Question of the members who frame and display their memorabilia...
 

Hey guys, quick question for the members who like to collect and frame/display their items in a basement/sports room. I just collected all the Detroit Tigers from the B18 Tobacco Felts series. There's 9 of them and I thought mounting/framing them might look cool along with all the other old items I have already framed. Problem is, if all 9 were put into a single frame, it would be rather large.

Do any of you have similar items that you have framed or displayed? If so could I see your pieces? If you don't have anything framed but you have a good idea, I'd love to hear your ideas also! Thanks so much, appreciate this boards depth of knowledge and creativity.

I went for 9 with all different color combos. I think it came out pretty nice. If I remember correctly, its 18" x 18".....big, but certainly not huge by any stretch.

My first thought is how great nine blankets from the same team would look if laid out in the shape of a diamond. If it was eight or ten, it wouldn't work, but nine is the prefect number.

I looked at the Tigers checklist, and it's really an odd assortment of players. The only pitcher included is Harry Coveleski, who was in the minors in 1913, but who unexpectedly emerged as a star in 1914. So the blankets must have come out well into the season. But that doesn't explain why there are two players who were only in one game each in early 1914 before they were traded. And many of the team's stars are missing, like Sam Crawford.

As for your display, I have two displays of baseball silks, and I'm always concerned about light fading them, so I keep the room dark most of the time, and I paid for the right kind of glass that minimizes fading. So far, I haven't had a problem, but I believe blankets are particularly vulnerable to light — I've seen some very faded blankets over the years.

Nine blankets in the diamond pattern looks great, IMO. Have seen a number of such displays.

A perfect diamond
 

Here is my display of Senators B-18s. I had a nice WaJo already, then about 20 years ago David Festberg(!) auctioned off his collection of commons he told me later was the result of years of upgrading. I got the 8 Washington commons for almost nothing, and couldn't believe the condition. I think it's the only time I've ever called a dealer to tell him how surprised and happy I was with the condition of a piece. I like to display my treasures, and when I laid them out trying to figure out how, to my amazement they together formed a diamond with each player in his correct position. This Washington club stayed intact for four years and was Clark Griffith's first great club in D.C., finishing second in 1912 and 1913 and in the first division all four years. This is one of my very favorite pieces, mounted by my framer with archival tape, of course, and always draws the eyes and comments of visitors to my collection.

Closeup of above

Conor & Hank those B18 displays look fantastic

I love this, with all the variations. Are these all the known color schemes, were there nine of them exactly? And I've always wondered if the players on the other teams were selected to try to represent each team's starting lineup that season, as certainly seems to be the case with the Washington B-18s. I've always thought these colorful and artistic felts to be the unwanted but beautiful stepchild of the hobby, just waiting for the right moment to come into their full glory and appreciation. Truly mint examples with full and intact borders and no staining are very hard to find. The fold lines don't bother me at all since they are unobtrusive and original to the method of packaging.

Wow is that pretty. I love the colors! As for the other 2 examples, that is exactly what I was hoping to see.....these are a great idea and I have my direction thanks to you guys. I love it and will post a pic when I get this completed....eventually! :)

I'd love to see how you framed your silks.....any and all ideas for future reference is appreciated. Plus it's cool to see what other have on this board. All items I have framed are purchased with UV glass and always acid free backing/matting. My room is a basement with one small frosted glass window, so no sun thank God! :)

Love it! That's what I'm going for! Thanks again

Let us know when you are done, would love to see it. The B-18 displays look really great. I have only had one thing framed and it is a large Horner Composite photo which now hangs on my office wall.

Thanks, Hank. I did this a while back, but if memory serves me, I'm pretty sure there are more combos. The ones with yellow seem to be the hardest to find, and I vaguely remember another yellow version. I love this issue when displayed. They never seem right in a top loader :)

I've seen some get taped in, others get carefully sewn in. I actually used fabric as the backdrop and then just used tension to hold them up against the glass. I would never do that with a card or photo, but with cloth I don't see any harm in it.

Thanks for the advice. Will look into this, I've got a great framer who is up on how to adhere items to a backing without ruining the integrity of the piece.

Whenever I see things framed like this, I cringe at the thought of light damage. I know there are ways around it, for example plexiglass or composite blocks 99% of UV rays. What I don't know, is if the protection lasts forever or if you would need to replace the glass substitute every serveral years over time. I know some of the one-screw cases say they protect UV rays, but for only 3 years or something. So guessing it does not last forever. There are also steps you can take to not use flourescent lighting, etc. To me this is all too much - which is why most of my collection lives in a dark closet and comes out only briefly for me to gawk at. ;-)

I would never expose autographs or valuable cards to any kind of light for any length of time, and direct sunlight will fade anything, but for most kinds of display pieces, it's been my experience that you can frame them with regular clear glass and put them on a wall in a room with normal artificial lighting, minimal sunlight, and controlled heat and you will not live long enough to be able to spot any fading or other deterioration with your bare eyes. I've had my B-18s on a wall in my office for 25 years, and I doubt there's an instrument that could measure whatever miniscule loss of color or vibrancy has taken place in that time. I would say the same about the many vintage photos, posters, and other items I've had on my walls for decades now. If there's been any degeneration in any of them, my eyes aren't good enough to see it. I like to look at my stuff, and I think if you use common sense and keep them away from any light from windows and other sources of light or heat in your rooms, you can do that without worrying about damage to your treasures. In fact, whenever I get something matted and framed I like to think I am protecting it from the air that is the natural enemy of anything made out of paper or cloth.

My display is in a room that is close to pitch black 23 hours a day. And even if it is fading, I doubt it's fading faster than my eyes' ability to perceive it. If I owned a Picasso, I'd hang it on a wall. Don't let stress get in the way enjoying something.

I don't. I still sometimes even take cards to work with me like I took cards to school as a kid. There are always quick ways to draw on some hobby enjoyment. This site is another major one for me. :)

Yes, and difficult to get into an appropriate sized top loader, also. I'm sure that's why they have never been slabbed to my knowledge. On the color schemes, if I'd thought about it for a minute I'd have remembered that another one is the "brown pennants" variation for Washington, which in all other respects, including the players represented (the starting lineup of nine), is exactly the same as my framed examples with the exception of brown and red graphics rather than the green and red. Makes me wonder if anyone has tried to compile a checklist of all the known variations in the issue.

That's a great display! I like the color variations