[Domer05]

Originally Posted by thetahat

Respectfully … I’m not so sure about that. These seem radically different than Trench as far as design, graphics, etc. Do you mean red tassels? One thing they have in common (but for one below) is colored tassels with white spine. Trench almost all have matching tassels and spine, except it seems for some in the 1962-63 range.

I believe these are all from the same company …

Sorry: I meant red tassels, yes.

Radically different? I think it’s more of a close call

Trench definitely used a white spine + colored tassels combo throughout the 1950s. You see that look on many different styles of Brooklyn Dodger pennants. But they also used the white spine + white tassel look then, too. (Even yellow spine + yellow tassels.). You are correct: by the early 1960s, at least on Los Angeles Dodgers pennants, they used red tassels + white spine + blue felt. That gave them a colorful look that of course complemented the team’s colors. I have no idea if they did that for other teams, or if it was a characteristic unique to the Dodgers.

Honestly I don’t think the color of the tassels is that helpful in ID’ing a pennant’s maker. I was more referring to the fact that your Indians pennant DID have tassels. That characteristic alone excludes WGN and ADFLAG from the discussion; and your mystery maker that we’ve all been consumed with identifying (the maker of the sliding runner series and the stiff arm footballer series — none of which featured tassels).

That really leaves … Trench, doesn’t it? Tassels - check. Polychromatic artwork - check. Distinctive serif font - check. If the dimensions measure 8 x 26, and/or the it’s made of flannel, that’s even more evidence it’s likely by Trench.

Unfortunately, until we can extract the DNA from a pennant, we’ll never really know no for sure who created it, right?

As to the four pennants you singled out … FWIW, I’m confident the ca. 1950 Whiz Kids pennants is by Trench. I’m on the fence as to the first Brooklyn pennant, which I think may be a phantom from 1951, perhaps? It looks like Trench’s work but I’ve never seen it in person so I’ll reserve judgment on that one.