Chief Bender framed type collection
 

I have spent the last year pursuing a Chief Bender type collection including cards, type 1 photos, signatures (including one with a sketched ballplayer likely drawn by Bender himself) and miscellaneous items. While not exhaustive it contains many rarities and is reflective of the highlights of Bender items. Many thanks to the many from this board who have provided me advice and sold me some of the items in this collection.

It is now time to frame my collection in a manner similar to the framed T206's I have previously posted and the smaller T206 frame I am attaching here. Attached are photos of the collection laid out in a possible array for framing. I would appreciate your opinion on the composition and layout as I'd like to have it as perfect as possible prior to permanent framing. Would you include the two large photos? Do you like the diamond layout? Do you have any items I simply must add to the collection?

Thanks,
Jim Chapman

Nice collection, Jim! I like Bender too.

I think the diamond layout looks cool and suits the items well.

Cheers,
Blair

Great looking layout, I say of for it as is.

Bender
 

First off: Congratulations on amassing such a wonderful collection!

I really like the way you have positioned everything, and I think it will look stunning once completed. Congrats!

Awesome!!
 

Wow Jim,

Great collection of Chief Bender cards! Have you considered the W600 (see attached- not mine and pretty tough to get). Also, do you have the T206 pitching - no trees version?

Really excellent stuff and I like the layout, thanks for sharing!

Steve

I love the W600 Bender but haven't found one and the price might be prohibitive. I have a T206 Bender no trees and might incorporate it into the mix, but which one would I eliminate?

I think it looks great as is. What I would do, is frame the pictures separately, and make the diamond card display tighter and smaller. This way, more of your favorite cards will be at or near eye-level. And, you'd be able to put the photos on an adjacent wall, which I think would be cool. Whatever you do, I think it's going to look awesome.

Nice cabinet!

New photo
 

Luke, I like your thought on tightening the display. Here is a photo that leaves out the two 8x10 photos. It is a tough decision, but this option may focus more on the cards.

Yup - I like the one without the photos even better. It does tighten up the display, for sure!

Cheers,
Blair

+1

Beautiful looking display if you make it like that.

I like the diamond display and like the tightened arrangement much better than the first one. Nice work!

I like the diamond shape and without the pictures. Here is the Dots Miller collection I have, just so you see another example of a set up. I used velcro to keep the card/holders in place. I put all of the graded cards at the bottom, same pose straight down the middle and all the batting cards on the one side, Zeenuts and E cards across from each other in the middle.

i like the less is more approach...diamond style without photos.

Bender display
 

Very nice! Great collection.

It looks good as it is, but for what it's worth here's a few miscellaneous suggestions: I'd move the HOF plaque to the top center and put the oval photo underneath it, as the focal point. The largest face is your focal point, IMO. The Pinkerton could go where the oval photo was. Maybe tighten up the layout a bit more to reduce the overall size of the piece. You will want people to be able to see the items up close so going above 44x44 total size is quite huge to have on a wall. Have a professional cut the mat because the mat will be complicated and it won't look good if the cuts aren't precise. I liked your T206 piece with the green mat and the black background behind the cards. You won't need a fancy frame with that beautiful collection, maybe a heavy duty solid black frame would be sharp. Don't forget the UV glass and acid-free mounting materials.

Congrats!

Updated photo and list
 

Thanks to everyone for their opinions on my framing project. Here is the photo of current iteration for framing. Here is the list of Bender items I own for the project:

4 Reach AL baseball advertising pins, circa 1905 (they are the "bases" shown in the photo)
T206 Portrait
T206 No trees
T206 w/ trees
Fan Craze
E90-1
D304 Brunners
1915 Cracker Jack
Sweet Caporal Pin Large Letters
Sweet Caporal Pin Small letters
BF2 Ferguson Bakery pennant
Tom Barker game card
T227 Honest Long Cut
Autographed envelope (w/ player sketch likely drawn by Bender himself)
E103 Williams
T204 Ramly
1953 first issue HOF plaque postcard
T200 Fatima A's card
Type 1 oval portrait circa 1910
T3 Turkey Red (splurged for SGC 60 for the centerpiece)
1940's wire photo of the iconic photo of Bender
Pinkerton postcard
M116 pastel
E91B
E95
T202 triple folder
E106 Amer. Car.
T207
Callahan HOF card
PX-7 SC Domino Disc
T201
W555 strip card
S74 Silk
M101-4 Globe Stores varietal
Helmar stamp (red)
Play Ball
1905 Philadelphia team postcard
E93
W Unc strip card
Golden Press

I have had a great time assembling this collection. I would highly recommend to my fellow collectors selecting a player for a type collection. It is a fantastic way to survey the dead ball era, the possibilities are almost limitless.
I am still looking for one more pin size item, maybe a green domino disc or Kolb's Mother's Bread pin if someone has one to offer. I'd also like a slightly better E95 or any other item you have that you feel is destined for this framing project.
Jim

Hi Jim

You have serious competition in Jack who sets up at Chantilly, he has a Bender type collection that he has started 25 years ago.

I sold him recently my 1915 Postaco Stamp Baltimore Federals of Bender

Jack is an oldtimer and a great guy and loves collecting Bender.

Dan

I want to get my SGC 20 E95 Bender into Jim's collection. But, I have to upgrade mine first. So, if anyone has a SGC40-50 they can part with, let me know.
Your display is going to look great Jim!

Hi Jim
From one type collector to another, congratulations. I have a few Bender types too. He's in quite a few sets. I like the tightened display. Thanks for sharing....

Dan, If you have Jack's contact information or his ID here I'd love to touch base with him on Bender.

Luke, your E95 Bender would look nice in place of my beater.

Leon, the Bender oval photo was won in your recent Brockelman and Luckey auction (great experience by the way). I chose to be a Bender type collector for several reasons. One, he has a fascinating personal story; two, he perfectly spans the dead ball era with a plethora of interesting poses and sets; three, he is a Hall of Famer and four, he is still relatively affordable as he is not a household name top tier member. It all adds up to a fascinating challenge.

Like I said, I think the display with the photos is much better.. :o

But back to Bender, good points on all accounts....here are a few of him, since we are here.....but seriously, I vote for the tightened display. Pardon the extra cards....

A Baseball Bats E-unc of the red background variety...
Handcut and blank back versions of T216
and a Stevens Firearms blotter

..

Leon, great Benders, I wouldn't be able to talk you out of the Baseball Bats or Stevens Firearms versions would I?

Hey Jim
Generally my collection is off limits but I appreciate the inquiry. Good luck in the question though!! I see more Benders in your future.

Rose Company, Monarch Typewriter or Stevens Firearms Bender postcard
 

I am ready to frame my Chief Bender type collection and am looking to make a final tweak. Although it would be a miraculous find, would anyone have a Rose Company, Monarch Typewriter or Stevens Firearms Chief Bender postcard or blotter available for sale? I can promise it a good home alongside many other rare Bender issues.

Great looking diamond display, and congrats on an awesome collection!

There will be a Monarch Typewriter Bender postcard in BST's first auction if you can wait a couple of months.

Thanks for the tip Jeff, I will keep an eye out for it as I am going to frame the collection in such a manner that I can swap out cards, postcards and photos as my collection changes. The diamond pattern proved to be difficult to try and mat and frame, so I found an old craftsman window (from the deadball era) that proved to be the ideal size for my project. The items will ultimately be behind the glass with a green suede mat similar to the one shown with T206's shown earlier in this thread.

Current version

Another vote for the diamond layout with no photos. Also, whatever you do, don't move the T3 or the pennant, those are in exactly the right places.

Very nice collection. 2 Questions: 1) You really acquired all of these in 1 year?!, 2) Can you please post a larger scan of the autograph with the drawing - it sounds neat and I would like to have a gander.

Jim
Looks great

Chief approves...

http://photos.imageevent.com/bicem/l...P%20Bender.jpg

Jim, killer display!

The dude abides?:D

Jeff, not only does Lincoln Publishing Bender approve, I believe he is demanding a trade to my team!

Bryan, I have acquired these, and more that won't quite fit, within the past year and a half with a little luck and a lot of persistence. Here is a closer look at that signed photo.

Bryan,

You probably meant the Bender envelope that I have removed from the configuration to use in another display. Fascinating yet unexplained as of yet story on that one. I also found a signed Larry "Nap" Lajoie envelope with the same sketch or stamp. The both were sent to Hagerstown, MD within a few years of each other. Bender was an artist and I originally thought he may have made the sketch himself, but upon finding the Lajoie I think it may be a stamp. The Bender one looks more like a sketch, but the fact it is nearly identical to the Lajoie and also sent to Hagerstown lead me to believe it was a stamp by a collector or group of collectors in that town. If you check the registration numbers on the Beckett site there appear to be several more HOFers with this image on signed envelopes. Interesting aside on the Lajoie, SABR indicates he moved to Mentor, Ohio in 1938 which is the year of the postal stamp on my envelope (a better guarantee of authenticity than even Beckett/Spence in my opinion). Sketch or stamps, still fascinating pieces I will display together.

Bender
 

Jim, what got you interested in collecting Bender? Have you read chief benders burden? Great book...

Those envelopes are neat, nice work finding two and thanks for posting them. I agree with you that it is a stamp. I would guess they are SASEs from a request for something - fun to consider what might have been inside (also possible they just wanted signed envelopes too I suppose). Might be a fun project to see if those two families still live there and reach out to them if they do.

Jim - great idea! Love your final design. But what if you do end up with a W600?? I have one, by the way, and would be willing to part with it for the right collector/collection that needs it. Or are you done collecting Bender?

I've always wanted to do something similar with Eddie Collins.

Congrats on the cool collection!

Derek, that is a dilemma I'd love to face, as I'll always continue to add Benders. Send me PM or email with more information on your W600 Bender.

Thanks for the plug, Jeff.

The consignment deadline for that auction is January 3rd. So, it's coming up soon!

Make sure you've registered!
www.BST-auctions.com

http://photos.imageevent.com/ltsgall...sscardlogo.JPG

Did the e95 miss the cut? That's such an iconic card.

Luke, the E95 was the last one out and I'm still trying to figure which one goes if it comes back in, with the new format I am having to make some tough choices.

EJW, I liked Bender's backstory, he was a relatively affordable HOFer, his cards present well and he was in a majority of the sets from the Deadball Era; thus the perfect muse for a deadball type collection.

Nice collection! I have thought about collecting Bender. Kinda seems right since my name is always pronounced wrongly. Most people pronounce it Bender instead of Bidner.

Thanks Derek for the acquisition of the W600 Bender, it is splendid and is going to fit perfectly beside the T3 Bender. Is there a Bender Rose Co postcard, Monarch Typewriter or Stevens Firearms Blotter out there for the final finishing touch to my project?

My recommendation was to take the photos out. And what u did there looks great. It brings everything much closer. As for a back ground a darker color be nice. The reason I say that is it will help draw your attention to the cards and not the background maybe a dark green,dark blue even black. Anyway you do it as long as ur happy that's all that matters. By the way great collection

Jesse

Monarch Typewriter coming very soon (as mentioned above). Auction opens next month!

www.BST-auctions.com

Well I have finally completed my Chief Bender framing project......for now. The frame is an old window from the Deadball Era (note the sash lock on the right). I placed the green suede mat on the top of the glass. The cards are mounted on the back side of the glass. The beauty of this is I can easily plug and play different items in the standardized holes. I plan to rotate items in and out to get to see my entire Bender collection over time.

Many thanks to all on who assisted with the project whether through input or selling me many of the items displayed. If anyone wants a list of whats shown let me know, otherwise I won't bore you with all the details.

Enjoy!

Very Nice
 

Beautiful collection and display...
Love the arrangement and brilliant use of the old window!

What are the two postcard sized items on the far right column?