Hey, pennant guys

[thetahat]

Originally Posted by Fballguy

I must be doing something wrong...

I've been collecting pennants for a long time now...and I haven't really given much thought to this...but it is by far the number one question I get asked when I try to sell one:

Does it have pin holes?

Does anyone really care if a pennant has pin holes? It's SUPPOSED to have them. Is there some arbitrary increment we apply to the value if it doesn't have them? You sure as hell can't tell if a pennant has pin holes unless you look really close. Has anyone ever...in the history of pennants not bought one because it had pin holes? I think this each and every time I find myself holding a pennant up to a light to see if it has #$@! pin holes for some worried collector. Who planted this hair brained idea in collectors heads that pennants...god forbid...shouldn't have pin holes?

Missing tassels...I get.

Moth eaten spine...I get.

Ripped/missing tip...I get

Stains...I get

Tears...I get

Cracked graphics...I get

But who cares about #$@! pin holes?

Am I right?

Thanks for indulging me.

PS...If you're worried about pin holes, please stop.

Rob ... I’m with you. In fact I don’t mind many of the things you mentioned, as long as they look nice, and I’d figure in the damage in the price I would pay. I can live with missing tassels if it’s the bottom pair and I get a good deal. Moth eaten spine? No. Ripped/missing tip? Depends. If it’s the very tip, not a dealbreaker. I know many pennants were made with a blunt tip. I’ve got a mint 55 Dodgers pennant with what looks like a slightly squared off tip but it’s the full length and barely fits in my holder. Let’s hope pennant collecting doesn’t go the way baseball cards went. Stains? No. Tears? No. Cracked graphics? Maybe if not paint loss. Pinholes? Of course no problem! If I see what is supposed to be an old pennant and it has ZERO flaws? I’d immediately think fugazi. Pennants are meant to be displayed!

[perezfan]

I'm about as picky as they come. Severe OCD here.... But I have NEVER cared a bit whether or not there are pinholes on a pennant. Not one iota.

They are 100% expected with vintage pennants. Back in the day, what kind of kid stashed his pennants in a dresser, rather than proudly displaying them on the wall?

Pinholes rule!

[thetahat]

As far as the recent condition post, one thing I tend to avoid are faded pennants. This Yankees pennant was always one of my favorites and I already had one whose colors were a little bit dull ... not gray but the blue was not as deep as it was. So I had the chance to upgrade it here. Not a “holy grail” pennant, and I don’t like the NYY even a little bit, but to me this is pennant art at its very best.

[ooo-ribay]

Blue seems especially prone to fading.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by thetahat

As far as the recent condition post, one thing I tend to avoid are faded pennants. This Yankees pennant was always one of my favorites and I already had one whose colors were a little bit dull ... not gray but the blue was not as deep as it was. So I had the chance to upgrade it here. Not a “holy grail” pennant, and I don’t like the NYY even a little bit, but to me this is pennant art at its very best.

Sooooooo rare in that condition. Some blues held up better than others. But this particular version is always chronically faded to gray. Great pickup, Greg (and I agree, great artwork on that one!)

[Fballguy]

Originally Posted by thetahat

As far as the recent condition post, one thing I tend to avoid are faded pennants. This Yankees pennant was always one of my favorites and I already had one whose colors were a little bit dull ... not gray but the blue was not as deep as it was. So I had the chance to upgrade it here. Not a “holy grail” pennant, and I don’t like the NYY even a little bit, but to me this is pennant art at its very best.

I've always thought that was a cool pennant. Yours is in beautiful condition. Colors are so vibrant. It must've been stored in a storage bin like most of mine LOL.

Fading is a bummer, but my biggest pet peeve is a ripped or missing tip. That bothers me probably more than it should. I find the longer I collect, the more condition matters to me...which probably explains why I'm not get nearly as many packages delivered as I used to.

[thetahat]

Thanks ... here’s an example of what I mean regarding the tip being made blunt in production. Comparing my new pennant to the old one, it’s even a tick shorter despite pointy tip. Also when the spines (third pic) are aligned you can see that the angle of the cuts are different. Yet the sides are razor straight with no signs of trimming and they both look normal in a holder.

(Note ... in the third pic I moved the bright blue pennant slightly forward so you can see the aligned spine of the other one underneath it. The close up of the tips are true length with the corners matched.)

[MK]

Was able to add this pennant to my collection today. Have wanted it for sometime and was able to work out at a reasonable price with the seller.

[thetahat]

Mike ... cool pennant. I’d guess 1920s?

I was fortunate to pick up a Browns pennant that I’ve wanted for at least 15 years, only saw it once before. Much thanks to Mark S. who was on the other end of the blockbuster deal. I’m only short the STL Cardinals as far as completing the set, and I’d like to upgrade or find the other Red Sox version. But for now ... very content.