Brooks Robinson and the Baltimore Orioles

[BaltOrioles]

The Brooks Robinson and Paul Blair photos reminded me that I have a bunch of promotional photos from various advertisers featuring Orioles players. I think it was fairly common for players to make a few extra bucks appearing for companies, with many advertisers offering photos as part of the promotion.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Brooks Robinson and Busch Beer

Robinson, Brooks (Busch).jpg

Frank Robinson and Warner Bros Studios

Robinson, Frank (Warner Bros).jpg

A couple of Jim Palmer photos. Only seems fitting that "Pancakes" would have an Aunt Jemima photo, but Van Heusen instead of Jockey ???

Palmer, Jim (Aunt Jemima).jpg Palmer, Jim (Van Heusen).jpg

And we can't forget HoneyBaked Ham from Dave Johnson

Johnson, Dave (Honeybaked Ham).JPG

[ripfan008]

Good afternoon Alan, I love that collection of photos. Do you have the Van Heusen Paul Blair promotional photo as well? That one has been on my want list for a long time.

[BaltOrioles]

Originally Posted by ripfan008

Good afternoon Alan, I love that collection of photos. Do you have the Van Heusen Paul Blair promotional photo as well? That one has been on my want list for a long time.

No. Jim Palmer is the only Van Heusen photo I have. They don't show up very often. I did find this Paul Blair from Sears Homelife.

Blair, Paul (Sears Homelife).jpg

[ripfan008]

I never knew that one existed, thank you for sharing it.

[carlsonjok]

Originally Posted by BaltOrioles

No. Jim Palmer is the only Van Heusen photo I have. They don't show up very often. I did find this Paul Blair from Sears Homelife.

Oh my goodness. I guess I need to go back and read through this thread. I have a Paul Blair player collection and had no idea this existed. I've got somewhere around 128 unique items and have identified 57 I don't have (though some of those are buybacks and cut autos, which I am not very interested in). I will add this to the list. I'm almost afraid to see what else on this thread I am going to need to add.

[BaltOrioles]

We are back home in Maine for the summer. If I don't sound too excited, we were greeted with a couple inches of snow yesterday.

One of my summer projects is to better organize and display my collection. I've been granted permission to expand my area from the room that looked so big 40 yrs ago when we moved in. Hopefully some pics before we head back to Florida in October.

There was one familiar face to welcome me home.

DSCN2168.jpg

In 2007, Forever Collectibles produced a 3 ft bobblehead of Brooks Robinson. Since I love bobbles anyway, I had to have his 3 footer. It's numbered 38/100, but my understanding is that there may be fewer than that and the company made only what were pre-ordered. I also have a 3 ft Cal Ripken Jr which I see sometimes, but haven't seen many other Brooks Robinsons.

[BaltOrioles]

Happy Mother's day to all the Moms in our lives. I'm thankful for my mom, my wife and my granchildren's mom. They are all special ladies.

Another special lady was my grandmother. Nana was the cook at my grammar school from grades 1-6. She would arrive at school about 5 AM each morning and cook lunches for 200-225 kids each day, all by herself. She loved children and they loved her. She hated to see food go to waste, so she had a rule that you could come back for seconds as long as you cleaned your plate. Everything back then was made from scratch. Boy were her rolls good.. When she retired, the school had to hire three cooks to replace her.

She didn't know much about baseball, except that I loved it. During my wood burning phase, I made this for her and she displayed it proudly. Miss you Nana.

DSCN2170.jpg DSCN2171.jpg

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by BaltOrioles

We are back home in Maine for the summer. If I don't sound too excited, we were greeted with a couple inches of snow yesterday.

One of my summer projects is to better organize and display my collection. I've been granted permission to expand my area from the room that looked so big 40 yrs ago when we moved in. Hopefully some pics before we head back to Florida in October.

There was one familiar face to welcome me home.
In 2007, Forever Collectibles produced a 3 ft bobblehead of Brooks Robinson. Since I love bobbles anyway, I had to have his 3 footer. It's numbered 38/100, but my understanding is that there may be fewer than that and the company made only what were pre-ordered. I also have a 3 ft Cal Ripken Jr which I see sometimes, but haven't seen many other Brooks Robinsons.

Glad to hear you guys arrived home safely.

Hopefully now we’ll get the before and after photos. My room is always in disarray especially now trying to go through stuff. The pictures of your room that I saw looked pretty organized from what I can remember.

[ripfan008]

Good afternoon,

My mother always manages to help with my Orioles collection in the oddest ways. Pictured here is an ad from 2000 for Armour Stars hot dogs with Mike Mussina that my mother saved for me while I was away at college. I remember the two of us agreeing that it is the worst photo of Mussina ever. Moose was never one to fake interest in anything.

The mystery for me about this is that Armour released a 7-card set of players revolving around the Armour Stars brand but Mussina wasn't one of them. I've always wondered why that was. That was the winter he was in the process of signing with the Yankees, which occured on Dec. 7, 2000. This ad was in the Baltimore papers before then. None of the released cards (officially released in 2001) featured team logos however, so it couldn't have been that big of a problem.

Oh well, one of the strangest advertising pieces in my collection. Thanks Mom!

Armour Stars Mike Mussina ad.jpg

Bill, thank you for sharing those line-up cards from Cal's first game and first plate appearance. They are both amazing.

Also thank you for sharing the Nabisco point-of-purchase piece. I know I've mentioned before that my father worked for Nabisco and neither of us have that piece in our collection.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by carlsonjok

Oh my goodness. I guess I need to go back and read through this thread. I have a Paul Blair player collection and had no idea this existed. I've got somewhere around 128 unique items and have identified 57 I don't have (though some of those are buybacks and cut autos, which I am not very interested in). I will add this to the list. I'm almost afraid to see what else on this thread I am going to need to add.

Jeff,

Start sharing your Paul Blair items. I’m sure there are a few cool Blair items through the thread. I’m sure these guys on here could post more.

[ksfarmboy]

Great DeCinces hat Bill!

[Mark70Z]

Day 132 (May 11, 2020 – 132)

The 1968 Atlantic Oil Play Ball Game Cards were produced to be used as an instant giveaway promotion. There were specific cards that were awarded a cash prize.

1968 Atlantic Oil – Instruction back

Day 132 a 1968 Atlantic Oil Instruction Back.jpg
Day 132 b 1968 Atlantic Oil Instruction Back back.jpg

1968 Atlantic Oil – Contest back

Day 132 c 1968 Atlantic Oil Play Ball Contest Card front.jpg
Day 132 d 1968 Atlantic Oil Play Ball Contest Card back.jpg

Of course, NOW I know there are variations…

[carlsonjok]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

Jeff,

Start sharing your Paul Blair items. I’m sure there are a few cool Blair items through the thread. I’m sure these guys on here could post more.

I came to have a Paul Blair PC by a fairly mundane process. I grew up a Yankees fan, but had a Wilson Paul Blair model fielders glove. I had put collecting aside as a young kid, but got back into it as an adult after reading about, and reading, the 83F blog about a persons quest to get build an autographed 1983 Fleer set. I decided to dip my toes back in and build a set of Paul Blair trading cards. I figured there was about 15 to 17 cards from his playing days. A quick trip to eBay disabused me of that notion. My first acquisition was this 1999 Fleer/SI Greats auto card:



The seller was local to Oklahoma City, so I arranged to pick it up at a card show. Roger Neufeldt was also at that show, and I managed to pick up a half dozen or so Topps cards from his playing days.

I think my favorite card is this 1994 Nabisco All-Star Legends:



You may be familiar with this set as a 4 card set issued through the mail which featured Bob Gibson, Duke Snider, Frank Robinson and Jim Palmer. The Blair card was only issued in person at local card shows and is quite a bit rarer than the 4 mentioned above. I can count on one hand the number of these cards that have shown up on eBay in the last 8 years. When they do, they seem to sell for $100 or more.

I actually have three, one of which I saw amongst a lot of 9 autographed Blair cards. The listing was poorly written and didn't detail out what individual cards were in there. So, unless you actually caught a glimpse of the Nabisco card in the image, you never would have known it was up for auction. I ended up winning the entire lot for $36 delivered.

EDIT: This was part of the 1994 Nabisco set, not 1993.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by BaltOrioles

The Brooks Robinson and Paul Blair photos reminded me that I have a bunch of promotional photos from various advertisers featuring Orioles players. I think it was fairly common for players to make a few extra bucks appearing for companies, with many advertisers offering photos as part of the promotion.

Frank Robinson and Warner Bros Studios

I'm partial to the Frank Robinson Warner Bros. Such a great shot of Frank.

Here's a Brooksie Warner Bros.

Photo Warner Bros. Seven Arts.jpg

[Mark70Z]

Here's the color version of the Busch beer.

Photo Busch Premium.jpg

[Mark70Z]

Day 64 (March 4, 2020 – 064)

Today we have a couple color snapshot photos of Brooks. In one snapshot he’s pictured along with Bob Johnson from the 1966 season. They’re pictured in their “Baltimore” away uniforms ready to get the game started. Does this happen to be taken in Metropolitan Stadium? I’m not that great at stadium identification, but I may (or may not be) right…

1966 Snapshot photos

Day 64 a.jpg
Day 64 b.jpg

[roarfrom34]

Originally Posted by Mark70Z

Day 64 (March 4, 2020 – 064)

Today we have a couple color snapshot photos of Brooks. In one snapshot he’s pictured along with Bob Johnson from the 1966 season. They’re pictured in their “Baltimore” away uniforms ready to get the game started. Does this happen to be taken in Metropolitan Stadium? I’m not that great at stadium identification, but I may (or may not be) right…

1966 Snapshot photos

Attachment 387806
Attachment 387807

Mark:

You are correct in that those cool snapshots were taken at the Met..

Here is my March contribution to the Orioles Bicentennial bat of the month:

[BaltOrioles]

I'll continue to share my O's minor league collection.

The 1954 Americus-Cordele Orioles finished with a record of 51-88. They were the Orioles class D affiliate and played in the Georgia-Florida League. Items from the low level minor leagues from that time period and almost impossible to find, but I've also found very little demand for them. With an average attendance of 376 fans per game, I'm grateful I found a program.

As you would expect, the roster didn't produce anyone that made it to Baltimore, until 1995. Yes... 1995

1954 Americus-Cordele Orioles.jpg

In 1995, former Americus-Cordele player, Chuck Cottier was a coach for the Baltimore Orioles. Cottier did play in the majors for a variety of teams over a 10 year period, but not the Orioles.

Cottier, Chuck 1.jpg

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by BaltOrioles

I'll continue to share my O's minor league collection.

The 1954 Americus-Cordele Orioles finished with a record of 51-88. They were the Orioles class D affiliate and played in the Georgia-Florida League. Items from the low level minor leagues from that time period and almost impossible to find, but I've also found very little demand for them. With an average attendance of 376 fans per game, I'm grateful I found a program.

As you would expect, the roster didn't produce anyone that made it to Baltimore, until 1995. Yes... 1995

In 1995, former Americus-Cordele player, Chuck Cottier was a coach for the Baltimore Orioles. Cottier did play in the majors for a variety of teams over a 10 year period, but not the Orioles.

Alan,

I hope I can hear about the O’s affiliates ALL year and then some... You would think there wouldn’t be much if anything to find when it comes to teams like the class D affiliates.

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by roarfrom34

Here is my March contribution to the Orioles Bicentennial bat of the month:

Bill,

Great looking Blair bat along with a nice autograph.

[BaltOrioles]

I have a bunch of promotional photos from various advertisers featuring Orioles players. I shared a few in post #900. I think it was fairly common for players to make a few extra bucks appearing for companies, with many advertisers offering photos as part of the promotion.

Here are a few more of my favorites.

Brooks Robinson (Classic Sports Network)

Robinson, Brooks (Classic Sports).jpg

Dave McNally (Easter Seals)

McNally, Dave (Easter Seals).jpg

Mark Belanger (Rawlings Sporting Goods)

Belanger, Mark (Rawlings Sporting Goods).jpg

Curt Blefary (Waverly Tower Merchants)

Blefary, Curt (Waverly Tower Merchants).jpg

Doug DeCinces (Sears Roebuck Stores)

DeCinces, Doug (Sears Stores).jpg

Frank Zupo with the Rochester Red Wings (Spaulding Sporting Goods)

Zupo, Frank (Spaulding Advisory Staff).jpg

[roarfrom34]

Here are Esskay sponsored photos for both Cal Jr. & Bill

[BaltOrioles]

Originally Posted by roarfrom34

Here are Esskay sponsored photos for both Cal Jr. & Bill

Bill,

I love those Esskay photos. I hadn't seen the Ripkens before. How much do you know about them? I've been wondering about putting together a check list for awhile. Any additions to my check list are appreciated. Do you have any dupes you would like to sell?

I have two different sizes of photos 4x5 and 5x7. The Ripkens you have look like they are 5x7. I also have some with the black caps the Orioles started wearing in 1989. On the 4x5 photos, there are small and large Esskay logos.

Here is what I have with sample scans -

4x5 White Caps - Ken Singleton

4x5 Black Caps (1989-1991 ?) - Curt Schilling, Brian Holton, Joe Orsulak, Kevin Hickey (small Esskay logo) and Ben McDonald (large Esskay logo)


SCAN3976.JPG SCAN3975.JPG




5x7 White Caps (1988 ?) - Al Bumbry, Larry Sheets, Joe Orsulak, Oswald Peraza and Mickey Tettleton

5x7 Black Caps (1989-1991 ?) - Mike Deveraux, Steve Finley, Rene Gonzales and Jay Tibbs


SCAN3951.JPG SCAN3954.JPG

[Mark70Z]

Day 104 (April 13, 2020 – 104)

Foldout poster from Illustrated Current News from June 8, 1973. Poster showing Brooks with his 13th Gold Glove along with Bill Steed, hypnotizing his frogs, getting them ready for a big jumping contest and Ralph Peterson with his 52 lb. striped bass. Ok; this is the definition of odd-ball item…

Illustrated Current News foldout – June 8, 1973

Day 104 a 1973 Illustrated Current News June 8.jpg

Also pictured today is a 1973 Orioles team picture pennant. None of my pennants are in particularly nice shape, but from quite a distance they look pretty nice.

Day 104 b Pennant 1973 Picture.jpg

[Mark70Z]

Posted for Clint (ksfarmboy)

1979 John Flinn Game Used Jersey - Orange

John Flinn.jpg
John Flinn 1.jpg

[BaltOrioles]

To add onto yesterday's post, here are some 1991 photos from Snow Valley and WDCA-TV 20. These photos are 4x6. It's another set I'm looking to develop a complete checklist of, if possible. I'm fairly sure there are others out there. I'm interested in any not shown.

SCAN3987.JPG SCAN3988.JPG


As an added bonus, a Billy Ripken 5x7 photo sponsored by Herman's World of Sporting Goods

SCAN3949-1.jpg

[roarfrom34]

Alan:

Yes, those Ripken Esskay photos are 5x7...I believe I have an extra set or two, so I'll let you know.

Those Ripken photos I believe originated from the first Orioles Winter Carnival (now known as Fan Fest) which took place in the Omni Hotel in January 1988...Here are the program covers from their first two Carnivals:



I also have these Esskay photos which I had signed at their January 1990 Carnival (I also have a few that you already pictured):