I was going to say "Queue The Price is Right "bust" music"...But then I noticed the Mitchell & Ness version doesn't notate "1918".

Even so...Not sure I'd spend $4500 on a pennant that had such a good repro the average collector wouldn't know the difference. Good luck recouping your investment.

Here are a couple originals and a couple Ness's including the one that just sold on ebay. None of the originals I've found have 1918 notated. Maybe someone added it to the Mitchell and Ness version to enhance "authenticity"?

But the give away that this is Ness, in addition to the spine/tassels previously pointed out is the markings on the four bases. Completely wrong on the Ness versions.

Rob

Even the "real deal" is not a very attractive pennant, when compared to the Reproduction Company stuff of the same era.

I don't know if you're kidding or not. As you say, Gorilla Tape is some very sticky stuff. I would have liked to have the 6" wide clear tape Greg spoke of but, even if I could find some, I wasn't about to buy a whole roll.

As it was, I found my image on the inter webs...saved the image and pasted it into a doc...it was printing kind of blueish until a light bulb went off and I printed it in straight b&w. I then wasted a lot of ink trying to size it perfectly. At one point, I needed to shrink it and I enlarged it. I finally got it right. I left a border and spray glued it (another tedious process) from the back. I'm done.

Great job Rob. That looks fantastic!

Wasn't kidding at all about the Gorilla tape. 99% of football picture pennants have the die cut hole so glue isn't really a good option. There's not enough picture border to get a good seal. The tape works great....but you need a couple extra hands.

Yes … I’ll add that what makes the white graphics look “grainy” as you say is the fact that it’s clearly not screenprint but the same felt texture as the pennant itself. A clear indicator of a modern production, Collegiate pennants notwithstanding.

That turned out great Rob. I'm also a fan of spray glue to re-affix photos to the pennant.

All this discussion about photo pennants inspired me to get my photo pennants out.

And here's 4 new arrivals. Am I right to think that the 1948 Indians pennant is less common in green?

Fantastic stuff, Gary! You have quite a collection.

One last question: on my Giants pennant, the spine was in ruins. Moths? If moths, why are the body and tassels unharmed? The tassels are obviously a different material and the body may be cloth. Is the spine felt more tasty?

These clearly had tasty spines. This was the blank (no pic) one that came from the national. I just glued the picture. Both yours and mine were likely unused and sat in a box for many years.

I have another Giants pennant that sadly got some attention from silverfish. They went right for the spine.

The spines were, by the early 1960s, the only part of a Trench pennant that was still 100% wool. Whatever that woven cloth was made of that was being used for their pennant bodies, didn't appeal to critters at all. But it sure faded easy; and it definitely frayed.

Even the 70/30 wool/rayon blends, which Collegiate of Ames and Chipenco had moved to by the 1950s for their pennant bodies, held up surprisingly well to critters. The Rayon must've been poison! :eek: