Hey, pennant guys

[erikc21]

Originally Posted by thetahat

The mini-version of the pennant pictured below.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12558362571...Q&LH_Auction=1

An ugly pennant, for sure. I assumed Ad Flag until recently noticing that the lettering is distinctly WGN.

Disagree, Greg. I think that’s beautiful! You own the full sized version?

[thetahat]

Originally Posted by erikc21

Disagree, Greg. I think that’s beautiful! You own the full sized version?

Yes I got it about 7-8 years ago. The graphic is horrifying. If I hung this in my room as a kid I’d probably have nightmares.

[perezfan]

Here's a seller with some good prices...... if you could only move that pesky decimal point to the left, that is...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr...ates%20pennant

[mrreality68]

This is an amazing thread and with over 1.4 million views. Wow

Just wondering is this one of the longest and most viewed threads?

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by mrreality68

This is an amazing thread and with over 1.4 million views. Wow

Just wondering is this one of the longest and most viewed threads?

Yes, it is the most viewed and longest on net54 (by far). Pretty amazing that the biggest thread resides on the Memorabilia side. I think that the distant #2 is the "What's Your Monster Number" thread on the Card side.

[Fballguy]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Here's a seller with some good prices...... if you could only move that pesky decimal point to the left, that is...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr...ates%20pennant

I offered to sell him all my late-80s helmet pennants for $50 a piece. That way he could double or triple his money, but no response. If I could get his Browns prices, I'd be posting from an over the water bungalow in Bora Bora full time.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr...owns%20pennant

The funny thing is, one of his best pennants, the Philadelphia Athletics, isn't too unreasonably priced (by his standards). I'm surprised he didn't go with 4 digits.

[thetahat]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Here's a seller with some good prices...... if you could only move that pesky decimal point to the left, that is...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr...ates%20pennant

This one is my favorite. Be sure to read the description.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16333780120...fiOYQ&LH_BIN=1

I offered him $60, he countered with $2,850. Kinda like a reverse Pawn Stars haggle!

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by thetahat

This one is my favorite. Be sure to read the description.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16333780120...fiOYQ&LH_BIN=1

I offered him $60, he countered with $2,850. Kinda like a reverse Pawn Stars haggle!

Thanks for the much needed laugh. I got mine last year for $69 and free shipping. Guess that means mine wasn't a Salesman's Sample.

[Domer05]

Originally Posted by thetahat

This one is my favorite. Be sure to read the description.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16333780120...fiOYQ&LH_BIN=1

Notwithstanding that crazy price ... he is correct that his pennant is a (more rare?) variant.

I don't know about the "salesman's sample" logic; but there are some slight differences between the two that make me shake my head, e.g., stitching in the balls, detail in the grandstands, and the presence of the the flag at the tail-end.

I think the better explanation is the maker wanted to print this in white ink on red felt; but, because white ink is more viscous than darker colors, had to use a screen with a lower mesh count and a design with slightly less detail...? I can't come up with any other reason for such a slight variation.

[ooo-ribay]

Originally Posted by Domer05

Notwithstanding that crazy price ... he is correct that his pennant is a (more rare?) variant.

I don't know about the "salesman's sample" logic; but there are some slight differences between the two that make me shake my head, e.g., stitching in the balls, detail in the grandstands, and the presence of the the flag at the tail-end.

I think the better explanation is the maker wanted to print this in white ink on red felt; but, because white ink is more viscous than darker colors, had to use a screen with a lower mesh count and a design with slightly less detail...? I can't come up with any other reason for such a slight variation.

Great analysis, Kyle. Even though yellow on black makes no sense for the Red Sox, it is a much more attractive pennant. Maybe if the red one wasn’t faded…

[thetahat]

Originally Posted by Domer05

Notwithstanding that crazy price ... he is correct that his pennant is a (more rare?) variant.

I don't know about the "salesman's sample" logic; but there are some slight differences between the two that make me shake my head, e.g., stitching in the balls, detail in the grandstands, and the presence of the the flag at the tail-end.

I think the better explanation is the maker wanted to print this in white ink on red felt; but, because white ink is more viscous than darker colors, had to use a screen with a lower mesh count and a design with slightly less detail...? I can't come up with any other reason for such a slight variation.

Here’s mine, which is an identical copy of the red one in your pic. The one on eBay seems to be a late 40s WGN, based on the spine and tassels. The little flag by the tip appears on other WGNs, there are Tigers pennants with the year written inside. The red versions possibly came later and were maybe copied by another company. The spine, tassels, and stitching are all different from typical WGN pennants.

In light of these findings I’m willing to up my offer … I think $80 is about right.

[aelefson]

I recently acquired the mid 1970s pennants pictured below. Has anyone seen the 1974 Nets pennant before? In my limited online search attempts, I found ones with no date and ones with a crown, but none with a date and no crown. Unfortunately, mine is missing the tip and has some dirt showing.

Alan

[Domer05]

Originally Posted by thetahat

The little flag by the tip appears on other WGNs, there are Tigers pennants with the year written inside.

I'm not sure WGN made this "ball thru the name" pennant series; but, you're correct about the little flag on the tail-end: it was used on other pennants, like this ca. 1947 Jackie Robinson pennant....

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Domer05

Notwithstanding that crazy price ... he is correct that his pennant is a (more rare?) variant.

I don't know about the "salesman's sample" logic; but there are some slight differences between the two that make me shake my head, e.g., stitching in the balls, detail in the grandstands, and the presence of the the flag at the tail-end.

I think the better explanation is the maker wanted to print this in white ink on red felt; but, because white ink is more viscous than darker colors, had to use a screen with a lower mesh count and a design with slightly less detail...? I can't come up with any other reason for such a slight variation.

Speaking of pennants with minor variances, here's another conundrum for you...

The more common Bum has fine whiskers... let's say about 2 days of growth.

The far rarer version has fewer/courser whiskers, looking like about 4 days of growth.

Other differences include the Cigar Ash, the Hat Brim detail, and the way the hair/sideburn covers his ear. I've always been intrigued by this and own 2 examples of each, though I'd estimate the "smaller whiskers" version outnumbers the other by about 8 to 1. Yet another hobby mystery!

[thetahat]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Speaking of pennants with minor variances, here's another conundrum for you...

The more common Bum has fine whiskers... let's say about 2 days of growth.

The far rarer version has fewer/courser whiskers, looking like about 4 days of growth.

Other differences include the Cigar Ash, the Hat Brim detail, and the way the hair/sideburn covers his ear. I've always been intrigued by this and own 2 examples of each, though I'd estimate the "smaller whiskers" version outnumbers the other by about 8 to 1. Yet another hobby mystery!

Unsolved Pennant Mysteries, Season 1, Episode 1

Here’s the same bum, in color and with a pimple on his schnoz. Not Trench and possibly not the same company as the other bums you pictured.

[Domer05]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Speaking of pennants with minor variances, here's another conundrum for you...

The more common Bum has fine whiskers... let's say about 2 days of growth.

The far rarer version has fewer/courser whiskers, looking like about 4 days of growth.

!

Mark, I think these variations you've noted may have been unintentional. I think they may have been caused by the normal inconsistencies to be expected during the screen printing process--not necessarily something the graphic artist intended.

As we know, "quality control" was kind of absent when these pennants were being cranked out. Differences in screen mesh counts can alter the level of detail seen in the final product ... changes in humidity will affect the drying process ... lighter colored inks perform differently than darker ones. It's not always possible to make perfect copies, one after the next.