Kail Baseball Statue-

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Posted By: Brock G.

These dont turn up very often and I was lucky enough to snag this one. It is just so cool looking I had to show it off.

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Posted By: Keith

Beautiful figure. I have a large football and bowling Kail collection, but am not too familiar wtih Baseball Kails. Is this a statue that Fred Kail made recently in a limited quantity or is it of some vintage?

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Posted By: Brock G.

This statue was made for the 1970 Orioles. It is signed and numbered on the bottom by Kail. Kail baseball statues are very rare. He has said himself that less than 100 were ever made.

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

Brock....

That is truly awesome, and ultra-rare. Not many Baseball ones around (and those that do turn up go for crazy money!) Was this made in 1970, or at a later date (to commemorate the 1970 team?)

I know Fred Kail has done lots of recent work, with his Footbal pieces anyway. The condition and paint look amazing and pritine... usually the older ones have "issues" in this dept. ITPC had a vintage Cincinnati Reds one about 6 months ago, that had been repainted and looked rather similar to yours. It went for well over $1,000.00

Either way.... congrats on a rare and magnificent find!

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Posted By: Brock G.

Thanks Mark. I am waiting to hear back from Lou at ITPC to hear what he has to say about it. Hopefully he will be able to enlighten me. Unfortunately I may be forced to part ways with this piece if (and I imagine I will) over spend in the up coming auctions. Hunts just got me, and with Mastro, Lelands and... well you know where I'm coming from.

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Posted By: Clint Hromek

Brock, as an Orioles fan who has seen just about everything I must say that is awesome. I think it is clearly the best Kail statue. Congrats on the pick up and thanks for sharing.

Clint

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Posted By: Marc

What a nice statue! can you tell me anything about it? what year was it made? thanks.

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Posted By: Brock G.

Thanks Marc. This piece is part of Kail's newer line of statues. I've seen many of his new football statues but this Orioles statue is the only baseball one I have seen. So its not a vintage piece but considering the price you would have to pay for a original 60's Kail baseball statue (there are only a handful known to exist) its an excellent alternative.

ITPC currently has an vintage Kail statue/ashtray in their auction with a starting bid of $3,500. The oldies are very rare and will cost you mucho dinero.

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Posted By: Marc

Brock, thanks for the responce. how much do you think yours would be valued at? someone told me that there were only about 100 or less of any baseball statues that he made. including the newer ones. is that true? thanks!

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Posted By: Lou

Hi Everyone! My name is Lou and I'm new to this incredible forum. Some of you might know me from Inside the Park Collectibles. I have been active in the hobby for more than 25 years and I love figural memorabilia. I might be able to shed some light on the baseball Kails.
There were , at least to my knowledge, very few of the baseball Kails produced in the 50's/60's. There were a select few made by Fred Kail of actual players in the late 50's/ early 60's. They were made of a heavy chalkware composition. We sold one of Oriole pitcher Milt Pappas several years ago.The one shown by Brock is a newer issue made in very limited quanities within the last decade.
There was also a series of baseball Kail ashtrays made in Japan and issued in the early 60's. The ashtrays have the team name on the front of the base and a statue of a batter dressed in the team colors.I have only seen a handful in my quarter century of dealing with figural memorabilia. I know of a Phillies, Pirate, Oriole, Indian and a small sized N.Y. Yankees. My guess is that other teams were made. As mentioned in a previous post- they usually fetch big "bucks". They are simply awesome!
I hope this sheds some light on the subject. Below is a link to a picture of the Phillies ashtray (I hope I did it right).
Lou

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Posted By: Brock G.

Welcome aboard Lou. It will be great having an expert on figurals and such on the board. I know I have contacted you several times regarding figural items and have always recieved great information. So again, welcome aboard.

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Posted By: Darren

Is it Boog Powell or just anonymous?

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Posted By: Lou

The original Kail baseball statues as well as the football statues are generic. Although they may resemble Boog Powell or Ted Kluszewski, the form of the statue was always the same. The only difference is the team colors and letters. Below are some pictures of other baseball kails that we've handled. Please note that the Yankee is a smaller size and batting right-handed.
Lou

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Posted By: Brock G.

Like Lou said, the figures are all the same and generic but I dont think its a coincidence that he chose the #26 for the Oriole statue.