Hey, pennant guys

[Fballguy]

That is funny. One of the first things I do when I add a pennant to my collection is smell it. I tell myself I'm doing it to make sure it doesn't smell like smoke but I actually like the "old pennant" smell. I think it's an artifact of my old card collecting days. I like the way old football cards smell. I still smell them from time to time when nobody is looking. LOL

[Huck]

Originally Posted by Fballguy

That is funny. One of the first things I do when I add a pennant to my collection is smell it. I tell myself I'm doing it to make sure it doesn't smell like smoke but I actually like the "old pennant" smell. I think it's an artifact of my old card collecting days. I like the way old football cards smell. I still smell them from time to time when nobody is looking. LOL

Lol.

[perezfan]

I've been known to smell a pennant or two as well. I guess I've been lucky and can't recall any that wreaked of smoke.

My biggest issue with pennants (especially from ebay) isn't smoke, but pet hair. Often the pennant will arrive with cat hair intertwined into the felt. I used to try to pick it out with my fingers or tweezers, but now just use scotch tape. Sometimes you take off a tiny bit of felt (actually more like peach fuzz) with the tape, but the process goes so much quicker.

As for off-centering... yes, it bugs me too. I can usually detect alteration, but if its worse than "60/40" centering, I tend to pass on it (unless it's something I'll never see again). It's just too distracting otherwise.

If a pennant has been cut/altered, the edge or border will look different in that area. Typically it will have a sharper looking or more squared-off cut. Natural vintage borders will typically have softer, more muted edges. Just another skill you acquire after 25 years of doing this... utterly useless to 99.9% of the population!

[perezfan]

This listing was interesting, and reveals a bit about the manufacturing process, and available options, back in the day. The Keezer tag attached to the pennant provides some great insight...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-HOUSTON...vip=true&rt=nc

Available "Finish" options included Keko-Knap and Kemco. This Colt .45s Pennant was "Kemco", whatever that is (I think it probably relates to the graphics portion).

Available "Background" options included "All Wool Athletic Felt", "Wool Felt", "Cotton Felt", and "Tackle Twill". I believe Tackle Twill is what we often call the "Cloth" pennants (with the tightly compressed individual threads). This Colt .45s Pennant is Wool Felt, which is perhaps my favorite material for vintage pennants.

Has anyone ever seen this Keezer variation before? This one is obviously a salesman's sample, and could well be a pennant that never even made it to market. Perhaps a one-of-a-kind prototype. I was the underbidder... Did anyone here win it?

[thetahat]

Wow I missed this one ... but yes, great insight. Zooming in it looks to me like a "cloth" pennant, i.e. the limp kind that frays on the edges with age (loose strands). The folds in the pennant suggest that, as does the stain on the top edge. Also you can tell the white strip is not felt, but kinda like the feel of a cotton dress shirt. Looks to me very similar in material and design to an Astros pennant I have here.

[thetahat]

Forgot to attach

[Fballguy]

I was watching that one, along with the Sallies, Newark Eagles and New York Yanks football pennant from the same seller. I got the Yanks. Wanted to bid on all four but controlled myself. I've got a wedding coming up and all the expenses that go along with it.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by thetahat

Wow I missed this one ... but yes, great insight. Zooming in it looks to me like a "cloth" pennant, i.e. the limp kind that frays on the edges with age (loose strands). The folds in the pennant suggest that, as does the stain on the top edge. Also you can tell the white strip is not felt, but kinda like the feel of a cotton dress shirt. Looks to me very similar in material and design to an Astros pennant I have here.

Yeah, I guess it probably is a cloth pennant.... I couldn't see any of the typical loose/frayed edge threads, but after zooming in on it, I think you're right. The material looks thinner than at first glance.

So I wonder what a "Tackle Twill" Pennant looks like.

[thetahat]

I love the cloth pennants. When you are lucky enough to get a good one with no fading or fraying, or with cracked print ... the '55 Dodger scroll is my very favorite. Never have seen a felt version. In the late 60s, including some 1969 trademarked pennants, the cloth pennants were still cloth but a little less limp, they actually have a really good feel to them. The white Pilots pennant falls in this category.

I think all the 60s photo pennants were cloth ...

[vintagesportscollector]

Could use a little help from the Pennant Guys..

I just got in hand this Collegiate of Ames pennant. It's only the second time I have seen this Cornell version, so I'm pretty happy to get it. It's 28" without the tassels. Paid $56 on eBay, and took a bit of a flyer on it because the one picture offered was terrible and blurry and the seller wouldn't answer any questions. I could tell it had some issues and was wrinkled. Overall turns out to be quite good, but it's wrinkled and the Bears felt design is dry and stiff, making it difficult to completely flatten out.

Any suggestions on how to address the wrinkles and add a little suppleness to the stiff felt bear design? a light steam bath perhaps?

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[ooo-ribay]

Originally Posted by thetahat

Wow I missed this one ... but yes, great insight. Zooming in it looks to me like a "cloth" pennant, i.e. the limp kind that frays on the edges with age (loose strands). The folds in the pennant suggest that, as does the stain on the top edge. Also you can tell the white strip is not felt, but kinda like the feel of a cotton dress shirt. Looks to me very similar in material and design to an Astros pennant I have here.

FWIW, I have to completely disagree. My ipad has nearly infinite zooming and that pennant looks like felt (as labeled) to me. I know what you're talking about when you say "cloth" and this doesn't look like that to me. Just my two cents...

[mjkm90]

Fantastic Dodgers pennant Peter

Most of the roster pennants I have seen were based on the playoff roster or the names of note from the previous season.