1914 B18 blankets

[Leon]

Nice post. Ones with errors can command higher prices too. I paid about double of a common for this new pick up below...But then again, I like kind of weird stuff sometimes.

Originally Posted by todeen

To answer your question about a price for a common felt, it has to do with condition. Some are stained or faded. Some colors are rarer. Some names are recognizable. But if I was to buy one, I would assume $15 - $25 for a common (not on ebay). The last time I bought one, circa 2000, I paid about $10 - $15.

On ebay there are a bunch listed for $25 - $30. But the sellers have fees etc that create inflated prices. So if you are buying all 30+, push the price down to the lower end.

As for desirability, type collectors all want one. If we have to buy one, a recognizable name would be more sought after than a common. The biggest issue arising from the felts is ability to display. This decreases desirability to collect the whole set. They are diamond shaped, and not the easiest to display without the picture being off kilter. The way I displayed mine was using acid-free backing (like picture matting), then cutting a thin plastic comic book sleeve to fit snugly. At that point you can display them on a plate holder and the diamond shape will sit properly. I think more then a few people on this site want to find a pillow or quilt that still has the felts sewn together. How cool.

Mine are not on display anymore. I moved them to a scrap book. I used double sided tape on the back of the comic book sleeve and they present nicely within the scrap book.

[Hankphenom]

They are so cool, and SO hard to find in great condition. A perennial question on the forum is "what is undervalued?" B-18s are my candidate for the answer. There does seem to be a lot of them out there--though few in top condition--but sooner or later collectors going for them will realize that they are getting collected up and rarer and will start driving up the price. Here's my Washington display:

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by Leon

Nice post. Ones with errors can command higher prices too. I paid about double of a common for this new pick up below...But then again, I like kind of weird stuff sometimes.

I also have a preference for the oddities. Here is the Wheat I purchased off the BST section.

[conor912]

Very cool issue.

[D. Bergin]

Love those diamond framed displays. Wish I'd have thought of doing that when I had a stack of them.

[IndyDave]

I've been messing around with this set for a few years. Not necessarily trying real hard, but never passing up a chance to buy some at a "fair price". Sometime in the last 12-18 months I went from "I'm paying less than $20 for a common" to "I will pay $22-$25 for a nice common".

I've probably bought more from auctions and shows than I do from eBay.

At this point my "goal" is one blanket of each player, regardless of color etc. I have Cobb but not Jackson or Johnson so this has a long way to go.

[nolemmings]

I started collecting these about 20 years ago, but soured when my house was burglarized in June 2006 and this one was stolen:



This caused me to move on from the set and I only have about a dozen or so left (no red infields), although I sometimes pick up a nice example when my addiction gets the better of me. I would be more interested if all teams were represented, but alas they are not.

[Vintagedeputy]

I only have these three but I think they’re so cool.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by nolemmings

I started collecting these about 20 years ago, but soured when my house was burglarized in June 2006 and this one was stolen:
This caused me to move on from the set and I only have about a dozen or so left (no red infields), although I sometimes pick up a nice example when my addiction gets the better of me. I would be more interested if all teams were represented, but alas they are not.

So sorry to hear about that, Todd, and your example was a beauty. But if ever there was a WaJo that could be replaced cheaply and probably even in as good or even better condition, his B-18 fits the bill. Unless I'm terribly behind the curve on this, can't you grab one in great shape for two or three hundred bucks? What other WaJo issue could you touch for that these days?

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Love those diamond framed displays. Wish I'd have thought of doing that when I had a stack of them.

The coolest thing about the Washington version is that every player is in his actual position, all nine of them! I don't know if that true for every team, but when I started playing around with them and realized that they would frame out that way in a diamond, I really freaked out. In addition, that team was completely intact for the first good four years the franchise ever had, 1912-1915, after Clark Griffith took over as manager. Griffith called it "my little ball club," and it finished second, second, third, and fourth in the American League with great defense and speed on the base paths. It didn't hurt that Walter Johnson was in his prime, putting up staggering numbers all around and winning 36, 33, 28, and 27 games in the time this team was together. This is one of my favorite pieces.