1916 Chicago Cubs Dugout Blanket
 

Hi Guys!

A local guy has what he claims is a 1916 Chicago Cubs Dugout Blanket that was supposedly given to players early in 1916 season due to the bitter Chicago cold.

Is this legit? According to the seller these were also sold to spectators at the stadium.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Michael

I am not familiar with it, but it looks like a Pillow cover, not a blanket. Doesn't seem like something that would be given to players in the dugout.

Based on the color, I would also speculate U. of Chicago football. These pillow covers were also common college memorabilia items of the time.

Thanks Joe! I would say it roughly measures 24' by 24' which to me seems a bit large for a pillow. Im not sure about it but it sparked my interest if possibly baseball related.
Thanks again!
Michael

That would be the size of the pillow cover, exactly. I am fairly certain you have a pillow cover, and pretty sure it is from U. of Chicago.

Yeah, the logo and colors match U of C perfectly!

The "C" is like the Bears and Cincy Reds. Did the U also use that "C"? It looks a little too well preserved, to me, to be 100 years old...

Well, if you type "University of Chicago 1916 logo" on Google, that exact "C" pops up. Looks like it's on a Wikipedia page, can't really find anymore details on my phone right now...

This is an eBay listing of an early Chicago tobacco silk that ended on 12/12. I copied the link for the photo. Do the "C's" look the same.

David

http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/images/...OOE/s-l225.jpg

Here are the pictures I was talking about. Seems to be the same, colors and everything!

You guys are awesome. I agree with the University of Chicago. This guy was really stuck on Chicago Cubs although I was a bit skeptical because I had never heard of a dugout blanket before.
Thanks!
Michael

Trust Joe. It is a college football pillow cover from U of Chicago.

+1

As this is obviously outside my area of focus any idea of rarity or value?
Thanks as always!
Michael

$50

What Duluth Eskimo Says....
 

If you can get the seller to understand and accept an offer...grab it. U of C athletic history is under appreciated in my personal opinion. Can you say Big Ten Conference....Jay Berwanger. Great history associated with that school and a very nice campus !!!!!!

I agree with others here who say it is not a Cubs dugout blanket, for the reasons already mentioned ('C' logo design, color, size, inappropriateness).

But I would still like to hear his 'evidence' that supports his conclusions. It sounds like he decided in advance what would be most valuable, then made up the details to support it.

+1. If you can get it for $50 that's a steal IMO. Chicago has a rich football history from that period. It's a rare item, but only the U of C collector would really appreciate its value. I can see a U of C collector paying a few hundred dollars.

History of the wishbone "C" logo, including its apparent debut at the U of Chicago in 1898 can be found here:

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fan...the-wishbone-c

He was asking $500 on this piece.

Yes, very inexpensive piece of memorabilia. Even the full-size giant football sideline blankets (which this is not, but the seller seems to be advertising it as a cousin) are going cheap these days. I bought my girlfriend a beautiful Stanford one, .ca 1915 for only $100 or so. I believe a 1940's Green Bay Packers one sold recently for peanuts as well. On the other hand, as you say, if you can find a graduate from 'U of C', the price goes up. I sold one of these to an alumni of another college, for a very nice sum (fair, of course :))