Pennant fever

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Posted By: Rob D.

I promise this will be my last "framing" post for a while.

Thanks in part to a few of you who have posted great scans of your framed prewar pennants, I finally decided to take the plunge (and a huge leap of faith with the framer) and have my 1916 Indians pennant framed. Got it back today and am kicking myself for not having done it sooner. I've owned this pennant for just more than two years after buying it from a fellow Indians collector who also happens to be a great friend. While I always enjoyed it, the difference in having it displayed vs. stored away is almost beyond words.

Anyway, enough babbling:

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Looks great! Out of curiosity how do you know it's from 1916?

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Posted By: Rob D.

Dan,

The small printing on the lower left, which you can't make out in my photo, includes the year.

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Posted By: Mark

Rob- That's one of the nicest Pennant framing jobs I've seen. I love the subdued color of the mat (which really brings out and highlights the Indian's faces). A very classy job!

One quick question that I'm always curious about... Is the pennant adheared to the matting in any way? Or is the pressure from the glass simply holding it in place? We've had this debate earlier, and most people felt that there should be air space between the pennant and the glass. I was in the minority, as I prefer spring clips on the back side to simply press/hold it in place.

Either way... a stunning display!

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Posted By: Rob D.

Mark,

How to hold the pennant in place was a topic discussed at length with the framer, who said that the archival method would be to build a ridge (for lack of a better word) around the edge of the mat and have the glass rest on that (and not on the pennant). The pennant is secured to the mat with a few stitches.

Upon telling me that -- and seeing the look of horror on my face -- the framer went to the back and returned with the thread and needle. Honestly, I don't know how they thread the needle, because the thread (think: fishing line) is so thin and fine, it's tough to see (literally). And the needle is almost equally small. Plus, she said when they made the stitches, they didn't come through the pennant but rather "caught" enough of the felt without piercing it and brought the thread back through the mat, then tied it off.

They made stitches only on the top edge of the pennant (4 to 5) and one each on the ties. I've spent a total of 15-20 minutes searching, and I've yet to find any evidence of thread or a stitch.

I'm sold that this is the way to go rather than have pressure applied to the back of the pennant and have it press against the glass.

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Posted By: Mark

Sounds like you used a real expert, and that's definitely the way to go! Interesting... on most of the others, I can easily see the recessed mat around the pennant. On yours, it appears perfectly flat (which is the reason I asked the question).

Thanks for describing in detail, and congrats on a beautiful job!

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Posted By: Greg Theberge

Nice job on a great pennant Rob.

greg

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Posted By: Lou

I saw this same pennant being offered for sale at the National a few weeks ago. I thought it was one of the most awsome pieces I have ever seen,. The price was a little too steep for me, but seeing it framed, I'm very jealous not to have it in my collection.

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Posted By: Rob D.

Lou, I'm curious, what was the price tag in Chicago?

The friend who I bought this from originally got it in the mid-1980s at a flea market in northeast Ohio. The seller also had two examples of the same pennant, only they were smaller, about half the size of this one. My friend bought this one but passed on the others because he wasn't 100 percent sure that the "Indians" referenced the baseball team. As he walked to his car, common sense kicked in, and he went back to the table to buy the other two. Gone. Price? A whopping $10 each. (He paid $20 for this larger one.)

I've seen 2-3 other examples of this one over the years, but never the smaller versions.

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

I've never seen the small version either... and I've looked at A LOT of pennants! Have seen the oversized version on 4 - 5 occasions. The selling price (among those I've seen) has ranged from $1,400 - $3,000.

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Posted By: Mike H

Great frame job. That is an amazing piece deserving of the treatment you gave it. I had this pennant stitched on at well.

I saw the oversized version of this at the National as well, but didn't ask about the price.

[IMG][/IMG]

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Posted By: Greg Theberge

Mike,

That's still one great looking pennant.

GREG

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Posted By: Mark

They both look amazing. It is cool that both Mike and Rob opted for the same combo... neutral/tan matting with a black frame. Both are so attractive, and tastefully done!

Now I feel like I should sell off more pennants, just to be able to pay for some professional/better framing jobs (it ain't cheap, is it?)

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Posted By: Mike H

We both opted for suede backgrounds as well. I like this material for it's richness. Mine was around $450 with the museum glass Mark. There is about 3/4 of an inche between the glass and the pennant.

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Posted By: Rob D.

My cost (also with museum glass) was about $50 less than Mike's, probably because it looks like my actual frame is a bit smaller (and likely cheaper per foot).

Regarding the frame, while the person who did mine didn't try to push a metal frame on me, she did say that because of the width of the finished product, metal would support everything better. I looked at a bunch of different, colored metal frames but in the end decided that wood just worked better with such an older pennant. Something about pairing a 90-year-old pennant with a more modern-looking metal frame just didn't work for me.

It's all about personal preference, but that's something to keep in mind if ever in the situation.

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Posted By: Greg Theberge

Suede looks nice against pennants. It seems to be much more subtle against the felt, and has the look of some age to it vs. cardboard. I'm feeling good. I thought my framer was expensive. You guys have me beat by about a hundred bucks.

If I had the chance to do this again, I would have put a cane around these ties.

Also sewn...

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Posted By: Lou

Hi Guys! I saw the Indians pennant at the National. It was being offered for (if my memory serves me correctly) about $2,500. It was too rich for me.