WOW! This is NICE!!

Those have to be rare. Thanks for the information on the facsimile autograph being in different locations. If you have an opportunity I’d really like to see the Stargell. I can’t remember where I saw a picture of it in the past, but did see it before. I know Howard (hcv123) has a Clemente poster and has shown it in the past.

Candy Lids
 

Day 125 (May 4, 2020 – 125)

Topps had a neat test or experiment with a new type of collectible; the candy lid. The 1973 Candy Lids set consisted of 55 different lids which were around 1 1/78” in diameter and were on top of a bubble gum product called Baseball Stars Bubble Gum. It’s a struggle to get these things in pristine condition since you had to pull the tab to get the lid off the small gum tub or bucket. I think they were relatively cheap to purchase; around $.10. What’s also pretty cool is on the back of the lid it pictures Tom Seaver and Carl Yastrzemski surrounded by a red star. Just one more thing concerning the candy lids in that the box that these lids came in was visually appealing; the box pictured Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron and Jim Palmer.

1973 Candy Lids

Attachment 398027

1973 Candy Lids – proof

Attachment 398028
Attachment 398029

Candy Lid Box Top
 

Good morning Mark,

I really like that '73 Candy Lid Brooks proof. Here is the box top you were referring to:

Bowie Baysox
 

Alan, your post reminded me that in the inaugural year of the Baysox (1993), the company my father worked for (Nabisco) sponsored a day at the stadium. I tried to get as many autographs as I could in a little notebook. Here's the first page of that notebook. WJZ13 was there filming and somewhere my parents still have a tape of 11-year old me on the news standing in line for Brian Dubois' autograph.

The only slightly disappointing note is that I just missed (I think I was 2 back) getting manager Don Buford's autograph and I still haven't been able to meet him.

1993 Bowie BaySox
 

Mike,

That's a cool story. I hope you can find that tape. It's interesting to note that the stadium in Bowie wasn't ready in 1993, so the BaySox played their first season at Memorial Stadium.

Attachment 398033

Attachment 398034

Mark & Mike...Love those Candy Lids, unfortunately I don't own any although I've always wondered why Topps couldn't use the MLB logos on them.

Anyways, in the final season of Memorial Stadium, Coors made a nice commemorative can to celebrate the occasion.

Here is a production proof of the can (the reverse has each department's signed approval) as well as the can itself:

https://i.imgur.com/7MRV2jK.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/9sro6lx.jpg

Candy Lids No Team Logos
 

Hi Bill,

I've always read that once Topps had to start paying the Players Association and MLB Baseball separately, they went cheap and just focused on acquiring the players rights for test issues. It's one reason why in the 70's sets like Kellogg's, Burger King, and Hostess started to come out more frequently. Topps would ask that company to acquire the rights for the MLB logos and Topps would supply the player photos.

1997 Delmarva Shorebirds photos
 

Yet another set of minor league photos I'm trying to complete. This time the photos are from the 1997 Delmarva Shorebirds. The Shorebirds have been an Orioles Class A affiliate since 1997. They were affiliated with the Expos in 1996 after relocating from Albany, GA. Ironically, the Albany Polecats had been an Orioles affiliate in 1993-1994.

These color photos are 4x6 and nice quality. I don't know if they were a stadium giveaway or not and exactly how many players were done.

Here are the four photos I have ...

Bobby Rodriguez, Chip Alley, Maleke Fowler and Maximo Heredia

Attachment 398107 Attachment 398108 Attachment 398109 Attachment 398110

Thanks for sharing. Would be a cool display item.

Mike,

Great memory. Thanks for sharing with us here.

Back some years ago, while in FL, the company I worked for stored Nabisco Foods products. We did this until I believe 2005 when they were sold to Kraft. Most of the product went to their mixing center.

Alan:

My son lives in Salisbury and is one of the Shorebirds Official Scorers. He hits area flea markets, etc. and I can have him be on the look out for some of these.

Here are a couple Red Wings checks made out to Cal Ripken Sr.

One from his playing days during Spring Training 1961 (cashed at a Sunoco Station in Daytona Beach):

https://i.imgur.com/k7w262i.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/hyATudt.jpg

And another from his managerial days with the Red Wings in 1970:


https://i.imgur.com/0tvMkiI.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/iEZptsi.jpg

Think the checks are a neat collectible for sure.

Day 126 (May 5, 2020 – 126)

Metal thermometer made by Figgie International Inc. of the Norman Rockwell, “Gee, Thanks Brooks” painting image. Made in the good ‘ole U.S.A.

1984 Figgie International Inc. thermometer

Attachment 398185

Today I’ll include the December 1, 1994 Sotheby’s auction catalog with the Norman Rockwell “Gee, Thanks, Brooks” on the cover. The Sotheby’s auction is where Brooks bought the original Rockwell painting. Of course, Brooks donated the painting he purchased at Sotheby’s. In a 2015 Forbes article by David Seideman he stated about Brooks, “What better way to celebrate Brooks Robinson than life imitating art. After all, he personifies Rockwell’s patriotic ideals for perseverance, compassion, and teamwork, proving time again that nice guys can finish first.”

Attachment 398186

What’s the story behind the Rockwell?
So the owner of Rawlings commissioned Rockwell to paint it'? How much did that cost Rawlings??

How much did Brooks pay for the painting at auction?
Who owned the painting when Brooks purchased it ?
How long did Brooks own it? Did it hang in his house?
Who owns it now and, where does it hang?
What did they pay for it ?

I think I know a couple of the answers but I want a expert to chime in .

I like the thermometer Mark posted, rarely do you see a thermometer in the horizontal position.
Also for those who don’t know this, Rockwell painted himself into the crowed.

Bicentennial bat for the month of May is Rich Dauer. I acquired this bat in the same lot as the Willie Royster one I mentioned in an earlier post from a Rochester clubhouse guy. Rich had a monster year with the Red Wings in 1976, hitting .336 & tied with two other players for the International League Player of the Year Award (earning him a call up to Baltimore after their season was over):

https://i.imgur.com/41AFuss.jpg

Japanese Magazines
 

Good morning,

Lots of items from the Orioles tours of Japan in 1971 and 1984 have been posted on this thread before but I thought today I'd show some of the Japanese magazines that featured Cal on them. Most of these came out in the mid- to late-'90's.

Orioles Affiliates Minor League Programs
 

Minor league programs are an important part of my collection. Bill's offer to help with some Delmarva Shorebirds items prompted me to post a few more current programs. For many years, teams would generally print one or two different program covers each year. Rarely would teams print more than three or four. That all changed with the Bowie BaySox in 2001 and the Frederick Keys, Delmarva Shorebirds and Aberdeen Ironbirds in 2002. Teams changed from traditional sized programs to what are now often referred to as playbills. Most of you have probably attended a minor league game in recent years and know what I'm talking about.

The playbills are approximately 6x9 and were passed out free to fans entering the game. They contain many of the same features as the old style programs, player stories, schedules, rosters, etc. Many programs feature future Orioles on the cover. In addition to be free to fans, different programs began being printed for each series or homestand. In fact, from 2002 until 2013, the Ironbirds printed a different program each game. Each program was dated. I can't imagine the work involved in updating and printing new programs each game. Getting a program or two from each year is quite simple, but of course I'm trying to get copies of every issue throughout the years.

Here's my progress - Most of my needs are from 2001-2004

Bowie BaySox 222 out of 256 (Missing 34)
Frederick Keys 176 out of 185 (Missing 9)
Delmarva Shorebirds 236 out of 246 (Missing 10)
Aberdeen Ironbirds 1752 out of 1753 (only missing the Aug 12, 2016 issue)


Bowie BaySox Programs from 2001, 2007, 2014 and 2016

Attachment 398262 Attachment 398263

Attachment 398264 Attachment 398265


Frederick Keys Programs from 2002, 2006, 2015 and 2018

Attachment 398266 Attachment 398267

Attachment 398276 Attachment 398228


Delmarva Shorebirds Programs from 2003, 2009, 2013 and 2019

Attachment 398229 Attachment 398230

Attachment 398231 Attachment 398232


Aberdeen Ironbirds Programs from 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2019

Attachment 398233 Attachment 398234

Attachment 398236 Attachment 398237

Attachment 398235 Attachment 398239

Those are very cool. I've never seen most of them.

Mike...

I love those Japanese magazines (especially the one with just him & ARod).

Ironically, just last evening I was organizing some books in my library (need to thin the herd) and came across this one. It's the Japanese version of Harvey Rosenfeld's 1995 biography of Cal "Iron Man: The Cal Ripken Jr. Story."

Mr. Rosenfeld was kind enough to thank me in the Acknowledgements, but I'd be damn if I could find it inside this..lol

https://i.imgur.com/o6k7Z9u.jpg

Alan,

I didn’t notice at first glance at the BaySox program, but do you notice anything interesting about the drawing of Brooks on the program?

Scott,

My answers may be way off, but I’ll give it a shot at what I remember (or remember incorrectly). Figgie with Rawlings did commission Rockwell to conduct the painting in 1971. While Rockwell did do some sports related paintings this is the only one to my knowledge that features one player. Unsure what the commission price was at the time.

In 1994 Harry Figgie sold Rawlings Sporting Goods and with it he sold the Rockwell painting of Brooks at auction. So, Rawlings owned the Rockwell painting till sold that year in the Sotheby’s auction. I believe Brooks paid around 200k for the painting at the time in this auction.

I know Heritage handled the sale of the Rockwell in 2006. Unsure who owns it now.

Thanks Mark for the Rockwell info.., I am to lazy to look it up... what did the painting sell for at Heritage? I think Brooks got it for a steal at 200000.

The "Gee, Thanks Brooks" within the Heritage auction was offered via Private Treaty. Think a Private Treaty the seller/dealer decides to put a fixed price on their property or item and a price range. Now who bought it or was it bought I don’t know.

You guys...Those foreign magazines are really cool! I wish back in the day they would have featured more players from the US than they did. There are a few, but are scarce for sure.

Mounties
 

Day 127 (May 6, 2020 – 127)

Most of the photos of the 1959 Mounties team shot, with Brooks’ head shot pictured, are copies of the original. I know I have one in my collection that’s a copy; I purchased it cheaply just to have one since at the time I didn’t have an original example. Below is an original (hopefully I scanned the original) 1959 Vancouver Mounties PCL team photo.

Attachment 398394

Here’s another picture of Brooks in his minor league uniform receiving an award while he was with the 1959 Mounties.

Attachment 398395

I read the reason that Brooks "got it for a steal" was that once it was known that he was bidding on it, other potential bidders backed off out of respect so that Brooks could win it.

Brooks loaned the painting to the Sports Legends Museum next to Camden Yards and I know that every time I went in, I made a point to go look at it.

2001 Topps Combo Cal Ripken Jr./Lou Gehrig card displayed along with it's original artwork:

https://i.imgur.com/38zJpBT.jpg

Foreign Magazines with Cal Ripken
 

Thank you for the compliments on the Japanese magazines with Cal.

I found a few more foreign magazines as I was organizing my collection.

One more from Japan:

Attachment 398401

One from France:

Attachment 398404

And one from Germany with an article on Cal (I love the name 'Der Marathon-Mann'!):

Attachment 398402

Attachment 398403

Nice candy lids Mark. I’d like someone to customize the hat logo onto those.

Hall of Fame Exhibition Games
 

The cars are packed and we leave Sarasota tomorrow morning for the trek back to Maine (1,600 miles). This will be my last post for a few days as we work our way up the east coast. Plenty of stuff to dig out and share when I get home.

Today, I'm talking Hall of Fame Games in Cooperstown, NY.

Wikipedia says

"Each year from 1940 to 2008, Doubleday Field hosted the Hall of Fame Game, an exhibition game between two major league squads. Originally, the game and induction ceremony for new Hall of Fame members were held on the same day, a Monday. Starting in 1979, the induction ceremony was moved to Sunday, with the game played on Monday. Starting in 2003, the game was scheduled in May or June, to better accommodate the participating teams' travel schedules.

As MLB's last remaining in-season exhibition game, its results did not count in the official standings, and substitute players were generally used to avoid injury to starters. The curiosity factor of two teams from different leagues playing each other in this game outside of a World Series or spring training situation was eventually removed in 1997 with the launch of interleague play, further reducing the game's cachet.

On January 29, 2008, Major League Baseball announced that the final Hall of Fame Game would be played on June 16, 2008, between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, citing "the inherent challenges" of scheduling teams in the modern day as the reason for ending the annual contest. However, the contest was canceled on account of rain, making the 2007 matchup between the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays the last Hall of Fame Game that was played."

The Orioles were invited to play in the game 6 times, but the 1990 game was rained out. Here are programs and tickets from the games. I was at the Hall of Fame in 1983, 1990 and 2007.

1961 Game vs Los Angeles Dodgers (LA 6 O's 2)

Attachment 398429


1967 Game vs Cincinnati Reds (O's 3 Reds 0)

Attachment 398430

Attachment 398435 Attachment 398436


1983 Game vs St. Louis Cardinals (Cards 4 O's 1)

Attachment 398431 Attachment 398437


1990 Game vs Montreal Expos (Canceled - Rain)

Attachment 398432


1998 Game vs Toronto Blue Jays (O's 7 Blue Jays 1)

Attachment 398438 Attachment 398433


2007 Game vs Toronto Blue Jays (O's 13 Blue Jays 7)

Attachment 398439 Attachment 398434

Alan,

All those are very nice! I, of course, especially like the 1983 example and tickets.

I bet when you get home you're going to be doing some digging for more great items!!!

love it!!

Day 128 (May 7, 2020 – 128)

The 1964 Wheaties Stamps were a 50-stamp release and measure approximately 2 1/2” x 2 3/4”. The set was designed to lead up to the 1964 All Star Game at Shea. They used a picture of Brooks in a batting pose with the cool looking Oriole bird on his sleeve.

1964 Wheaties Stamp

Attachment 398517

Does anyone happen to have the Wheaties Major League All-Star Baseball Player Stamp Album? I know I don’t…

Keeping with the same year, in 1964 Topps Stand-Ups were another great set consisting of 77 cards. They are blank-backed and unnumbered cards. They were meant to be punched out which allows them to stand on the green base, but the majority (possibly all) of collectors desire them unpunched.

Mike (Baseballcrazy62) is doing a 1964 Topps Stand-Up autograph chase. At last count he was at thirty-seven cards in the set signed. I don’t have an autographed Brooks example, but he does; quite nice.

1964 Topps Stand-Up

Attachment 398518

Mark
The Brooks Stand Up is sweet... send that in for grading if the back is clean!
The 64 Wheaties are a nice set with nice color photography. Easy to put together and fairly inexpensive compared to other sets of the 60s.

Unique Japanese magazine that not only re-capped the '83 MLB season but the World Series as well....Also has a neat four page spread on the '71 Orioles visit.


https://i.imgur.com/chuGIJx.jpg

[QUOTE=roarfrom34;1978328]Unique Japanese magazine that not only re-capped the '83 MLB season but the World Series as well....Also has a neat four page spread on the '71 Orioles visit.

Hi Bill,

I love that Japanese magazine and have never seen it before. If you ever decide to sell it, please let me know!

Mark, those are two outstanding Brooksie items.

Banty Red
 

I received a very thoughtful gift in the mail from Phil (Phil68). It's a 1952 Topps style flexichrome card #318 of Brooks. While I'm typically not really into custom cards I really like what Phil has done and accomplished with the cards he's making. Man, the card looks even better in hand than in the picture. What a kind and gracious gift; these are the type of things that make this hobby great...

LOVE IT Phil!

Attachment 398608

Day 129 (May 8, 2020 – 129)

The Philadelphia Phillies each year played an exhibition game called the Junior Baseball Federation Game and brought another MLB club into Philly to play for the benefit of sandlot baseball. In 1972 the Orioles were the team that came to Philadelphia Veterans Stadium to play in the exhibition game. Every so often I’ll do a search for more of these game to see if the Phillies played the Orioles in this game to look for items related to the game, but really need to do a search of their local newspapers to get better information. I know the O’s played in 1965 and I think 1970; I’m sure there’s more. Really need to do a spreadsheet of these games to see when the Phillies played the Orioles.

Small broadside, around 14”x22”, from the exhibition game played between the Orioles and the Phillies on Monday, May 8, 1972.


Attachment 398653


I’ve seen the same type and size of broadside for the Detroit Tigers and the New York Mets in the past and I’m sure there are more out there but must be pretty scarce.

Alan - Looks like they used photos from the sheets that the Orioles provided to newspapers, magazine, etc. that you’ve pictured in the past. All of them match up except for Don Buford; is this photo used on one of the previous sheets provided by the Orioles?

That’s a great poster. That would look great hanging in my wall ! Is the color in the photo correct? For some reason I thought it was green with black type and black and white photos.

Scott,

The cardboard broadside is silver, which just looks kinda grey in the photo. It’s silver due to the silver anniversary of the game. Hmm, would look great “in” your wall; nah, I want it “on” my wall 😬.

You’ll have to be patient for a green sign to appear...

Signed photo of Cal Ripken Jr.'s first MLB At Bat on 08/12/81....Photo was originally sourced thru Jim Palmer's former wife Joni, who was a photographer and was at the game to take photos of Jim who pitched in the first game of a Double Header...Thankfully she hung around for Game 2 to capture this......Accompanying this photo is Earl's lineup card from that evening:

https://i.imgur.com/n0IBhFW.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/c1zN20q.jpg

I've been sorting and organizing many cards during the lockdown, and found this sheet from Front Row in 1992

Bill,

You have a lineup card, Earl's lineup card, from Cal's first major league at bat?!? Well, why dont you finish out the year on this thread because it doesn't get much better than this...

Day 130 (May 9, 2020 – 130)

Since Bill has to post WAY BETTER items; I'll feature Cal today with trinkets :D.

I’m going to picture two different items today. One is a plastic bat rack with the Cal Ripken Jr. bat right out in front (where it should be) AND you gotta love player posters and here’s one with both Cal and Brooks.

Attachment 398781

Attachment 398782

I have that same bank with American and National league team bats ... I thought mine was from the early 70s. Mark’s must be from the 80s with a Ripken bat. Does anyone collect these banks and can shed some light on the subject ? My bat rack looks just like Mark’s.

Have any of you ever damaged one of your collectibles ? Recently I dropped my bank and broke a piece of the plastic bat rack. It’s really a bad feeling damaging your own stuff! I glued it back together but I would love to get another one to replace mine. Anyone have a empty bank bat rack out there ? Thanks Scott

Scott:

Those Louisville Slugger bat banks date back to the 1950's as far as I know.

Mark...thanks for the nice words about the Ripken lineup card...when one thinks about it being the first time his name was ever written on a MLB one, it's a neat feeling.

Here is a 2001 point of sale piece from Nabisco and Coca Cola (with Brooks, Ozzie Carlton, etc.):

<a href="https://imgur.com/Fe5NCJs"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Fe5NCJs.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

I always thought Cal's major league debut was as a pinch runner in an extra inning game

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