Net54baseball.com Forums - Hey, pennant guys

I'm not sure WGN made this "ball thru the name" pennant series; but, you're correct about the little flag on the tail-end: it was used on other pennants, like this ca. 1947 Jackie Robinson pennant....

I think for sure the Red Sox and Jackie pennant are the same maker, the wide spine, stitching, thin tassels are all identical. One of a few reasons why I think they are WGN: the G in Dodgers is a unique style common to known WGNs. Also, the little flag towards the tip can be found on the Larry Doby pennant; that and the Satchel Paige have the common WGN font. I’m guessing that the company had a special run for early Black players, I think there’s one for Luke Easter, too.

perezfan

11-18-2022 06:53 PM

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Originally Posted by Domer05 (Post 2283671)

Notwithstanding that crazy price ... he is correct that his pennant is a (more rare?) variant.

I don't know about the "salesman's sample" logic; but there are some slight differences between the two that make me shake my head, e.g., stitching in the balls, detail in the grandstands, and the presence of the the flag at the tail-end.

I think the better explanation is the maker wanted to print this in white ink on red felt; but, because white ink is more viscous than darker colors, had to use a screen with a lower mesh count and a design with slightly less detail...? I can't come up with any other reason for such a slight variation.

Speaking of pennants with minor variances, here's another conundrum for you...

The more common Bum has fine whiskers... let's say about 2 days of growth.

The far rarer version has fewer/courser whiskers, looking like about 4 days of growth.

Other differences include the Cigar Ash, the Hat Brim detail, and the way the hair/sideburn covers his ear. I've always been intrigued by this and own 2 examples of each, though I'd estimate the "smaller whiskers" version outnumbers the other by about 8 to 1. Yet another hobby mystery!

thetahat

11-19-2022 08:19 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by perezfan (Post 2284954)

Unsolved Pennant Mysteries, Season 1, Episode 1

Here’s the same bum, in color and with a pimple on his schnoz. Not Trench and possibly not the same company as the other bums you pictured.

Domer05

11-19-2022 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perezfan (Post 2284954)

Mark, I think these variations you've noted may have been unintentional. I think they may have been caused by the normal inconsistencies to be expected during the screen printing process--not necessarily something the graphic artist intended.

As we know, "quality control" was kind of absent when these pennants were being cranked out. Differences in screen mesh counts can alter the level of detail seen in the final product ... changes in humidity will affect the drying process ... lighter colored inks perform differently than darker ones. It's not always possible to make perfect copies, one after the next.

Domer05

11-19-2022 09:43 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by thetahat (Post 2284925)

Also, the little flag towards the tip can be found on the Larry Doby pennant; that and the Satchel Paige have the common WGN font. I’m guessing that the company had a special run for early Black players, I think there’s one for Luke Easter, too.

Yup. These do all appear to be by the same maker....

Domer05

11-19-2022 10:50 AM

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More specimens from the "ball thru the name" series, manufactured by the same maker as the Robinson, Paige, and Doby pennants....

perezfan

11-19-2022 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Domer05 (Post 2285106)

I think it's a different template. Especially when you look at the Bum's hat brim and hair covering the ear. Too much variance to be a simple inconsistency. Also, there is no "inbetween" exemplar.

And look at the difference in lines between his eyes and eyebrows, all of which are all missing on the second example. These are two distinctively different Bum variations.

thetahat

11-19-2022 02:07 PM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Domer05 (Post 2285137)

More specimens from the "ball thru the name" series, manufactured by the same maker as the Robinson, Paige, and Doby pennants....

Agreed. And now here’s why I think they are all WGN. It’s the identical freestyle font. Zoom in on Satchel. Now look at how ‘Wrigley Field’ is written on a known WGN. Same dude. A couple more examples are included that show the same writing style in the roster, along with the same structure (identical spine, tassels).

Domer05

11-20-2022 02:33 AM

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Well, if WGN made this "ball thru the name" series, then that would mean they made this ca. 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers pennant as well....

...which looks nothing like WGN's known pennants from the late 1950s. This one's monochrome and features two pairs of tassels. By the late 1950s, WGN's pennants had no tassels; and, they were experimenting with polychromatic designs featuring a Day Glo color palette.

It's a close call; and I can see the resemblance to WGN; but, I think this series may just be by another maker.

UKCardGuy

11-20-2022 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Domer05 (Post 2285344)

Well, if WGN made this "ball thru the name" series, then that would mean they made this ca. 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers pennant as well....

I'm not so sure about this statement. The graphics on the two monochrome pennants seem like they're a different style/different artist. The graphics for the ball through the name series have more intricate graphics. The 2 monochrome Dodgers pennants seem to be lower quality graphics.

I agree with Greg that the other Ball through the Name pennants look like WGN but the 2 Dodgers pennants are a different manufacturer.

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