Mickey Mantle Day Pennant Questions

[aelefson]

Hi-
I recently purchased the pennant pictured below and I have a few questions regarding it. For full disclosure, I do plan on selling it but I do not want to do so until I can determine if it is real. The reason I ask is that all of the other pennants online show a white border and no tassels. Are there versions of this pennant with a yellow border and red tassels like mine? Google showed an image of one from a foreign eBay site but clicking the link does not show the pennant. Probstein has one, REA has auctioned a couple, as have Mears and Clean Sweep but all of those show a white border with no tassels.

So, is this a real variation of the pennant? Is it a real but altered pennant (added border and tassels)? Is it a reproduction/fake?

Thanks in advance,
Alan

[Duluth Eskimo]

Real. Nice pennant

[MK]

I don't think I have ever seen one of these with the yellow fringe. Red with white trim.

[perezfan]

Turn it over and check the reverse side for other stitching holes. Hold it up to a bright light, if that helps. If there is no evidence of extra stitching or other other set of small holes, I'd surmise it's original, and just an alternate variation.

Hope this helps!

[aelefson]

Thank you guys! I will check the stitching tonight and let you know. I really appreciate all of your help with this.

Alan

[David Atkatz]

I have no idea whether it's genuine or not--I know nothing about pennants. But, I see that it's not only the trim that is different. The font used for the words "Souvenir of," and "Yankee Stadium" differ between the two. Tapering in the yellow-trimmed version, but not in the white.

[ooo-ribay]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

I have no idea whether it's genuine or not--I know nothing about pennants. But, I see that it's not only the trim that is different. The font used for the words "Souvenir of," and "Yankee Stadium" differ between the two. Tapering in the yellow-trimmed version, but not in the white.

Good catch. It might tend to make me a bit suspicious.

[Horsehide Historian]

Perhaps it was a "knock off" pennant sold outside the stadium?

I know very little about pennants, but know that some of the Yankee pennants out there differ because they were sold from a street vendor.

[batsballsbases]

How about this also. What if the yellow version is the real deal (since it is a rare pennant) and the white ones are the knock offs.... Its like these that I have wondered about for years, they made them in 3 different versions. all white letters +numbers, white with silver 7s, and all black numbers and letters. the whites are the most prevelant.

[MK]

I have heard accounts of people who were at Mickey Mantle Day in 1969, that the red and white pennant was sold with the rare Mickey Mantle Day pin attached. Several have been sold over the years, but none of the pennants had yellow trim. I have to believe this is a reproduction.

[MK]

Originally Posted by batsballsbases

How about this also. What if the yellow version is the real deal (since it is a rare pennant) and the white ones are the knock offs.... Its like these that I have wondered about for years, they made them in 3 different versions. all white letters +numbers, white with silver 7s, and all black numbers and letters. the whites are the most prevelant.

Hey Al, those very common pins not only came in different colors, they came in different sizes.

[batsballsbases]

Hi Mike,
Yes I have seen the different size ones and feel the 2 1/4 ones are the knockoffs... I also love your 1 3/4 white mantle day pin... I know where you got that one and you beat me to it my friend! Nice pick up..

[MK]

Originally Posted by batsballsbases

Hi Mike,
Yes I have seen the different size ones and feel the 2 1/4 ones are the knockoffs... I also love your 1 3/4 white mantle day pin... I know where you got that one and you beat me to it my friend! Nice pick up..

Thanks Al. It's not easy easy staying one step ahead of you!

[icollectDCsports]

Interesting question. Looking at the photos in this thread, the pennant with the yellow strip looks like a higher quality pennant overall than the one that folks agree is the original.

[batsballsbases]

Originally Posted by icollectDCsports

Interesting question. Looking at the photos in this thread, the pennant with the yellow strip looks like a higher quality pennant overall than the one that folks agree is the original.

I feel that way also...

[Duluth Eskimo]

I emailed you early in the thread and asked for a price if you intended to sell it. I haven't received a response so I will just tell you what my belief is and if you choose to sell it, you can let me know.

It is my belief that this is the only "authentic" version that has been shown. All of the others shown in my opinion are not authentic and were reprinted after the fact in the 1970's at some time.

It has been accepted by most (and obviously auction houses listed) that these were sold at the stadium on Mickey Mantle day, I strongly disagree. I believe these were made after the fact like the more common of the MM day buttons. I know REA sold an original button attached to the pennant I say is no good, but I still stand by my opinion. I believe the button is original and the pennant came later. I was not there on MM day, just have collected and bought and sold pennants for almost 30 years. Jason

[Duluth Eskimo]

I should add that David hit the nail on the head. If you look at the graphics and the font used, that is consistent with a 1969 production and the font that was commonly used in pennant production, specifically with Yankee pennants.

[icollectDCsports]

I can't tell for sure due to the resolution of the photo, but the white strip pennant seems to be of the sort that has red ink distributed onto a white background, with the non-inked portions left as the image. I've seen a number of 1969 era Senators pennants (pitcher in front of Capitol dome) that I know to be repros done in a similar fashion, red ink on white background. Not screened on images and words like other pennants of the period.

[Duluth Eskimo]

delete

[aelefson]

Thank you again for everyone's help! I really appreciate all of the information and opinions.

Alan

[YankeeFan]

I've always wondered whether these red Mantle Day pennants were reproduced. I suspected that they were, even though they seem to be accepted as authentic.

The one I have also has the white edge and printing style like the other white-edged one shown. Other differences in the style of the lettering are that "I was there" is slightly italicized in the white-edged version and not so in the yellow-edged one; and the white outline of the word "Yankees" is thicker on the yellow-edged pennant, making it stand out more. I've never seen the yellow-edged one before.

I have to agree that the quality of the OP's yellow-edged pennant looks much better, which makes me agree with Jason that this is the "real deal" version sold in the Stadium that day. I think white-edged one is likely a reproduction, but may be a bootleg version sold by street vendors outside the stadium, as someone else suggested.

But I have seen another, very different, Mickey Mantle Day pennant. I've only seen it once, and I bought it while I had the chance. I posted this in another thread a long time ago, but it seems appropriate to show it here too.
Has anyone else seen this version?

[Duluth Eskimo]

That a great and very authentic pennant. As you said, probably bootleg with lower quality production and sold outside stadium. Oftentimes the bootleg pennants were produced with older, sometimes thicker felt as they used whatever they could get the cheapest or was laying around rather than using newer fabrics. Very rare pennant.