shtml Now enjoy the article. ********************************************************************************* Odd-Ball Hockey Bobbing head Dolls by Joe Marasco  .jpg)
I have been collecting hockey bobbing head dolls from the 60's & 70's for quite a few years. I wanted to share some pictures of a few of my prized possessions. My favorite dolls have to be the NY Rangers, Detroit Red Wings & Chicago Black hawks dolls with glued on blinking eyes. I feel that there are 6 dolls in the "BLINKER" series; 1 for each of the "original 6" teams. I am aware of 4 of the 6 teams. As you can see in the picture below, there was a player and a goalie figure. I have no idea if there is a goalie for  each team. I was told that the dolls were part of a mail-in promotion by the Laura Secord chocolate company in Canada back in the 60's. The dolls are made of composition and have a white sticker on the bottom that has "JAPAN" stamped on it. They are 7 1/4" tall. Head is 2 1/2" in diameter and 3" tall. Each doll has a 7/16" diameter eye glued in position that blinks when moved. If anyone has any of these dolls or can share or correct my information, please write me at = hknodder@frontiernet.net  CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS "BLINKER" A collector told me that a Chicago doll was on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. After contacting the H.O.F., I was sent the picture shown on left (Aug/2001). I was told that the doll was in the Household Family Zone display called the "Attic". I understand that the display was taken down in 2004.
  
(Mascots or prototype dolls) Baltimore Clipper --------- unique body & head (only hockey doll to have a magnet in base) Portland Buckaroos ------- unique body & head Boston Bruins PLASTIC prototype Salt Lake City Eagles ----- unique head with a standard gold base body
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES & ST LOUIS CARDINALS BANKS
*** We just got back from the Kane County Toy & Doll Show in St Charles Illinois. I am happy to report that it was a great show for us- both selling and buying. If you are looking for another venue to search out sports memorabilia, we advise you to try different types of shows as well as Sports Memorabilia Shows. We have always found that some great sports memorabilia "pops up" at toy shows and flea markets. Several years ago (at the Kane County Show), a collector bought a 60's Green Bay Packers Promotional bobbing head for $300. Today this doll would sell for $5,000+. It's part of the fun of the hobby- you never know where this stuff will be found. The thrill is in the hunt. ***************************************************************************************************** PHILADELPHIA EAGLES & ST LOUIS CARDINALS BANKS We urge you all to either send in pictures of your collections or write about your special expertise in the hobby. This weeks topic would not be possible if not for collector Brian McGeehan's efforts in sending us pictures of two banks that are super rare. Thanks Brian! When I got back from our show in Illinois the other day, an envelope was waiting for me. Inside were pictures of a couple of  banks that rarely are seen. The first is of the Philadelphia Eagles. It appears to be made by Quinco which would date it to the mid 60's. It makes sense as the form looks the same and let's remember that Quinco did produce a bank of the New Orleans Saints. The coloring on the bank is consistant with the Eagles colors. I have seen this bank only one other time- it would surely be a treasure for any collector of figural memorabilia. Brian also included pictures of another bank that appears to be NFL related. It's of a Cardinal and was issued as a promotion of a local bank in Missouri. The coloring is washed a little- but again appears to be correct for the St Louis Cardinals. This bank may been issued by either Quinco or Buco in the mid to late 60's.  
These banks would lead us to the conclusion that there may be other NFL teams banks of this ilk. Just when you think you've seen it all- something new always "pops-up". NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC- ODDBALL HOCKEY BOBBING HEADS- by Joe Marasco
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
1955 ROBERT GOULD STATUES
** Sorry guys- the web site was down a few days last week for remodeling. I think we are going to have some unique features (especially with our bidding process) that will make things a lot easier for everyone. As always, we are trying to customize to your preferences to make your visits more pleasurable. * We just posted some new bobbing head dolls for sale in our Online Store. there will be new items listed in the next few weeks. Don't forget, we will be at the Kane County Fairgrounds this Saturday & Sunday (4/21 &4/ 22). **************************************************************************************************** 1955 ROBERT GOULD STATUES
If you read our last Blog entry about the Dairy Queen and Big League Stars statue sets, this article will seem very similar. The Robert Gould All-Star statue set was issued in 1955. The company was located in New York. The series contained 28 player statues. The statues were made of hard plastic and all are bone white in color. They measure up to 3.5" tall. They all came with round bases with the names of the individual players embossed on the front. The statues were sold attached (by rubber band) to a card that had a drawing of the player and stats from his 1954 season and overall stats. The cards are much more difficult to find than the statues and can triple the price when found together. Many of the players issued in this set are not household names today. There were several players who went on to have Hall of Fame careers (Mays, Schoendienst, Wynn, Ashburn and Banks). Interestingly, the Dairy Queen and Big League Star statues duplicated none of these players. There is a very hard to find brochure issued by Gould that lists all of the 28 players and has copies of their corresponding cards. In the back of the brochure it indicates that there would be a series of "All-Time" great statues such as Ruth and Gehrig. Sadly, these statues never went to production. These statues are great to display- do not take up much room and will bring you "baby boomers" back to simpler times. LIST OF ROBERT GOULD STATUESWillie MaysRed Schoendienst Chico Carrasquel Jim Hegan Curt simmons Bob Porterfield Jim Busby Don Mueller Ted Kluszewski Ray Boone Smoky Burgess Bob Rush Early Wynn Bill Bruton Gus Bell Jim Finigan Granny Hamner Hank Thompson Joe Coleman Don Newcombe Richie Ashburn Bobby Thomson Sid Gordon Gerry Coleman Ernie Banks Billy Pierce Mel Parnell
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Monday, April 16, 2007
1956 DAIRY QUEEN & BIG LEAGUE STARS STATUES
Did you happen to see that last week on Ebay a Mickey Mantle Big League Stars card with no plastic bubble sold for almost $500? It's accompanying statue sold for almost $300. It was perfect timing for this week's feature on the Dairy Queen & Big League Stars article below. I hope you guys enjoy it. We implore you all to participate in this Blog. If you have a sports memorabilia expertise, we would love to hear from you. If you have any questions about memorabilia, perhaps our readers can help. Just drop us an email. This Blog was initiated for you- so try to take advantage of it. *********************************************************************************** DAIRY QUEEN & BIG LEAGUE STARS STATUESIn the mid 50's, baseball took a big jump in popularity. With World War II being a passing memory and the advent of television, more and more fans became interested in Our National Pastime. Baseball card companies Bowman & Topps took full advantage of this growing craze by issuing yearly series of baseball cards. But two other companies (Dairy Queen & Big League Stars) also tried to cash in by issuing a series of 18 small plastic baseball players statues in 1956. Both these companies issued the same 18 players (see list below) and used the same mold. There were 9 American League and 9 National League players made. There are a few differences. The Dairy Queen statues are all completely white, while the Big League  Stars are all painted gold. It is widely speculated that the Dairy Queen franchise used these statues as a  premium for their customers. They were not packaged. Big League Star statues were sold in retail shops. They came with an attached baseball card with a plastic bubble holding the statue in place. The header card came with an easel back for display purposes. The statues are small in stature measuring up to 3 inches tall. All came on a base with the players name embossed in front. They were all posed differently either batting, fielding, pitching or in the case of Mickey Mantle- bunting. If you go to any baseball card or memorabilia show, you will be lucky to see a handful of these statues and cards. Most dealers have little or no knowledge of them. It has always been our opinion that they are totally under-rated. Although they are some-what crude looking (especially compared to the Hartland baseball player series), they were the first real series of actual player statues in the Baby Boomer era. The more common players generally sell in the $50- $75 range. As with almost every card series of that time, the Mickey Mantle statue is the most desired and most expensive. These sets are a "blast" to put together and will make a welcome addition to any figural collection.  
LIST OF PLAYER STATUES MADEJohn Antonelli Bob Avilla Yogi Berra Roy Campanella Larry Doby Del Ennis Jim Gilliam Gil Hodges Harvey Kuenn Bob Lemon Mickey Mantle Ed Mathews Minnie Minoso Stan Musial Pee Wee Reese Al Rosen Duke Snider Mickey Vernon NEXT TOPIC: 1955 ROBERT GOULD STATUES
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Tuesday, April 03, 2007
RITTGERS STATUES
- I will be setting up at the Kane County Toy Show in St Charles IL (just west of Chicago) on April 23 & 24. If you plan to be in the area, please come visit. I'm bringing a number of bobbing head dolls- but if you plan on coming and want me to bring anything in particular, please contact me. Thanks! Lou.
DID YOU KNOW? Before we get into this week's topic, I received some information that I thought you would enjoy. My good friend and fellow sports memorabilia enthusiast, Bill Kozlowski, was reading our Blog and remembered that he had once purchased an NFL catalog that proposed a series of Hall of Fame football busts. It was dated 1963 (the same era that the Baseball Hall of Fame busts were sold) and mentioned some of the proposed inductees. Can you imagine how awesome they would have been? Too bad it never went to production. **************************************************************************************************** RITGGERS STATUES  This week's topic revolves around the incredible works of L.L. Rittgers. L.L. Rittgers was an independent artist who issued comical sport and non-sport figurines from the late 30's into the 50's. The figures were chalk ware in composition and all were dated and signed.
The sports figurines are some of the most popular figural items in the hobby. There is a heavy dose of humor added to each sport. The first and most popular theme used by Rittgers is the baseball players arguing with a very indignant umpire. This theme was copied by other companies, but never quite matched the workmanship of the Rittgers.  His follow-up statue sets included Football, Boxing, Bowling, Basketball, Golf and Wrestling. The figurines are somewhat ogre-like in appearance, which helps lend to their hilarity. Equally collectible was his line of non-sport figurines that also are humorous in nature. Themes included a pickpocket set, a con man begging as a blind man and an army scene.
 I'll mention one set that I have seen only one of and that many collectors do not realize exists. It's  a football set reminiscent of the basketball theme, which has a headless player.
Because of the fragile composition, it is sometimes difficult to find these statues in nice condition. In mint condition, you can expect to pay a premium, but they are well worth the investment. They will make an interesting addition to any figural collection. NEXT WEEK's TOPIC- 1955 DAIRY QUEEN STATUES
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007
1963 HALL OF FAME BASEBALL BUSTS
THANKS! We would again like to thank all of those who participated in our last auction which ended March 23. The bidding was very active. We hope all the winners are happy with their pieces.We would also like to encourage feedback from all of you on our new look web site. We are trying to make your visits easy and fun. We know that a few of you had difficulty navigating the new auction site. We hope to rectify this for our next auction. Our next auction is tentatively scheduled for mid June. There will be the usual heavy emphasis on display type items. Our August auction promises to be one of our best. We are going to incorporate some different types of memorabilia into this one including some great autographed pieces. We will feature a Babe Ruth single signed baseball and a Jackie Robinson/Roy Campanella signed ball. These two signatures on a ball are very difficult to find. Both balls come with PSA/DNA COA's. There will also be pennants, Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia and of course, a host of figural items. Keep an eye out and don't miss it. QUESTION Here's a question from one of our Blog readers that has stumped us. If anyone knows anything about this football statue, please contact us. My name is Chris D'Amico and I always enjoy reading your articles in SCD. I recently came in possesion of a Clay Statue of a Football player that I can't identify and was wondering if you had ever seen one like this before. It's about 8 inches tall and is leaning back with a look of terror on his face as if he's about to be tackled by the entire defense line. There is a name and date (1973?) on the back of his right shoe that I can't quite make out. If you have ever seen one of these before and have any information about who made these statues I would appreciate the information. Thanks for your time and I look forward to reading your next article.    
**************************************************************************************************** 1963 HALL OF FAME BUSTS .jpg)
This series may just be the most under-rated and under-valued figural items in the hobby today. The Hall of Fame busts were made and sold by the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in the early 60's. They are each an exact likeness of the busts used during the induction ceremonies. They are made of plastic and stand about 6 inches tall. Each bust has a plaque in the front of the base that gives the player's name and a short baseball biography. These statues were sold in handsome boxes that have simulated columns. The boxes were made to be used for display, although many collectors prefer to display them loose. There were 20 players made and they were separated into two series of 10. The first series contained the busts of Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Honus Wagner, Pie Traynor, Bill Dickey, Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson. They are the first 10 players pictured on the back of each box.  The second series is considered harder to find. The player busts include Jackie Robinson, Hank Greenberg, George Sisler, Mickey Cochrane, Tris Speaker, Bob Feller, Joe Cronin, Jimmy Foxx, John McGraw and Paul Waner. The Foxx, Greenberg and McGraw are generally considered the hardest to find and can sell mint in the box for as much as $400to $500 each.
The box promised many more future busts, but unfortunately, the series stopped at these 20 busts. Like the Hartland statues, we can only imagine what other great busts would have been produced had this series continued.   If you have not yet started to collect these terrific busts, you might want to check them out. They display beautifully with Hartlands, bobbing heads and other figural sports items. They are also relatively inexpensive compared to other vintage sports memorabilia.
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Monday, March 19, 2007
THE FABULOUS ARTWORK OF FRED KAIL
Hobby News: Last night, after watching a weekend of NCAA basketball, I turned the T.V. to NBC to watch Dateline. I was very happy and surprised to see that the feature story was about NFL football fanatics. Since I fall into this category, I (and more importantly, my wife) could relate to the craziness of Sunday afternoons during football season. The stories focused on the rituals that fans perform while watching their favorite teams on television. It was an eye-opener to watch these characters as they were caught by hidden cameras. I am guilty and as my wife said- probablly worse behaved then the fans featured. The best part of the hour was that they did a feature on Dallas Cowboy fanatic, Bob Bragalone (AKA Cowboy Bob). Bob has been a customer of ours for many years and the story centered not only on his gameday antics, but on his Cowboy memorabilia. They showed his show case filled with vintage Cowboy bobbing heads and Fred Kail statues. His Cowboy room was quite impressive. **************************************************************************************************** KAIL STATUES & BANKS A number of years ago, I had the priveledge of talking to Fred Kail and subsequently writing an article about his works for Sports Collectors Digest. In the late 50's, Mr Kail was an aspiring artist who was commisioned by the Baltimore Colts to make a series of chalk-ware statues for team members of the 1958 World Champions. The statues were such a hit, that a enterprising company contacted Mr Kail with the idea of mass marketing these statues and making other NFL and college teams. A deal was struck (although the company really took advantage of Mr Kail) and a series of ceramic statues and banks were produced. The line also included a number of Major League baseball teams and various other sports figurines (i.e. bowlers & basketball players).  Fast forward more than 40 years and these statues have become immensly popular among collectors. The attention to detail of the uniforms is incredible. The football statues came in two different sizes (10" & 5.5" tall) and were made in an upright position and in a 3 point stance. Each of the then 14 NFL teams also were made as a stadium ashtray with a small figurine at one end. These statues an banks can range in price from $100 into the thousands of dollars depending on the team and variation.
The line of baseball statues is nearly impossible to find. In over 20 years in the hobby, we have handled only 4 of the baseball statues (Phillies, Yankees, Orioles and Reds) and have seen only a handfull of others. They usually sell for several thousand dollars each. They are simply amazing looking. If you haven't yet started collecting these figurines, you might want to take a good look at them They display beautifully in any figural or bobbing head collection. 
NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC- 1963 HALL OF FAME BUSTS
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Monday, March 12, 2007
RESTORATION - GOOD OR BAD FOR THE HOBBY?
This week's entry is a continuation of our comments regarding restoration (specifically bobbing heads) of sports memorabilia. The following comment was sent to us from Frank Parrella- an avid Yankees fan and a collector(and a good friend) of vintage bobbing head dolls. I'll try to answer some of his concerns- but let us know your fellings too. Frank writes: I enjoy reading the information you provide in the BLOG Link of your website. It has provided some very interesting insights for those collectors of figural memorabilia. The historical aspect of these pieces is extremely fascinating. I say that because I majored in history while attending college and I may be somewhat biased in my assessment. I was particularly pleased with your brief piece on "restoration and repair of bobbing head dolls" prior to the main subject of your February 13, 2007 BLOG. You made your point very succinctly while suggesting that professionally restored items could certainly enhance the aesthetic value of one's collection. Over the past few years you and I have had several discussions about restored dolls and basically we agree in principle with the concept. Of course, the ideal situation for any of us hobbyists would be to acquire near-mint to mint examples of the particular dolls that we are interested in adding to our collections. When this is not possible due to either doll availability or the transaction being cost prohibitive, a professionally restored or repaired example is an acceptable alternative. My personal philosophy regarding dolls simply stated is that a professionally repaired doll is preferable to me rather than one that exhibits minor distress (hairline cracks, flea bites, small chips, decal imperfections, etc.). I do not want to look at a doll on display in my collection and see that it exhibits signs of distress. This brings me to the following questions. How do you find a restored doll that is acceptable in both condition and price? How are prices determined for restored dolls inasmuch as they are not considered equal in value to dolls in fine original condition? Should properly restored dolls be valued the same as "original" dolls or some higher percentage of the original near-mint to mint value to reflect their "like new" condition? For example, a restored 1957 Corvette would certainly sell for a stately sum if the restoration were of the highest quality. The vehicle would also be very desirable because the true collector would want the vintage car because of its great condition. Maybe this same logic should apply to properly restored dolls. Does the hobby police itself sufficiently to insure that the snake oil salesmen are kept in their place? The railroad train collectors' hobby has an organization of credible dealers from which collectors may purchase hobby memorabilia and be assured of quality and authenticity. Membership in this organization is similar to the good seal of approval. I have been collecting bobbing heads since 2001 and vintage since 2003. I try to search the net everyday to see what is available. Over the past year and a half I have noticed more and more repaired dolls available. This makes sense because collections of fine dolls do not come along everyday. With the scarcity of dolls that are 40+ years old, accurately described repaired dolls are certainly an acceptable alternative. In many cases while these dolls have had some repair to critical areas of distress, other areas of distress on the same doll have not been addressed. I cannot understand why anyone would purchase a doll that had been "half fixed". Examples of some doll descriptions seen on EBAY and various auction sites are "the best you will ever see", "some smoothing", "light restoration", "professionally restored", "light touchups but you can't see them with the naked eye", "light cleaning", and "inspection of the doll with either a black light or a flashlight has revealed no touch-ups or the following minor distress". A personal favorite of one of our hobby friends and avid collector is the description that states "I am not a expert on these dolls so I cannot tell if someone has touched it! No returns allowed so ask your question before the auction ends." In your piece on restoration and repair you indicated that you would provide tips on detecting restorations in the future. I believe this would be very useful to the hobbyists. When you do provide these tips I would like you to discuss the use of black light inspections. I realize that this is not the only technique used to detect distress and repair. However, frequent references made to it on some auction sites make it sound like the key ingredient to detection. One has to be careful not to interpret black light inspection by a seller as a guarantee or COA of the originality of the doll. I personally have tried using a black light and have not been very successful. But I am a novice in the hobby. I used it to view a known restored area of a doll and could not find the restoration because of the clear finish that had been applied over the restoration. The use of clear finishing techniques may very well disguise areas of repair. This is OK if the repair was performed correctly and the paint matches. From past conversations with a respected restorer of these dolls that had a 15-year history of repair success, the phrases "touch up" or "the blending of an area on a doll" are not acceptable practices in expert doll restoration. As I indicated above I was unsuccessful in my use of a black light to detect a restoration and now that I reflect on what I attempted to do I have come to the conclusion that I might have been more successful by just performing the inspection in natural sunlight. Unless the collector is a true purist, the alternative of purchasing finely repaired or restored dolls is acceptable. This may very well be the direction the hobby will take in the future. If this is the case then collectors should be armed with any insights or tips you can provide that will assist them in making good decisions regarding the purchase of bobbing head dolls for their collections. Response: First, I would like to thank Frank for addressing this issue and voicing his concerns. I have always felt that the restoration of bobbing heads (or any piece of memorabilia) is a personal preference. I would rather have a piece look good rather than be all original in bad condition. Of course, As Frank points out, in a perfect world we would like have all our pieces be totally mint and all original. In the case of fragile pieces such as the bobbing heads, it is unlikely that we can do this 100% of the time. For rarer dolls, it may be that collectors will have to settle for lesser condition in order to obtain them. There are some dolls where there is literally only a handful of known examples. In that case, isn't it better to get the piece even if it has condition problems? The obvious alternative to not having the doll, is to get the off-condition doll and get it restored. As we've said in the past- it is an accepted practice in almost every other hobby. How can you best detect restoration? There is no real scientific answer to this question. My best advice is to first use your own senses. Touch- sometimes you can feel where a doll has been repaired. Run your finger along the doll, if the surface goes from smooth to rough, there is a good chance that there has been work done to it. Sight- look inside the head and around the rim. Many times a crack will be covered up on the outside, but the inside will show hints of the crack line. There should be no "build-up" on the rim- it should be an even groove all the way around. Sometimes the restorer will leave a "ramp-like" build-up from the rim to the head. Also, any extra composition on the inside of the head is a "red flag". Smell- that's right, sometimes you can smell the newness, especially if it has been re-glossed. The point is, your best sense is to use your own common sense and don't over analyze these dolls. As Frank points out, many so called experts use black-lite detection. I have to tell you, this is a very tricky and difficult method to use. Novice users of a black-lite will swear that every doll they own has been touched-up. With different original paint lots and layers of paint, things show up under black-lite that will confuse any first-time user. We only take out the black-lite to confirm what our senses suspect. It is not a fool proof method. Lastly, buy from dealers who you have found honest and have a liberal return policy. As we have tried to convey to collectors all along, don't buy any memorabilia for investment purposes, buy them because you like them. If in time, they increase in value, that is a bonus to your collection. Your real investment is in the joy that these pieces bring you. Let's hear what you have to say about this topic. Next week's topic: Kail Banks & Statues
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Monday, March 05, 2007
HARTLAND STATUES - "WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN?"
The following question was sent to us by long-time friend -Joe Marasco. For those of you who do not know Joe, he is one of the foremost experts on hockey bobbing head dolls. Question: "Considering all the interesting figurines that you have shown on your website over the years and the new Blog site, I would like to  use this forum to ask a few questions of your readers. I have an interesting paper Mache coin bank, similar to the Quinco style banks with a rubber stopper, which I would like to know more information about. I am not a follower of college football but I would like to know which college or university that this bank represents. You can see from the pictures that it has "UW.S" on the head and obviously it is a BEE or a WASP. It is holding a football so that should narrow it down. I was thinking University of Wyoming or Wisconsin. The BEE or WASP is part of the answer but I don't know about college mascots or nicknames. Any suggestions ?? Also, anyone know its worth or year it was made? Thanks, Joe Marasco Rochester N.Y (hknodder@frontiernet.net) " Answer: I think we came up with the school. We believe it is the mascot of the University of Wisconsin- Superior. Their knick-name is the Yellowjackets and the initials fit. Our guess is that this bank is from the late 60's/early 70's. We have seen like banks of Alabama and Arkansas. The value is hard to determine. With mascot banks, the bigger the football program- the more interest and value it will have. It is certainly a great looking piece. By the way, if you ever need to find out college nick-names and mascots, try this site out: http://www.smargon.net/nicknames/ ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Hartland Statues - "What could have been?" I have been involved in this hobby for over 20 years. Like many of my fellow collectors, I started out with baseball cards. Early in my collecting life, I went to a local Baseball Card Shop (remember those?) and what I saw changed my focus almost immediately. Behind the counter on a small shelf stood original Hartland Statues of both Yogi Berra and Warren Spahn. I had a flashback to my youth. I had never owned any of the Hartlands, but had always been fascinated by the ones owned by my childhood friend. He must have had 6 or 7 displayed on his dresser top. Seeing them again at this store, brought back many childhood memories. I asked the owner of the store how much they were. When he said $80 each, he might as well have said $1,000 each. At 30 years old with a young family to support, this was a lot of money. I couldn't sleep that night as I kept thinking about those statues. I went back the next day and purchased them both. Of course, I told my wife that I spent $5 each on them (Come on guys- admit it- I'm not the only one who's done this). That set off a quest to find out more about them and was the catalyst to my figural addiction. I would later find out that there were 18 baseball players produced by Hartland Plastics in the late 60's/early 70's. They also produced a series of football player statues and an extensive line of television cowboy statues. The 18 baseball players are Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews, Ernie Banks, Stan Musial, Don Drysdale, Duke Snider, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Harmon Killebrew, Rocky Colavito and Dick Groat. Amazingly, of the 17 present day players they made, 14 are now members of Baseball's Hall of Fame. The football statues included only two actual players- Johnny Unitas and Jon Arnett. There were two generic statues made of each of the then 14 NFL teams. One is a running back and the other is a lineman.  Well, my quest was on and within a few years I completed by baseball set. I was both and happy and sad that my collection was complete. I simply needed more and always wondered what could have been had this series lasted a few more years. For those of you who don't know, Hartland was bought by Revlon in the early 60's, and they immediately scraped the toy line to concentrate on making plastic cosmetic cases. They had planned on making two more baseball players and had gotten permission to make a Casey Stengel (then manager of the N.Y. Mets) and of Jim Gentile the hard hitting slugger of the Baltimore Orioles. As a matter of fact, a prototype statue of Casey Stengel still exists (see photo) and was last owned by former Hartland V.P , the late Frank Fulop.
So this leads me to the title of this article- "What could have been?". I always wondered why they didn't sculpt other ballplayers from that time. Can you imagine Frank Robinson or Vada Pinson statues from the Cincinnati Reds? Or how about Brooks Robinson posed in his fielding stance? My list was endless and included Al Kaline, Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford, Billy Williams, Richie Ashburn, Willie McCovey, Roberto Clemente and so many more. If the company had lasted until the late 60's it could have included Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Tony Oliva, Richie Allen and your imagination could just keep going. The same sized list could be made for their football series. And isn't it interesting that there are AFL team logos on their football statue boxes. One can assume, that they had planned a line of AFL team statues too. Sure, others have tried to revive the Hartland name and carry on their work- but the workmanship just doesn't seem to match the artistry of almost 50 years ago. In my mind, the original Hartland statues are the finest figural pieces in the hobby. Isn't it a shame that they just didn't last longer? We can all ask ourselves - "What could have been?".
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Monday, February 26, 2007
JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS FINISHED- by Rob Greene (collecting S.F. Giants bobbing heads)
A couple of quick reminders: - We will be at the Reading Sports Memorabilia Show this weekend from 3/2-3/4. Please come by and see us at booth 402. We'll have plenty of vintage memorabilia including bobbing heads, Hartlands, mascot banks and loads more. If you are looking to sell- we will be actively looking to buy.
- Check out our Online Auction(ends 3/23) by clicking the button at the top of the page.
The following article was submitted by long-time San Francisco Giants collector Rob Greene. He opens up a a terrific point- that there are literally hundreds of different variations of baseball bobbing heads. His collection of Giant variations would lead us to believe that every other team has numerous dolls within each series. We once bought a collection of mini baseball bobbing heads. With only 20 teams in the series, we counted over 120 dolls without one doll being duplicated. So when you think you've completed your collection- think again- there is always something new out there. That's really the fun and challenge of the hobby. We thank Rob for his insights. If you would like to contact him, he can be reached by emailing:ddgrh8r@cox.net. ********************************************************************************** JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS DONE.... by Rob Greene In 1994, after 30+ years of rooting for the San Francisco Giants, I began collecting San Francisco Giants. My collection encompasses all manner of publications, equipment, buttons, pennants and just about anything Giants (excluding cards). From Day One, I actively sought out bobbers. I remembered them from my childhood and the vintage ones have a whimsical quality not found in anything produced today. So, in the pre-eBay world of SCD and card shows, I started to collect. With help from SCD and Tim Hunter, I quickly learned the basics about the various series (white, green, etc.). When I first started collecting Giants bobbers, I naively assumed there were maybe 15-20 to be had. Man, was I ever wrong! I currently have 34 vintage Giants bobbers; produced in the Golden Age of 1960-74. I have seen 10 others which are different from dolls I already have. Hence, my collection remains incomplete. Besides the 10 variations I have seen, I can suppose there might even be a few more out there. Thanks to Tim Hunter, John Brey, Lou Criscione and others, most of us collectors know the basic variations within each group (baseball, football, etc.) of bobbers. It's not until you become a team collector (like me) that you can begin to discern the often minute differences within a series. Let's start with the minis... It's well known there are a variety of boy faces and moon faces. Within the Giants, the moon faces have the hair curl or no hair curl and come with either a bat or a ball and glove. I believe I have the only four moon face minis that exist. Within the boy faces, you will find hair curls in either direction; bats, balls and gloves and different facial expressions. Upon closer examination you will find differences in the hair curls; short and long bats and even open or closed mouths. I have five boy face minis and know of at least three more. Total of twelve Giants minis that I know of. A buddy of mine has even noticed that while most minis have painted under sleeves, others do not (see far left). Even I'm not trying to complete the "no under sleeves" set!  
(Mini's) The color (orange) base series for the Giants has a few surprises. Besides the one standard color base, there is a wood base version which was only done for three other teams. Note how the wood base has the same face as the rubber doll on the far left! I also one saw a green wood base that seemed legit but the glove was turned inward; rather than the outward glove I have seen on every other color base. As if it wasn't confusing enough, I have also seen what seemed to be a standard orange base except the base was green, the base had a city decal and the embossed "GIANTS" was black rather than orange. So, in my mind, there are four Giants in the color base series (five, if you count the rubber Buddy-Flex doll).    Moving to the white bases - there are really only two dolls (above). Both have the sideways cap and a hair curl. The difference is the embossed chest vs. the decal chest. I also have what appears to be a leftover white base, painted green, and "married" to an early green base head (below). Did you also know these are the only dolls I've ever seen that also exist in an "eyes right" variation? That's right; very rarely you see a white base doll looking in the opposite direction of every other doll ever produced (below). So, in theory, there are at least five variations in the white base series.   There were basically only four bobbers in the green base series - flat cap or curl with bat or ball and glove. But, there are also (at least) three more where white or color base heads were "married" to green base bodies. It is my opinion that these "married" amalgamations were assembled this way in Japan and sold in these configurations. I imagine the Japanese factories would end up with "pieces and parts" due to breakage of heads and bodies. So, in my mind, there are (at least) seven Giants green bases. 
(Green base & Wedge base) There were no black face dolls for the Giants, but there was Willie Mays. There are six different Mays dolls. Five have a white base - light face with ball and glove; light face with bat and three different dark faces. The dark faces all are with a (longer) bat and differ by illegible ("Weilie") signature decal, legible signature decal and legible silver signature sticker. Finally, there is the dark face, legible signature on a gold base. I never thought I'd get them all but I do have all six. 
(Willie Mays) There are six Giants in the gold base series - two each in the early (green base mold), middle and late run. I have all six. .jpg)
In addition to everything I've mentioned, there is a Giants wedge base (shown earlier w/green bases), a Tacoma Giants color base (also shown earlier) and at least two Giants weirdos. If there are black face Giants weirdos, I've never seen them... Do all MLB teams that were around in 1960 have 40+ dolls? I kind of doubt it. To me, the Giants seem to have more than most but I could well be wrong. There are the six Willie Mays dolls but no generic black faces. One thing I know for sure - there are a TON of dolls out there! I'm sure at some point I'll find another previously unknown bobber. Happy hunting!!
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Tuesday, February 20, 2007
ODDBALL BASEBALL BOBBING HEAD DOLLS
RANT: 
Another mascot "bites the dust". You guys may have read that the University of Illinois has finally bowed to the pressure of Native American groups and will eliminate their long-time mascot Chief Illiniwek. The Chief has been their symbol since 1926 and will make his last appearance on 2/21/06 at the Illini's final basketball game of the season. Isn't this getting a little silly? The Chief has always been portrayed as a proud and regal looking figure. Schools such as St. John's(Redman), Syracuse (Saltine Warriors) and Stanford(Indians) removed their once proud Native American symbols in the interest of Political Correctness. What's next- will an Irish group object to Notre Dame's "Fighting Irish name or maybe animal activists will seek to ban the hundreds of dopey looking team mascots? Did you know that the Cal State University at Long Beach baseball team is fondly nick-named the Dirtbags? I think that all the "dirtbags" of the world should unite and have this mascot eliminated. The point is- aren't there more important issues to tackle? *********************************************************************************** ODDBALL BASEBALL BOBBING HEADS We consider a doll to be an oddball if they are either from a limited series or cannot be attached to any particular group. Most collectors are aware of the standard series of sports bobbing heads from the 60's. Baseball has the Colored Base, White Base, Green Base, Gold Base, Wedge Base and mini series, but there are certain dolls that fall outside the scope of these series.     
(BATHING BEAUTY, SWEEPER, CRYBABY, SCREWBALL & STEALING SECOND DODGER WEIRDO'S) Probably the most interesting are the L.A. Dodgers and San Francisco Giants Weirdo series. By all accounts, they were only sold on the West Coast and mostly confined to those two cities. They are simply incredible looking. They combine a Major League team connection with very comical themes. We know of seven different Dodger Weirdo's. We have named them The Sweeper, Grouchy, Crybaby, Screwball, Stealing Second, Bathing Beauty and the Fly Swatter. They all have goofy faces that remind many of the Marx Weirdo toy line of the early 60's. Each has either a decal on the base or a hangtag with a humorous saying. They are all considered rare with the Bathing Beauty and Fly Swatter being nearly impossible to find. Several of these dolls can also be found with black faces.  
(GROUCHY & CRYBABY GIANT WEIRDO'S) The Giant Weirdo's mirror the Dodgers faces and sayings and although we have seen only a handful in over 20 years, we assume that the same styles were produced. The Giant Weirdo's are incredibly rare- so expect to pay in the thousands for each one.   
(DON DRYSDALE SERIES- BATTER, CATCHER & PITCHER) There's another oddball series of L.A. Dodgers bobbing heads. They are commonly referred to as the "Don Drysdale" series. They all have realistic faces and are of a pitcher, catcher and a batter. Again, these were most probably sold either regionally or at the Dodgers souvenir stands.  
(UMPIRES) There are other team issued dolls that we've seen including the N.Y. Yankees and Houston Astros. The Mets sold a Mr. Met bobbing head both at Shea Stadium and through mail order. Many collectors group it with the Gold base dolls, but technically it was never part of that series. Another interesting baseball theme is the "umpire". There were a number of different umpire dolls and although they are not part of any particular series, they display beautifully with any of them. There's too many oddball dolls to list and more than likely more will surface, so keep your eye out for these rogue dolls as they certainly will enhance your collection. NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC- "Just When I thought I was Done..." by Rob Greene (thoughts on collecting S.F. Giants memorabilia)
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Tuesday, February 13, 2007
CARTER HOFFMAN MASCOT FIGURINES
Before we get into this week's topic (Carter-Hoffman mascots), I have to broach another subject- restoration and repair. It has long been the theory in our hobby that restoration ruins the value of a piece. What's wrong with us? This may be the farthest thing from the truth. In every other hobby, not only is restoration tolerated, it is advised. Like many of you, I am "hooked" on Television's Antique Road Show. I can't tell you how many times expert appraisers advise people to get a painting or a piece of furniture restored. This will not only enhance the value, but the piece will look better. It's common sense to want collectibles to display as nicely as they can. Oh- but not in our hobby. I have had collectors lose sleep over the thought of owning a repaired bobbing head or a cleaned Hartland statue. Are we elitists or just snobs? Don't get me wrong, you should collect the way you want, but please do not under-estimate the value of restoration. There are some very good artists that can restore memorabilia without compromising its integrity. All that being said, it is important for sellers to be diligent and honest when selling a restored piece. In future postings, we will try to give you tips to detecting restoration. In the meantime, ask yourself this- if you had a classic 1961 Corvette with a smashed front fender, would you get it restored? The answer would probably be yes. Now if you had a 1961 Mickey Mantle bobbing head doll with a chip on the side of the head- why wouldn't you get it fixed? Let's here your thoughts on this subject. *************************************************************************************************
Carter-Hoffman Mascot Figurines      (PITT PANTHER, UCONN HUSKIE, CCNY BEAVER, STANFORD INDIAN, N.C. STATE WOLFPACK) Most of you probably don't have a clue as to what these are. You may have passed them by at Memorabilia Shows or flea markets without giving them a second glance. Well- if you love figural sports memorabilia like we do- here's your chance to learn about one of the most under-rated collectibles in the hobby. Carter-Hoffman Artcraft was a company that operated out of Los Angeles, California in the late 40's/early 50's. They specialized in making hand carved wooden college mascots. Schools would design and order these mascot figurines to be sold in their book stores and sporting events. The statues came in several different sizes and were even made into bottle pour spouts. The most common size of the statues were 5" x 5" x 2". The suggested retail price at the time was $3.95. Larger statues measuring 8" x 10" x 4" had a suggested price of $15. This was not cheap for that time period considering that packs of baseball cards sold for as little as 5 cents. The statues themselves are somewhat crude and have a "folk art" look and appeal. The more you look at them and the more you see- the more you can appreciate the workmanship that went into each and every one. Initially I didn't care for them, but they really grew on me. I would have to admit that they are now one of my personal favorite pieces of figural sports memorabilia. Just take a look at some of the pictures and I think you'll see what I mean.     
(ST MARY'S GAELS, FLORIDA GATOR, TUFTS JUMBOS, SMU MUSTANGS, OLE MISS REBEL) Now collecting them can be a real challenge. Their brochure lists 121 different schools with 18 different conferences being represented. I can tell you that we have had many schools not listed on this brochure- so it is unclear as to exactly how many schools were produced. You would think that with all these schools being made they would be abundant. I have rarely seen them at shows and a quick scan of the Internet will bring very limited results. Because of our love for them, we have tried to introduce them in our auctions (we have several in our March 23, 2007 auction). The list of collectors of them is growing, but still pales in comparison to some of the other genres of figural memorabilia. I will tell you, that the collectors of these amazing pieces are feverish about them and prices have escalated greatly over the last decade. Just another thing to keep your eye out for! Next week's topic - Oddball Bobbing Head dolls
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Wednesday, February 07, 2007
GIBBS CONNER FIND- PART 2
We hope you are all enjoying the new Blog. We have had a number of positive feedbacks about it, but we implore you all to give us suggestions and comments. This week subject will be Part 2 of the Gibbs-Conner find. Next week's topic will concern the Carter-Hoffman wood carved mascots of the 40's/50's. *********************************************************************************************** GIBBS-CONNER FIND- PART 2 .jpg)
.jpg) Okay- now that you know the story behind the find, here's the best part- the pieces themselves. Because of their location in Cleveland, there was, of course a preponderance of Cleveland Indian items. A variation of their original mascot bank included the embossed notation "54-111" on the baseball. A quick check on Indians history leads us to the conclusion that this is a reference to their 1954 season when they won a then record 111 games. The Indians would go to the World Series and lose in four games to the New York Giants. Another reference to the 1954 season is an incredible World Series bank that has Chief Wahoo standing on a Giants foot. Other Chief Wahoo pieces include salt & peppershakers, wall plaques, ashtrays and even a postage stamp dispenser. One of the best looking pieces is a pipe with Chief Wahoo head as the bowl.
.jpg) Perhaps the most exciting and saddest part of this find is the baseball banks using other teams mascots. Had this project been successful, the proposed team banks would have been an integral part of most figural collectors want lists. Unfortunately, only a handful of each of these team banks still exists. The banks include examples of all of the 50's original 16 teams plus a new franchise- the Baltimore Orioles (were the St. Louis Browns). Some were made with the ball attachment and some of the mascots stood alone on a base. One of the best-looking banks is an absolutely fabulous Chicago White Sox bank that features their winged Sox logo. Another bank is a tribute to the "fan club" of the then new Milwaukee Braves. It has the Braves mascot about to beat a drum with the embossed lettering "Tom-Tom Club". The artists had to dig deep into their imaginations to come up with mascot banks of the Red Sox and Senators, but amazingly they "pulled it off". The find also yielded a few of the most amazing figural pieces you'll ever see. There were a number of cookie jars with the heads of team mascots including the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, both the Boston & Milwaukee Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers bum. There was also a Dodgers cookie jar that featured their bum driving a trolley car (remember the Dodgers early nick-name was the Trolley Dodgers). .jpg) But the project did not end with baseball. There were a number of NFL banks proposed and made as prototypes. Found in the crates were spectacular mascot banks of the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers. The only team not found was the N.Y. Giants. These banks are some of the most beautiful and important figural items the hobby has seen. There have been very few figural NFL mascot pieces manufactured throughout the years, so this find is a "stunner".
Over the last year, we have offered a number of the pieces in our auctions. It has been a privilege to handle this amazing collection and the reaction of the figural community has been incredible. As the figural end of the hobby continues to grow in popularity, we look forward to future finds that may rival this one. It is our hope that everyone can someday experience the thrill of "The Find".
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Wednesday, January 31, 2007
OUR NEW SPORTS MEMORABILIA BLOG
Hi Folks! Since this is our first entry into our Blog, I would like to tell you all a little about this new feature and a little about us (Inside the Park Collectibles). Our plan for this Blog is to use it as an informational and fun tool on our favorite topic- sports memorabilia- with a heavy emphasis on figural items. There will be regular postings on many areas such as Bobbing Heads, Hartland Statues, mascot banks, Kail & Carter-Hoffman figurines, decanters and a host of other genres. We will have pictures and tips on how to display & clean your favorite memorabilia. We are hoping (with your help) to feature different collections and get feedback from readers of this Blog. So if you have some information that relates to this Blog or you would like to share your collections and feelings, please contact us by emailing sharlou28@aol.com . Now a little about us. Inside the Park Collectibles origin started with an innocent meeting at a Baseball card Show over 15 years ago. I (Lou Criscione) met my partner and friend (John Trincellito) at a local show and we started talking about our passion for collecting. It turned out that we were from the same town and lived less than a mile apart. We visited each others collections and formed a solid friendship. After some time, we had the idea to run a small phone auction to help supplement our collecting addiction. Our first auction was 25 lots of mixed items. We sent out a small flyer to collector friends and ran the smallest of ads in Sports Collectors Digest. On auction night, we were so nervous that neither one of us wanted to answer the phone. We stammered through the night and at auctions end were pleasantly surprised at the results. We made a pact to buy many of the items in partnership and it wasn't long before we were ready for our next auction. Over the last 15 years we have held an average of 4 auctions a year. We have grown to the point where we are using our web site to host online bidding. We don't believe we will ever be a big auction house, but in truth we don't want to be. We enjoy the interaction that a small business can have with their customers and we have tried to retain a collectors mentality. Our customer list has grown greatly over the years, but we have made a pledge to keep this business personal and fun. Although we have not met many of you in person, we consider you all friends of the hobby. It is up to you to put us in our place, - if we ever get "to big for our britches". Enough about us- now it's up to you to check back with the Blog and again most importantly to contribute to it. Let us know what you think! ******************************************************************************************************************************************************** Okay, let's get into the fun. The following is a copy of an article that I wrote for Sports Collectors Digest (you should all be subscribing to this weekly paper) concerning the Gibbs-Conner Company and its wonderful porcelain creations. GIBBS CONNER FIND- PART 1 Most of the dealers in our wonderful hobby will never make it to big time status. They do not aspire to have their picture adorn the cover of SCD, they do not brag of carrying brief cases full of cash to deals, their auction catalogs aren't bible proportions and sales will never make any of them rich. What almost all of the "mid-level" dealers have in common is a true love for the hobby. Almost exclusively they started in the hobby as collectors and the need to feed their collecting addiction led them to become dealers. These are the dealers who'll "get dirty" looking for treasures under tables at flea markets and garage sales. They are the dealers who are happy to set up shows not only to sell, but also to network with customers and friends. They do not complain about booth location or pack up their wares days before the end of a show because they've bought their quota. They are not the corporations with million dollar sales. It's not just about the money- it's about their love of the hobby. I am happy and proud to be part of that group which comprises the core of this hobby. As dealers, we dream about the finds we read about on a regular basis in SCD. We all want to be like Indiana Jones and find the "Holy Grail". It is almost a certainty that most of us will never touch a game worn Babe Ruth jersey, or find boxes of un-opened vintage baseball cards or be privy to million dollar autograph collections; but it is also likely that at one time or another we will find something rare or unknown. It may come in the form of an un-cataloged baseball card; a game used piece of equipment or a variation of a piece of memorabilia. As the saying goes, "Every dog, has his day", and if you are in this hobby long enough, you will almost assuredly have such an experience whether it be large scaled or small. My partner John Trincellito and I (Inside the Park Collectibles) have been very fortunate over the years to have un-earthed some minor pieces. Although none were "earth shattering", we were the first to present a rare variation of the Boston Braves Stanford Pottery bank, a giant sized Carter-Hoffman Stanford Indian and a never before seen Fred Kail N.Y. Yankee statue. But none of these small finds has compared to the thrill of handling our latest discovery, what we call - the Gibbs-Conner Find. Before I talk about the find, let's review what we previously knew about the Gibbs-Conner Company. Gibbs-Conner was a small manufacturer of porcelain products located in Cleveland Ohio. Although it was not their main source of income, in the late 40's/early 50's Gibbs-Conner produced several porcelain banks with the likeness of the Cleveland Indians mascot- Chief Wahoo. Their work rivaled that of their main competitor, Stanford Pottery (also based in the Cleveland area), although their workmanship has always been considered a touch below in quality. As far as we can tell, Gibbs-Conner closed their doors for business in the late 50's. The original banks were not produced in large quantities and are still very popular among figural collectors. Our adventure started nearly two years ago with a very innocent phone call from a relative of a former employee of Gibbs-Conner. His late aunt had worked for "G-C" for a number of years as the designer and artist of many of their smaller lines. After her death several years ago, the family discovered that she was a "pack rat" of sorts and had a house full of old memories. Among the rooms of old books, magazines and other keepings, the family discovered several wooden crates with the burnt etched lettering "Gibbs-Conner- Cleveland Ohio". Inside these straw filled crates were porcelain items relating to Major League baseball and NFL teams of the 50's. There were mascot banks, ashtrays, cookie jars and other oddball pieces that were never offered for sale to the general public. These were the prototypes for a proposed project that may have helped in the downfall of the company. Now as previously mentioned, prior to this call, the only items we attributed to "G-C" were two Cleveland Indians Chief Wahoo mascot banks. One has the Chief standing next to a large sized baseball and the other one stands alone on a home plate wielding a baseball bat. The new discoveries in this find included interesting variations of the Indian banks and a number of similar styled banks using the mascots of other Major League baseball teams. Some pieces even relate to several of the mid 50's World Series. Even more exciting was the discovery of a number of never before seen NFL mascot banks. The newly found baseball and football pieces included teams that have long since moved locations or changed names such as the Boston & Milwaukee Braves, the Brooklyn Dodgers, the St. Louis Browns, the Philadelphia A's and the NFL's Chicago Cardinals. Needless to say, our hearts thumped with seeing each new piece. We struck a deal to purchase the bulk of the collection. Before finalizing our deal, we of course needed insure the legitimacy of these pieces. The estate provided us with the all the provenance that we would need. Among the paperwork found in the house, was a litany of documents that seem to tell the story of "G-C" right up to their eventual demise. There were checks, payroll vouchers and shipping invoices all on Gibbs-Conner letterheads that tied this ex-employee to the company. More importantly, the estate found original hand-drawn sketches and specifications for the production of these prototype pieces. There was literally a running history of the proposed production and marketing of these items. If the project had been successful, orders from retail stores (like McCrory's) were already in the works. One of the shipping invoices predicted the ultimate fate of the company with the notation- "This one will make or break us!" In piecing the documentation together we can offer an educated guess that this project may have helped to lead to the company's closing. For today's collectors of figural sports memorabilia, it is a shame that only a handful of each of these prototype pieces survived. .jpg)
(Payroll voucher dated October 3, 1954-the family has requested that the name and address be omitted) .jpg) .jpg)
(Shipping Invoice Dated June 20, 1955 and pre-production sketch) Our association with the estate has lasted nearly two years and as mentioned we have purchased the majority of the collection. The family has decided to keep some of the pieces for sentimental reasons and some were sold prior to our dealings. We feel privileged to be one of the first to handle these incredible pieces. It is our belief that this is one of the most important finds of figural sports memorabilia the hobby has known. END PART1- LOOK FOR PART 2 NEXT WEEK
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