Quote:
Originally Posted by bocca001
Here is the Seals sign in a window. Not sure if that is from Ebbets. It looks like it is in pretty nice shape too.
My question for long time collectors: Is this red sign (design etc.) entirely new to the collecting field? or does anyone remembers seeing it in the past?
As for the other sign (night game), it is hard to imagine that Fenway Park and Seals Stadium had nearly identical signs and that both aged so similarly.
Also, according to Wikipedia, the copyright symbol (which is on both the Fenway and Seals Stadium signs) was not used until 1954 (I spent some time trying to verify that factoid, but came up with nothing solid either way). I'd be curious to see any pre-1954 stadium signs etc. with a copyright symbol. I also wonder what exactly the copyright would be for. The team name? The night game slogan?
|
The Seals sign pictured above in the Ebbets Field flannels window belongs to me. Jerry saw it at my house years ago, really liked it, and I lent it to him for display in his retail shop. Incidentally, that's two locations ago for the Ebbets retail shop, so Marc's picture is at least five years old. The sign is not in the window at his present location, but he still has it there. This is NOT one of the signs that appeared on eBay recently.
My sign originated from a long-time, legendary PCL collector, who had owned it for many years. I've owned it for over 15 years. I know of one other of these original signs that was ensconced in another very extensive PCL collection, and privately passed into another great PCL collection within the last few years.
There is no question that both of the signs I describe are authentic and original to the period, likely late 40s to early 50s. I can't speak to the two that transacted on eBay.
As Mark S. implied, the "coincidence" of the eBay seller finding two different old Seals advertising signs from two separate sources within a week gave me pause, to say the least. The copyright symbol at the bottom of the blue Seals sign on eBay bothered right off the bat, as did the wording at the bottom. The Fenway Park sign that Marc found, of course, appears to be the final nail in the coffin on that sign.