Vintage Yankees pennant help needed:

[jasonatomic]

Can any of the pennant gurus help me with some information on this Yankees pennant? I'm thinking it's probably late forties. I've had it since I was a kid but would like to find it a new home soon.

I was referred to net54 by a kind gentleman on the Collectors Universe forum who said this was the place to go for vintage pennant knowledge.

Thanks in advance!

[perezfan]

It's a good one!

A rare variation that celebrates yet another Yankees Championship Season. This Pennant can be pinpointed to 1951 (thus, celebrating the 1950 championship season). There are other pennants of this exact style and font (fom other teams) that I know for a fact to be from 1951. These unique and somewhat bizarre logos were not used during any other season. I think the artist may have been smoking something funny when he devised some of these...

I have about a dozen pennants from this "set", and they are among my favorites. Many are quite difficult to find, and your Yankees is no exception. It is listed in Mike Egner's Book as being worth between $275 - $350. But given the current economy (and the blunt tip on your example), I would say it's closer to $200 - $275. It all depends on how "spirited" the bidding is on any given day.

Hope this information is helpful,
Mark

[jasonatomic]

Thank you very much! I had been told it was from 1947 but wasn't really sure.

I probably screwed up the tip when I was a kid. I remember tacking this on the wall above my bunkbed at my parent's cabin. Actually, I'm surprised it looks as good as it does.

[perezfan]

Yup... the classic case, where the very tip is left up on the wall behind the thumb tack. Must have happened a lot, as many pennants seem to suffer from this affliction.

FWIW, this is better than the ones where someone alters the tip with a scissors, and attempts to "re-create" a point. Nice pennant!

[jasonatomic]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Yup... the classic case, where the very tip is left up on the wall behind the thumb tack. Must have happened a lot, as many pennants seem to suffer from this affliction.

FWIW, this is better than the ones where someone alters the tip with a scissors, and attempts to "re-create" a point. Nice pennant!

That felt is probably still up on the wall.

Thanks again for the help. You're a gentleman and a scholar.

[thetahat]

Hey everybody .... joining this near-dead discussion very late but as a pennant collector (and only pennants) I really like the pennants from this series. Some of you can tell by my avatar. I, too, thought they are from 1951, commemorating 1950, as there is a Cubs pennant from this set that celebrates an anniversary, with the final year 1951. But then, the Brooklyn Dodgers version of this pennant also lists them as National league Champions (which would rule out commemorating 1950).

Furthermore, there is a Boston Braves version of this pennant but I've also seen a Milwaukee Braves version with the names along the edge of the pennant from their '57 team. That could be a repro of some sort though as I always see it in pristine condition. Strangely I have seen a few of these with tassels, though most are made without. I've seen the Cubs commemorative pennant in Blue and Red and also with multi-colored print.

I am actually trying to complete this set. I need: Browns, Tigers, Cardinals, Indians. I am also looking for the aforementioned Cubs pennant. I might be forgetting one but I am in the office. The Indians pennant has been a "buy it now" for a long time but I don't want to pay that much.

Oh well ... thought I'd chime in ....

[perezfan]

I think I'm missing only the Cardinals (and am not sure I have ever even seen one). If anyone has this one, please post it here! I am hoping it jogs my memory (or eliminates the possibility that a Cardinals version fails to exist)

Regarding the specific year, Greg makes a good point on the Dodgers. This series could have easily carried through into multiple years (1951 - 53) which would not be uncommon. Many of those "Stadium" Pennants from the 1950s - 60s were used year after year after year...

The reason I know that 1951 was within the lifespan of this series, is that I acquired a few in a group years ago, in which the original owner wrote the dates on the backs. These were the dates that he/she attended the games, and acquired the pennants. All were dated spring/summer of 1951.

Hope this is helpful,
Mark

[thetahat]

Mark,

There is a Cardinals version, and underneath the bird logo is a script "Cards". Will try to find a picture of it.

I forgot to mention that I also don't have the Red Sox version, with the swinging sock. After the Reds, that one might be the neatest-looking. One came up on ebay about a year ago and closed in the mid-morning. I teach for a living, and confess that I actually gave my students a quiz so that get online and bid at the last second, promising myself that I wouldn't get outbid. Of course the stupid computer in the classroom locked up and it ended up selling for something like $110 which made me disgusted for the rest of the day ..... then I had to grade the quizzes which didn't make things any better ....

[perezfan]

Greg:
I actually have 2 versions of the Red Sox Batting Sock. There are some significant differences between the two. Just got back from vacation, so I don't know when I might have a chance to post them. I will when I get caught up, though...

That's such a bummer about the computer locking up. It happened to me about 6 years ago (on something I really wanted, and haven't seen again since). I am still not over it. The winning bid was $1,000 below what I was planning to bid.

If you can find/post a photo of the Cardinals pennant, that would be terrific. Thanks!