1970s baseball pinbacks

[thansen30]

Originally Posted by bigj7489

Kicking myself right now...

A few years back I saw a bunch of these in a bin, a buck each or so, at a twice-annual Peddler's Faire in Coarsegold, CA.

Memorial Day is coming up again...so I'll have to head up to it this year and see if they're out there again.

Couldn't tell you who or what was there for sure, but they were definitely these, as I remember that McLain one (or some Sen) and maybe the Vida Blue.

good luck with the bin! That would be incredible. Please post anything you come across--there is little known about these pins, so the more examples we can share the better

[springpin]

Tom,

Someone wrote to me a while back about the origin of these pins. I did not and still don't know their origin. A good clue is the story of how they were sold by a street vendor outside the ball park. They are definitely unlicensed. Pinbacks will bedevil you with their arcane creations. I don't recall ever seeing a Yankee player in this pin design. That is not all that surprising given the Yankees were a very mediocre team in those years.

I would disagree with you about them having been shot in a studio. It seems extremely unlikely to me that whoever commissioned these pins could convince MLB players to visit a studio (and bring their uniform) to create illegal merchandise. By the 1970s considerable progress had been made in creating "layered" images, i.e., placing a carefully cropped picture of a player on top of a synthetically created background. The bright white spots around some players appear to be artificially created.

Someone who might help with the mystery of these pins would be the photograph (or maybe card) collectors. If those images were not shot in a studio, they came from somewhere. I think the creator of these pins had these photographs, cropped and layered them in a photo studio, and then found a pin making company to produce them.

[thansen30]

Very much agree that getting the ballplayers into the studio seems unlikely. But the high quality of the photography is what makes me think it was a controlled setting. Funny you mention bringing along their uniforms--if you look closely at the Joe Pepitone pin, he's wearing his home top and his road pants!

[thansen30]

For what it's worth, I've noticed three variations in the "1971" stadium pinbacks: Version one measures 2.25" across and has matte finish. Version two measures 3" across and also has matte finish. Version three measures 3.5" across and has glossy finish.
There is a similar style of pinback that shouldn't be mistaken for this group--they have different cropping, inferior printing, feature a different autograph printed in black, have a high gloss finish and an easel back. They also measure 3.5" across (see below for comparison of Billy Williams and Ron Santo versions)

[thansen30]

For what it's worth, the seven 1971 Cubs stadium pinbacks I have--most are 3" and matte; two are 3.5" and glossy

[thansen30]

The nine 1971 Redsox stadium pinbacks I have found. All are the 3.5" glossy version

[Cliff Bowman]

Originally Posted by thansen30

For what it's worth, the seven 1971 Cubs stadium pinbacks I have--most are 3" and matte; two are 3.5" and glossy

Here is a 3" Don Kessinger. I have seen the Ernie Banks pin from this set but I don't have any photos of it. I also have the 3.5" versions of Glenn Beckert and Joe Pepitone.

[thansen30]

at long last, here is the Ernie Banks pin. 3" this is the only copy i've seen after years of wondering!

[ooo-ribay]

Originally Posted by thansen30

There is a similar style of pinback that shouldn't be mistaken for this group--they have different cropping, inferior printing, feature a different autograph printed in black, have a high gloss finish and an easel back. They also measure 3.5" across (see below for comparison of Billy Williams and Ron Santo versions)

A very interesting topic. IMHO, oftentimes both the "superior" or "inferior" versions have poor cropping....either too much and unequal background or not enough background.

The Mays comes both with and without facsimile sig.

[thansen30]

Picked up several Brewers 1971 stadium pinback examples on ebay. All measure 2.25" across with matte finish.

[thansen30]

Just picked up another example of Baltimore Orioles 1971 stadium pinback. Boog Powell joins Frank Robinson on the list. Are there others?

[ooo-ribay]

Originally Posted by thansen30

For what it's worth, I've noticed three variations in the "1971" stadium pinbacks: Version one measures 2.25" across and has matte finish. Version two measures 3" across and also has matte finish. Version three measures 3.5" across and has glossy finish.
There is a similar style of pinback that shouldn't be mistaken for this group--they have different cropping, inferior printing, feature a different autograph printed in black, have a high gloss finish and an easel back. They also measure 3.5" across (see below for comparison of Billy Williams and Ron Santo versions)

For this ^^^ and the fact we got Scott Garner turned on to his Vida Blue, there have been two Blues on ebay recently (I have a permanent search for a different Blue pinback). I think the first pic is the 3.5" variety.

[ksfarmboy]

Here's the 2 I picked up on ebay a while back. I missed out on a Frank Robinson and Boog Powell. The seller also had a Tom Seaver.

[ooo-ribay]

They're cool. I wish we could figure out the real story. Need to get Springpin "on it."

[springpin]

Great eye! No wonder Joe is grinning.

[icollectDCsports]

In addition to the Senators being represented in this style pinback by Denny McLain, I believe there was also one for Frank Howard. I've unsuccessfully looked for years to find and buy the Howard version.

[thansen30]

Here is the Clemente stadium pinback, which sold in the Legendary Auctions sale in October 2007 for $385. It's breathtaking. Their description was "Highly Visual 1960s Roberto Clemente Souvenir Pinback."