Your top finds for 2011

[71buc]

Very cool Max. Was the Wenatchee team also called the Apple Sox at that time?

[baseballart]

Mike

From what I've been told, this Wenatchee team was an amateur team (the Victoria team was part of the NWL) Not sure if they had a nickname.

Max

[71buc]

Originally Posted by baseballart

Mike

From what I've been told, this Wenatchee team was an amateur team (the Victoria team was part of the NWL) Not sure if they had a nickname.

Max

Thanks Max I have been to a number of games in Wenatchee and always thought it was a cool team name. I was just curious if there was a historic connection in addition to the agricultural one. It is a beautiful item nonetheless.

[perezfan]

Congrats to everyone for some incredible pickups!

I suppose these would be my "Top 5" for 2011....

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Congrats to everyone for some incredible pickups!

I suppose these would be my "Top 5" for 2011....

Mark,

I would have to say that those are 5 pretty good picks!!
You have a great eye for what items you pick up for your collection. BTW, I love the Joe D. candy bowl. It just pops because of all of the color....

Congrats to all the people that have posted on this thread so far. I'm amazed at the quality of the items that everyone found in 2011!

[vintagesportflips]

Wow, great pickups Mark. That duck web glove is awesome.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by prewarsports

6 kids under the age of 10.

As Groucho did not say [but should have] when encountering a man with 17 kids: "I smoke a cigar, but I take it out of my mouth occasionally"

My favorite p/u's from 2011 [so far]:



7.5" x 9.5" [10" x 12" mount] mounted photo of Jim Jeffries on his farm in Burbank with his pup, with a handwritten copyright of 1906 By Jas. J. Jeffries and Jas. M. Johnson [perhaps the photographer], captioned "The Good Friends" in pencil on the mount in what I believe is Jeffries' hand.



10.5" x 13" print of Jim Jeffries. The photographers' imprint at the bottom right is the famous Dana Studio in San Francisco. Judging from the look of the image, the imprint and Jeffries' appearance, I'd say this is a 1910 image shot of him at either the Hotel Rowardennan, near Santa Cruz CA, or Reno NV, when he was in training for the Johnson fight.



Jim Jeffries signed release allowing Christy Walsh to use his image in a Brown & Bigelow calendar. By this time Jeff had suffered a stroke so his signature was a tad shaky but still solid.



9" x 14" print of HOFer Peter Jackson. This is a Dana Studios original; the writing on it was applied in ink by someone at Dana. I suspect it was wider but has some damage to the left edge. Found this at a local show in a crappy frame with a mat on it that made it look like it had been cut up. When I had the seller pull it out for me and realized that it was essentially intact and inked, I had to make an effort to keep a poker face.



This is a 1924 photo entitied "Boxing Fraternity Los Angeles Santa Fe Station to see Commissioner Seth W. Streilinger off for Europe." It depicts the 1924 Olympic boxers from L.A. prior to departure for the games, seeing off Streilinger, a boxing commissioner for CA in the 1920s. Jackie Fields and Fidel La Barba, the two HOF boxers shown, were Los Angeles-based teammates on the 1924 U.S. Olympic team. Some of the other named subjects were local fighters, managers or promoters during the 1920s. Walter Yarwood served as secretary of the commission from 1924-1926. Commissioner Louis Almgren was ousted from office in 1928. Georgie Rivers was a local club fighter in the 1920s. In the very back is Chief Meyers, the old Giants catcher who was out of baseball and gradually becoming involved in boxing. He would eventually become a commissioner.



1930s publication art of Primo Carnera and Jess Willard. I suppose the suggestion was that the two were like skyscrapers. It is composed of two photos [Willard and Carnera] cut out and pasted on board with inked in details and silver ink used to remove details under Willard so it would appear he and Carnera were standing together.



1950s Groucho promo foto for You Bet Your Life. Came with the original mailing envelope. The same shoot yielded the Bowman card.

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

2011 has probably been my best year ever for pickups. It's tough to choose which I like best, but here are my favorites starting with early 2011:

1) Nolan Ryan 1973 All Star locker plate. 1973 was the first year that Ryan played in the Mid-Summer Classic, from what I believe was his career year! Purchased here on net54.

2) HOF Ted Lyons 1926 no-hitter ticket and scorebook. The beautifully scored games in the scorebook and ticket all originated from the estate of the original owner, George Tarallo who attended the game at age 15. Discovered in an antique shop in Caimbridge, Mass by a friend of a friend. Transaction completed over a smartphone. Awesome!!!

3) HB Dutch Leonard game used ball from his no-hitter game in 1916 at Fenway. This ball was passed down through one family and appeared in the hobby for the 1st time in 2011 almost 100 years later. The storyline behind the ball, the game, and the way that it displays makes this perhaps one of my favorite items in my collection, period. A great vintage centerpiece to my no-hitter collection. Purchased on eBay from an antique dealer in Rochester, NY.

4) Season pass to 1901 St. Louis Cardinals. The only known example of a pass or ticket to HOF Christy Mathewson's 1st no-hitter. This came to me as a gift. What a gift! Thanks Tony!

5) Season tickets to Gaylord Perry's and Ray Washburn's back-to-back no-hitters that they threw on Sept. 17th and 18th, 1968. Also see the complimentary wire photo that I just purchased from Perry congratulating Washburn in the locker after his historic encore. The newspaper caption on the back of the photo reads "Lightning Strikes Twice!". Indeed!

Happy Holidays to everyone on net54! I hope you all had a great year as well!

Hey Scott. You didn't have a great year, you had a 1927 Yanks Year!

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by thekingofclout

Hey Scott. You didn't have a great year, you had a 1927 Yanks Year!

Hey Jimmy,
That's pretty lofty company, but I appreciate your compliment. Your photo pickups this year have also been unhinged and off the charts!!

[Frozen in Time]

8X10 vintage, original Type I John Dominis award winning photo of the Mick. Taken June 25, 1965 this photo was part of the portfolio that won the famous Life Magazine staff photographer the "Magazine Photographer of the Year Award" and shows Mantle's frustration during a year beset by injuries as his head is down in disgust throwing his batting helmet - away a feat he did with such class!!!

[thekingofclout]

Here are a few of my best Beatles pick-ups from 2011.

First up is this sweet 1968 all Original Beatles/Yellow Submarine Alarm Clock with seldom seen original box and instructions.

An Extremely Rare 1966 Beatles Colorforms Cartoon Set in top-notch condition.

And from SELCOL back in 1964 comes this spiffy set of The Beatles/RINGO Starr "New Beat" Drum Set with it's ORIGINAL BOX, DRUMSTICKS, BRUSHES, INSTRUCTIONS, along with the very rare KEY, & INSERT!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

1968ALARMCLOCK1.jpg1968ALARMCLOCK6.jpg

BeatlesCOLORFORM1.jpgBeatlesCOLORFORM12.jpg

1964BeatlesDRUM1.jpg

[dwr11]

Here are a few of my favorite pickups from 2011. The game used bat was a gift directly from Robinson Cano to me for my son at Target Field.

[GrayGhost]

Great stuff all. WONDERFUL Job by Robbie on the bat. Lucky kid.

[horzverti]

Oooooohhhhh!? Gehrig selecting a bat....thought it was Gehrig on his cell phone.

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by horzverti

Oooooohhhhh!? Gehrig selecting a bat....thought it was Gehrig on his cell phone.

Here's the slug from the back of the photo. Lou's trying to figure out what's wrong with him. He was batting just .074 with only two hits as of April 26th 1938.

At this time, Gehrig had no idea of what was in store for him...

1938gehrigBATSslug.jpg1938gehrigBATS.jpg

[Lordstan]

OK. I'll play.
Best pickup..
1920's Paul Thompson Type 1 of Babe Ruth.


Now this pic may look familiar to you from thread post 22 because it now lives, happily I'm sure, along side some other ridiculously good photos in Jimmy's collection.

This pickup turned into some of my best pickups, that will be staying with me for a loooong time. It was painful to trade the Babe, but I did come away very happy.

1927 Gehrig Type 1 with companion pieces

1928 Sporting News handbook. (also from trade)
and 1927 Police Gazette. It's in rough shape, but I haven't seen another copy before and when I can frame them all together, it should clean up nicely. (from eBay)


1927 Yankees Team picture.


Gehrig Family Christmas Card


1927 Yankees infield


1927 Ruth Type 1 portrait matching Gehrig


and my favorite pic of all and, perhaps not the most expensive, but certainly then one pic the deal hinged upon me getting. Perhaps the favorite Gehrig pic I own.
Lou with Christy Walsh Jr 1927.


In other fields of interest.

1939 HOF yearbook.


1954 Sport Magazine signed by Casey Stengel. It came with a cert from PAAS. Some expert named Simon signed it. Anybody heard of him?


Unfortunately, I didn't get to buy any signed 1934 Goudeys this year.
Before the year is out Does anybody have one I need and want to sell or trade it to me?

Great stuff everyone.
Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year to everyone. Hopefully next year will be even better.

Best,
Mark

[Lordstan]

Originally Posted by dwr11

Here are a few of my favorite pickups from 2011. The game used bat was a gift directly from Robinson Cano to me for my son at Target Field.

Love the picture of your boy. I think it would make a great make up a caption thread.

He looks like he's saying.."What you couldn't get a Jeter?"

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Lordstan

OK. I'll play.
Best pickup..
1920's Paul Thompson Type 1 of Babe Ruth.


Now this pic may look familiar to you from thread post 22 because it now lives, happily I'm sure, along side some other ridiculously good photos in Jimmy's collection.

This pickup turned into some of my best pickups, that will be staying with me for a loooong time. It was painful to trade the Babe, but I did come away very happy.

1927 Gehrig Type 1 with companion pieces

1928 Sporting News handbook. (also from trade)
and 1927 Police Gazette. It's in rough shape, but I haven't seen another copy before and when I can frame them all together, it should clean up nicely. (from eBay)


1927 Yankees Team picture.


Gehrig Family Christmas Card


1927 Yankees infield


1927 Ruth Type 1 portrait matching Gehrig


and my favorite pic of all and, perhaps not the most expensive, but certainly then one pic the deal hinged upon me getting. Perhaps the favorite Gehrig pic I own.
Lou with Christy Walsh Jr 1927.


In other fields of interest.

1939 HOF yearbook.


1954 Sport Magazine signed by Casey Stengel. It came with a cert from PAAS. Some expert named Simon signed it. Anybody heard of him?


Unfortunately, I didn't get to buy any signed 1934 Goudeys this year.
Before the year is out Does anybody have one I need and want to sell or trade it to me?

Great stuff everyone.
Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year to everyone. Hopefully next year will be even better.

Best,
Mark

Mark,
That 1927 closeup of Gehrig is epic! Great swap for both you and Jimmy!

[slidekellyslide]

My best pickups of the year







And my best non-baseball pickup this year was my fruit hat Freakie figure that was a premium inside boxes of Fruity Freakies...it's the T206 Wagner of cereal premiums.

[baseballart]

Even though it's only one bookend, I picked this up, having a spot on a shelf where only one is needed. So despite my earlier posted rppc, I actually was able to find something book-ish to post as a top find.

[71buc]

First off I would like to thank Leon for hosting this site. It has been a much needed diversion. I supervise social workers for the state and this year has been quite rough for many of the people my staff serve. A little Etta James and Net54 makes even the roughest days bearable. Due to the economy I am almost embarrassed by the money I waste with this madness when so many others struggle to find homes. I couldn't play right field like the Great One but I still blame Clemente for my career choice. I'm beginning a much needed two week vacation and plan to spend the holidays with my healthy children, and beautiful wife. I am truly blessed compared to many I see on a daily basis.

By my standards and budget I had one of my better collecting years in 2011. I have very eclectic tastes. I collect vintage photos, memorabilia, pre and post war cards, game used equipment, and autographs. This scattered approach to collecting serves to make it extremely difficult to pick my favorite 2011 purchases. The items pictured below are my favorite 2011 pick ups from each genre I collect. I can't claim to have obtained any items as rare as others have posted in this thread. However I certainly had a lot of fun and squandered quite a bit of money. Thanks for indulging me this year. I hope that the Holidays bring all of you happiness and health. We are all so fortunate to be financially secure enough to chase these silly things we all hold so dear. Pass on your good fortune and do something positive for a total stranger in need.

[GKreindler]

Mike,

I LOVE that shot of Cuyler laying on the bats. The light is beautiful, and I feel like it's just an awesome candid moment that some lucky photographer caught. Great pick-up!

Graig

[Scott Garner]

First off I would like to thank Leon for hosting this site. It has been a much needed diversion. I supervise social workers for the state and this year has been quite rough for many of the people my staff serve. A little Etta James and Net54 makes even the roughest days bearable. Due to the economy I am almost embarrassed by the money I waste with this madness when so many others struggle to find homes. I couldn't play right field like the Great One but I still blame Clemente for my career choice. I'm beginning a much needed two week vacation and plan to spend the holidays with my healthy children, and beautiful wife. I am truly blessed compared to many I see on a daily basis.

By my standards and budget I had one of my better collecting years in 2011. I have very eclectic tastes. I collect vintage photos, memorabilia, pre and post war cards, game used equipment, and autographs. This scattered approach to collecting serves to make it extremely difficult to pick my favorite 2011 purchases. The items pictured below are my favorite 2011 pick ups from each genre I collect. I can't claim to have obtained any items as rare as others have posted in this thread. However I certainly had a lot of fun and squandered quite a bit of money. Thanks for indulging me this year. I hope that the Holidays bring all of you happiness and health. We are all so fortunate to be financially secure enough to chase these silly things we all hold so dear. Pass on your good fortune and do something positive for a total stranger in need.

Mike,
Thanks! Those are some important heartfelt words. I agree that passing on our good fortune is something that we all need to think about as a constant in our lives.

Your top pickups for 2011 are some really good ones. I like the Pudge game jersey and Reggie Angels era game bat.

Happy holidays and enjoy your well deserved vacation with your family!

[aquarius31]

Those are some amazing pickups! Here are my favorite 3 for the year. Happy Holidays to everyone!

[GrayGhost]

Awesome George

[Bill Rayburn]

Originally Posted by aquarius31

Those are some amazing pickups! Here are my favorite 3 for the year. Happy Holidays to everyone!

aquarius31--Great Wood Cuts. What is the one in the top right?

[aquarius31]

Thanks guys...the one on the top right is the Chicago BBC from an 1885 Police Gazette.

[bcbgcbrcb]

I'll second that, great Campy postcard, Peter!

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by scmavl

I guess my favorite piece would be this 1950 Mantle minor league Type I that I picked up here on Net54.

Damn Jarrod. What a historic and important photo that Mantle image is, and one that would make any photo collector's year! Congratulations!

Please keep me in mind if you ever want to sell/trade it.

[Frozen in Time]

Hi Jarrod.

As far as I know, there were only 4 photos taken of Mickey outside the Joplin ballpark that day - Sept.14, 1950. I have been fortunate enough to obtain all four.

One is the photo you have posted (mine also has the small negative imperfection on his left shoulder/sleeve).

Below is another showing a different pose of Mickey in his Joplin uniform. Both of these were used by the press as he was about to start a 2 week travel run with the Yankees which began on Sept 20. One thing I really like about this photo, is that on the back, in addition to the photographer's original stamping, written in pencil is the phrase "to the Yankees".

Craig

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by Frozen in Time

Hi Jarrod.

As far as I know, there were only 4 photos taken of Mickey outside the Joplin ballpark that day - Sept.14, 1950. I have been fortunate enough to obtain all four.

One is the photo you have posted (mine also has the small negative imperfection on his left shoulder/sleeve).

Below is another showing a different pose of Mickey in his Joplin uniform. Both of these were used by the press as he was about to start a 2 week travel run with the Yankees which began on Sept 20. One thing I really like about this photo, is that on the back, in addition to the photographer's original stamping, written in pencil is the phrase "to the Yankees".

Craig

like, like, like.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Very cool Mantle photo, Craig!

[mcgwirecom]

Not vintage but still kinda cool. This is second base from the May 30th, 2010 game in Chicago vs the Cards. Albert Pujols hits 3 homeruns in this game. Now the MLB sticker only states the date of the game and which base this was, but not which innings the base was used. Generally they change them after each 3 innings. But Albert hits a HR in the 1st, 5th and 9th innings so which ever set this may be from, he hit a homer and stepped on this base! So I covered all my bases, LOL

[thekingofclout]

Another of my favorite finds from this year was this 1964 Remco Beatles Doll Set with the seldom seen Sears Catalog Mailing Box. While most of the Dolls themselves are plentiful, these Sears Dolls were made to be very hard as opposed to the much more common soft plastic regular dolls. The Sears Dolls also came in a marked cardboard 4 in one box, compared to the individual display boxes that the regular issued soft Dolls came in.

So when I had the Dolls in hand, I set out to find a 1964 Sears Christmas Catalog as a companion piece. It took some time but I was finally able to locate one, as is shown in the scans below...

1964BeatlesREMCODOLLSBOX1.jpg1964BeatlesREMCODOLLSBOX10.jpg

1964SEARSCatalog1.jpg1964SEARSCatalog2.jpg

[murphusa]

years not over yet, I'm still looking

[stone193]

First, I just want to say I've seen some truly amazing pickups/finds!

This pin - I've rarely seen since the Phillies were only called "bluejays" for a short period - and it was unofficial.



And in the world of lobby cards - this one is a whale for me - one of my favorite Sci-Fi movies of the 50s - This Island Earth title card.



Oops - what? Another whale? Yes! The Thing! 1951.



A very cool "rescue cat" whose mom left her litter on my porch - and later died of feline aids - we named her Sadie:



A really neat "coke" advertising piece that still lights up and the clock works!



My 27th variation to my collection of Take Me Out to the Ball Game sheet music - I'm working with Tim Wiles - Director of Research - at the HOF on cataloging all the variations - I've provided an update to their list of 5 - I'm short 2 from my total list of 29 - which includes some variations of the same singer - this one is Richard Burton:



The original artwork for the 1955 Yankee's WS press pin:



Tobacco store advertising piece with original frame:



A beer advertising piece - New York Yankees - in the most incredible condition I've ever seen with respect to this piece:



On the toy side - this Dick Tracy car is pristine - I got Noel Barrett of the Antique Roadshow to authenticate it for me!



I'm gonna call it quits with this one - the centerpiece of my Hartland collection - Ted Williams - Box - and Tag!





It's actually whiter than this pic:



Thanx for viewing and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by thekingofclout

Another of my favorite finds from this year was this 1964 Remco Beatles Doll Set with the seldom seen Sears Catalog Mailing Box. While most of the Dolls themselves are plentiful, these Sears Dolls were made to be very hard as opposed to the much more common soft plastic regular dolls. The Sears Dolls also came in a marked cardboard 4 in one box, compared to the individual display boxes that the regular issued soft Dolls came in.

So when I had the Dolls in hand, I set out to find a 1964 Sears Christmas Catalog as a companion piece. It took some time but I was finally able to locate one, as is shown in the scans below...

Attachment 52178Attachment 52179

Attachment 52180Attachment 52181

Jimmy,

You are effing amazing. This is a great Beatles ensamble! I love the original Sears packaging and 1964 catalogue!!

I think this is the exact Sears catalogue that my first GI Joe (Navy) was ordered from. That was my best Christmas that I remember as a kid. I remember it like it was yesterday.

BTW, does anyone else remember the excitement of looking through the Sears Christmas catalogue for the first time every year like I do? Those were great times!!

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by stone193

First, I just want to say I've seen some truly amazing pickups/finds!

This pin - I've rarely seen since the Phillies were only called "bluejays" for a short period - and it was unofficial.



And in the world of lobby cards - this one is a whale for me - one of my favorite Sci-Fi movies of the 50s - This Island Earth title card.



Oops - what? Another whale? Yes! The Thing! 1951.



A very cool "rescue cat" whose mom left her litter on my porch - and later died of feline aids - we named her Sadie:



A really neat "coke" advertising piece that still lights up and the clock works!



My 27th variation to my collection of Take Me Out to the Ball Game sheet music - I'm working with Tim Wiles - Director of Research - at the HOF on cataloging all the variations - I've provided an update to their list of 5 - I'm short 2 from my total list of 29 - which includes some variations of the same singer - this one is Richard Burton:



The original artwork for the 1955 Yankee's WS press pin:



Tobacco store advertising piece with original frame:



A beer advertising piece - New York Yankees - in the most incredible condition I've ever seen with respect to this piece:



On the toy side - this Dick Tracy car is pristine - I got Noel Barrett of the Antique Roadshow to authenticate it for me!



I'm gonna call it quits with this one - the centerpiece of my Hartland collection - Ted Williams - Box - and Tag!





It's actually whiter than this pic:



Thanx for viewing and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Great stuff, Mike R.!!

Merry Christmas!

[thekingofclout]

I absolutely concur with Scott, Mike. What a fabulous and broad collection you must have if that was just your winnings from this past year!

Can't wait to see more. Regards, Jimmy

[Joe_G.]

On the memorabilia side, my favorite 2011 pick-up would be a small collection of letters that were written to Bill Watkins, many during his tenure with Detroit (1885-88). When combined with the Robert Leadley / Robert Allen letters I already had (from Rhys Yeakley's famous find), I have a nice run of team stationary from 1885, 1886, 1888 (National League) and 1889 (International Association).

The letters are loaded with interesting content with several dating to when Detroit purchased the Western League Indianapolis team on 6/15/1885. This brought Watkins and most of the Indy team to Detroit, including Sam Thompson. When Keenan & McKeon failed to report/sign, the total cost to Detroit dropped from $5000 to $2000 (not a bad price for Sam Thompson, Deacon McGuire, Sam Crane, Dan Casey, and others). Furthermore, the Western League collapsed without its best team (Indy) and allowed Detroit to snag Lady Baldwin from the disbanded Milwaukee club. Near the end of 1885 baseball season, Detroit would also purchase the Buffalo club, sending the "Big 4" to Detroit (Brouthers, Richardson, Rowe, & White). Unfortunately, no content on the Big 4 to be found in the letters but still plenty of interesting tidbits (here is a sampling):

INDIANAPOLIS, July 16 1885
Mr. W. H. Watkins
Detroit Mich

Dear Sir:
When the Base Ball Club left here, Crane owed us $140.00 on the advance Money he got. McQueery 12.40, as you know as well as we do their Contracts read “The Advance Money to be kept from their Salaries at the rate of 40.00 each pay day, until settled”, & we now kindly ask you to attend to this for us, & remit amount due to date. Glad the Club is doing so well. Has Collins been released? Are you going to keep 4 Pitchers? Awaiting to hear from you.

Where is Poorman?

Yours Truly
Indlps Base Ball Club
S. E. Rauh Secy & Treas

In a letter dated 8/2/1885 (Team secretary Robert Leadley to Bill Watkins):

Anything relative to the financial business of the Club, you & I can settle between us, it is not necessary for Messrs Marsh and Stearns to stick in their oars. Those two, especially Stearns make me tired, this of course is confidential.
Baldwin taking good care of himself. Dr thinks next year he’ll be a great pitcher if he doesn’t over do this season.

[stone193]

Thank you Scott and Jimmy!

For clarity - I collect certain toys from the 50s and lobby cards from Sci-Fi/horror movies of the 50s.

Minor focus pins (WS and stadium) - and advertising items.

Hartlands, working on a few card sets.

Passion: Take me out...sheet music - according to the HOF - I have the most complete checklist of variations - I'm planning on donating the complete run -when finished down the road.

[sayhey24]

Scott you stole the words right out of my mouth about the Sears catalog -- I remember so well the excitement as a kid when it came and looking through it for potential gifts. Jimmy that goes great with your Beatles set -- you are not just the King of Clout, but also the King of Companion Pieces!

Mike R. -- lots of great pickups there, but the Dick Tracy car really stands out for me. My uncle had a large toy collection displayed in his home years ago, and that car was always my favorite piece.

Greg

[Oldtix]

I've been actively collecting for over 40 years, and 2011 was absolutely one of my very best for great finds at shows, shops and online. The best sports items included 1914 and 1915 World Series programs, a 1935 Kool Cigarettes Kentucky Derby radio broadcast advertising sign, a program for the 1977 "Rudy" Notre Dame-Georgia Tech football game and a 2001 post-9/11 Kevin Millwood Atlanta Braves jersey (perhaps the one he wore to clinch the pennant). But as in 2010, my favorite pickups were non-sports.



First, a full set of DICK TRACY SECRET SERVICE PATROL radio premium badges issued by Quaker Cereals back in 1938. The "Inspector General" and "Patrol Leader" badges are quite rare; in fact, only a handful of the "Patrol Leader" badges are known to exist. The lack of any Dick Tracy identification on the Patrol Leader badge is one reason. The other reason is that exploitation of little kids is not a recent development.

Badges were earned by sending in Quaker Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice boxtops. Two boxtops was all it took to become a Member. You could become a Sergeant for 5 more boxtops. For only 7 more boxtops, a Sergeant could be promoted to Lieutenant. When the Lieutenant sent in another 10, he became a Captain. The highest rank...Inspector General...only took 15 more boxtops. That's right...to become an Inspector General, the poor kid had to eat 39 boxes of cereal! The Patrol Leader rank could be yours if you could recruit five friends to give you two boxtops each and add two more yourself...bringing the total to 51 boxtops to acquire the badges shown in the photo! I suspect the life expectancy of Patrol Leaders was a matter of months.

In 2010, I was amazed to pick up an incredible set of original 1936 "FLASH GORDON" serial lobby cards (chapter 12) in their original Universal Pictures distribution envelope at an antique show. This year, the same seller confessed she had two additional sets...a condition I was pleased to cure. These are from chapter 10 and from the feature version released that same year.





Finally, here's a 1935 Joe Louis chalkware lamp that belonged to my Dad. It took five years to convince my sister that it was my turn to have it at my house. Never seen another one; it's a beauty.

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

Jimmy,

You are effing amazing. This is a great Beatles ensamble! I love the original Sears packaging and 1964 catalogue!!

I think this is the exact Sears catalogue that my first GI Joe (Navy) was ordered from. That was my best Christmas that I remember as a kid. I remember it like it was yesterday.

BTW, does anyone else remember the excitement of looking through the Sears Christmas catalogue for the first time every year like I do? Those were great times!!

Originally Posted by sayhey24

Scott you stole the words right out of my mouth about the Sears catalog -- I remember so well the excitement as a kid when it came and looking through it for potential gifts. Jimmy that goes great with your Beatles set -- you are not just the King of Clout, but also the King of Companion Pieces!

Mike R. -- lots of great pickups there, but the Dick Tracy car really stands out for me. My uncle had a large toy collection displayed in his home years ago, and that car was always my favorite piece.

Greg

Scott & Greg. Am glad you guys like the Beatles stuff. Shifting a big part of my focus towards collecting the Fab Four was one of the best decisions I've made in years.

And regarding the Sears Catalog, my feelings are not only on the same page as the both of you, but the same sentence! I would expect that most of us Baby Boomers feel the same way.

The day that catalog arrived, I spent the better part of the evening going through page after page after page. Some terrific memories, for sure.

1964SEARSCatalog1.jpg1964SEARSCatalog2.jpg

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by Oldtix

I've been actively collecting for over 40 years, and 2011 was absolutely one of my very best for great finds at shows, shops and online. The best sports items included 1914 and 1915 World Series programs, a 1935 Kool Cigarettes Kentucky Derby radio broadcast advertising sign, a program for the 1977 "Rudy" Notre Dame-Georgia Tech football game and a 2001 post-9/11 Kevin Millwood Atlanta Braves jersey (perhaps the one he wore to clinch the pennant). But as in 2010, my favorite pickups were non-sports.



First, a full set of DICK TRACY SECRET SERVICE PATROL radio premium badges issued by Quaker Cereals back in 1938. The "Inspector General" and "Patrol Leader" badges are quite rare; in fact, only a handful of the "Patrol Leader" badges are known to exist. The lack of any Dick Tracy identification on the Patrol Leader badge is one reason. The other reason is that exploitation of little kids is not a recent development.

Badges were earned by sending in Quaker Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice boxtops. Two boxtops was all it took to become a Member. You could become a Sergeant for 5 more boxtops. For only 7 more boxtops, a Sergeant could be promoted to Lieutenant. When the Lieutenant sent in another 10, he became a Captain. The highest rank...Inspector General...only took 15 more boxtops. That's right...to become an Inspector General, the poor kid had to eat 39 boxes of cereal! The Patrol Leader rank could be yours if you could recruit five friends to give you two boxtops each and add two more yourself...bringing the total to 51 boxtops to acquire the badges shown in the photo! I suspect the life expectancy of Patrol Leaders was a matter of months.

In 2010, I was amazed to pick up an incredible set of original 1936 "FLASH GORDON" serial lobby cards (chapter 12) in their original Universal Pictures distribution envelope at an antique show. This year, the same seller confessed she had two additional sets...a condition I was pleased to cure. These are from chapter 10 and from the feature version released that same year.





Finally, here's a 1935 Joe Louis chalkware lamp that belonged to my Dad. It took five years to convince my sister that it was my turn to have it at my house. Never seen another one; it's a beauty.

Jeez Rick. Would I love to follow you around a show for a weekend. Your Premiums Collection is mind-boggling, as is your Lobby Card and Ticket Collection. I'm absolutely amazed at the constant top-notch condition of EVERYTHING you have collected, including your superb Baseball Advertising pieces. You RULE Rick!

[Scott Garner]

First, a full set of DICK TRACY SECRET SERVICE PATROL radio premium badges issued by Quaker Cereals back in 1938. The "Inspector General" and "Patrol Leader" badges are quite rare; in fact, only a handful of the "Patrol Leader" badges are known to exist. The lack of any Dick Tracy identification on the Patrol Leader badge is one reason. The other reason is that exploitation of little kids is not a recent development.

Badges were earned by sending in Quaker Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice boxtops. Two boxtops was all it took to become a Member. You could become a Sergeant for 5 more boxtops. For only 7 more boxtops, a Sergeant could be promoted to Lieutenant. When the Lieutenant sent in another 10, he became a Captain. The highest rank...Inspector General...only took 15 more boxtops. That's right...to become an Inspector General, the poor kid had to eat 39 boxes of cereal! The Patrol Leader rank could be yours if you could recruit five friends to give you two boxtops each and add two more yourself...bringing the total to 51 boxtops to acquire the badges shown in the photo! I suspect the life expectancy of Patrol Leaders was a matter of months.

Rick,
Great pickups in 2011! Your detailed description of how many boxes of cereal you needed to eat to gain all the Dick Tracy premium badges is a hoot!! I especially like the part about the life expectency of Patrol Leaders.

I remember that as a kid I had to eat 20 boxes of Zoom cereal in order to get my first baseball mitt- a Wally Moon special. Believe me, eating 20 boxes of Zoom cereal was a yeoman's task. Zoom was a hot cereal that tasted similar to hot oatmeal. Talking about being burned out- yikes! I can't imagine eating 51 boxes of any cereal.

Exploited for sure, but I loved that first mitt and I still have it around somewhere...

[Oldtix]

Thanks for the nice comments guys, and thanks for sharing your fantastic finds throughout the year. Glad to read that I'm not alone in my fond memories of the Sears Christmas catalogs - here are a few more to stoke the happy thoughts! (top row - 1962, 1964, 1965; bottom row - 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969). If anyone wants to see the ad for their favorite toy, drop me a note and I'll scan if for you.

[Vintage Yankee]

Although I don't post pickups too often, figured I'd add to the thread. Nothing mind-blowing, but here are some representative pick-ups in a number of areas...

Inspired by Jimmy, a photo and the obligatory companion piece:


My first trophy & buckle:


A couple of bats - Crosetti (thanks to a fellow Forum member) & Jeter:


My earliest Highlanders Program (thanks to a fellow Forum member) and a neat 19c broadside:


A couple of Kreindler candidates - Selkirk & Larsen PG:


A bat rack that works within my space constraints (along with my own modification):


And last but certainly not least - non-vintage but a classic nonetheless - the game used lineup card (Arizona dugout) from Game 4 of the 2001 WS - the "Mr. November" game:

[Bugsy]

Not sure if I posted this pickup on this side of the forum. It's a 1910 Hal Chase Fan for a Fan.

[stone193]

I've got to catch up on some of the stuff I just saw and the focus.

Jimmy - I'm really envious of Beatles collectors! It's just so broad and so much cool stuff. Very cool pickup. I also remember looking at catalogs and "dreaming" as a kid! Superb!

Rich - what can I say - the Dick Tracy premiums are incredible! I've never seen that many. The Flash Gordon LC's are incredible - I do remember the serial on TV when I was a kid.

RJ - I don't collect trophies - your first pick is very nice looking - I think you picked a beauty - congratulations.

Chris - that'a a really nice Chase fan.

Thanx for sharing!