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It's real, and worth a bit more...
Homestead Grays consistently commands a bit more money than most other Negro League teams in this series. $400 - $500 is more like it. Best of luck, and great pickup. |
Here's a recent sale that went a bit higher than that range...
https://loveofthegameauctions.com/Lo...entoryid=18272 |
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Quality control was not exactly "state of the art" back then. These pennants were likely cut by hand, and the tassel thickness varied quite a bit. Check out the above linked LOTG example... It's pretty clear that one of the two tassels is thicker than the other (on both sets of tassels, no less). I suppose there's a slight chance that Val's tassels were replaced, but I'd state with 99% probability that it's all-original. |
It’s absolutely real as are the tassels
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I don't know man...you guys are the experts...but the pennant looks faded, but the spine is very white. Also, the puckering. I've got many modern pennants with that puckering. Not sure I have any felt ones.
By comparison...The Love of the Game pennant is much more vibrant, yet the spine is more discolored. |
Not convinced
I'm not sold on the fact that Val's is an original, either, although as a big fan and friend of Val's I hope it is. I see a BIG difference in the LOTG version and those from the supposed warehouse find of the 80s. If nothing else, the find version was either made by different people or by a very different process, or both. The tassels are actually a different color and considerably larger, and the "felt" looks to be of the newer, stiffer type than the old soft felt in the LOTG pennant. I don't know if puckering proves anything, but that's another difference. Negro league material had become quite collectible by the mid to late 80s, and would have been a natural to forge since the original exemplars to compare to were so scarce, so that argument against the possibility of forgeries doesn't hold water for me. I'd like to see some documentation of the "warehouse find" or at least see one of Val's type pennants for sale somewhere earlier than the date of the "find." As a pennant guy, it's a fascinating topic.
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Not sure if this known, but the reproductions were made under the name Black Diamond Authentic Series in association with the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO. They're still selling pennants, but none that would be confused for the real thing.
Here is a reproduction Grays pennant with the tag still attached. <a href="http://imgbox.com/iB6PnhwA" target="_blank"><img src="https://images2.imgbox.com/46/4a/iB6PnhwA_o.jpg" alt="image host"/></a> Here is a more recent item with a similar Black Diamond Authentic Series tag. <a href="http://imgbox.com/XgPX3dDR" target="_blank"><img src="https://images2.imgbox.com/cc/ea/XgPX3dDR_o.jpg" alt="image host"/></a> |
Rob: Are these Black Diamond reproductions made with raised felt graphics/lettering, like the Mitchell and Ness repros?
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I've never owned a reproduction but based on the confusion around which are real and which are fake, I think it's safe to say the answer is no.
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