c1914 Black NYC Bowling Club Plaque P/U
 

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11" tall x 9 3/4" wide, silver plated, originally mounted on wooden appliqué
This plaque sat on an antiques website for about two years without selling...I always liked it as I've never seen a bowling plaque like it....but the history of it was what really had me...so last week I finally made a deal with the seller...There is a newspaper account online of the championship tournament it's from...just learning about the newspaper was interesting in its self...the New York Age was a New York City black newspaper that ran from 1887 to 1953...co-founded by a former slave, Timothy Thomas Fortune...

..."With the largest crowd that ever witnessed a championship game among "our" bowlers yelling, blowing horns, ringing bells, waving hats, pennants and canes"...

The short write-up was enough to get a glimps of another time and place I never knew about...I really like the ending that relates that after the tournament the fans spent the rest of the night dancing...

Initially I was planning to have it replated and have an oak backing made for it...But I wouldn't want it to look new...Once I get it in hand and can look it over I'll decide what approach to take...

Out of pure coincidence I was at a show in Reno the last few days...Right by my hotel was a "Bowling Stadium" and it said museum and hall of fame on the window...I took a walk over and went thru the museum...it was interesting that among all the displays I didn't see anything about black bowling teams...But I think that was a spinoff of their main and larger bowling hall of fame in Texas, if I'm not mistaken.

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