What would you choose?

[batsballsbases]

Thanks Jimmy,
Well I might have a few more items up my sleeve from time to time.
I have always loved that dodger yearbook. The hard part about it is the cover has 14 sigs I had the book framed, with Jackie Robinson who signed thru the bums coat Hard to see). But the inside has 18 beautiful sigs with a walter alston,gil hodges,and a pre accident Roy Campanella and just about any of the other dodgers you can think of. But you always have to take it out of the frame to look at it. Here is the Campy And Remember Mike only told us we could only take 3!

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by batsballsbases

And Remember Mike only told us we could only take 3!

Yeah. Mike is on my SH*T list for limiting us to three pieces

[batsballsbases]

That Damn Mike! Goes out and gets a spalding trophy then sets limits on the rest of us. And plus he spelled buried wrong! Lucky for him Barry doesnt like to visit from the card side And for the record I also wanted to say Your Lou Gehrig card and Davids BALLS are the best I have ever seen!! Always a pleasure to see all the nice items the other guys have!

[batsballsbases]

Jimmy,
I had to put this up I know it would never compare to your Gehrig But Joe did this for me at a Golf outing. We are both born on the same day! November 25th! Sorry Mike thats 4

[baseballart]

If my Rocky Colavito Lou Darvas doesn't make it (sure wish there were some Indians collectors on this forum....), I'd take these 3:

Baseball as viewed by a Muffin--in case one gets hungry



Saskatoon cigar box -- in case one needs a good smoke after supper (I don't smoke, but what the hey)



And Andy Aitkenhead's Saskatoon Sheiks sweater, in case one gets cold



Max

[perezfan]

Rob D...

Amazingly beautiful Ring and Balfour Original Artwork. Maybe stunning is a better word for them both. Is there a story behind how you found the Balfour artwork (and which piece you acquired first... the Painting or the Ring?)

Unbelievable posts by all so far... perhaps Mike H. will let us post 3 additional favorite items to this thread, come February...

[rickybulldog50]

Max, I love the old wool sweater.

Here are my 3.

1. Spalding trophy. Really love the detail put into these things. Since Mike chose the basemen, I'll choose the catcher.

2. White Reach one inch web. Super condition and one of the whitest gloves I've seen. It's like butter on the hand. One of my first trades.

3. Toss up. Either the Tony Lazzeri Lucky strike sign or the coin operated catcher game. I love both, but either one is fine with me. The Lazzeri is a neat sign with such vibrant colors! The coin op is very cool and very entertaining to play.

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Rob D...

Amazingly beautiful Ring and Balfour Original Artwork. Maybe stunning is a better word for them both. Is there a story behind how you found the Balfour artwork (and which piece you acquired first... the Painting or the Ring?)

Unbelievable posts by all so far... perhaps Mike H. will let us post 3 additional favorite items to this thread, come February...

Mark,

I got a call from a gentleman in either 1996 or '97 who was retired in the New England area and saw an ad I had placed in some hobby magazine (maybe VCBC?) for vintage Cleveland Indians items. He said that for years he was one of the main designers/artists at Balfour, and when he retired he took much -- if not all -- of his work with him. He explained that when a team won the World Series and chose Balfour to produce its championship rings, the company would present 3-4 sketches of possible designs to the team's ownership. He said he kept all of the designs that eventually were chosen by the clubs through the years.

I forget now what all he had, but he said the list included a lot of Yankees rings from the 1950s and '60s, along with designs of some All-Star rings. He knew what he had, figuring that the Yankee pieces were worth the most and at first wasn't even sure he wanted to sell any of them. This was just before it was common for folks to e-mail scans back and forth, so all I was going on was his descriptions of the artwork. After a couple more calls during the next few weeks he agreed to sell me the 1948 artwork for $600. I was a bit nervous, because though I had an idea of what I was buying, I had yet to see anything. But when it arrived I thanked my lucky stars that he had contacted me.

I never even asked about buying the rest of the collection, and I keep expecting to see pieces show up in an auction, but I never have.

The ring was acquired in a Jerry Smolin About Time auction in late 2001. I'll always remember when it was because the auction ended about a month after 9/11. I think that the timing of the auction and the mindset of our country at the time played a part in keeping the price down. I know that I paid far less than what I expected, something that doesn't seem to happen very often.

The one thing I'm missing that would complete the trifecta is a presentation box the rings came in. If memory serves, Leland's auctioned one in the mid-1990s, but because that was before I had either the artwork or the ring, I didn't give much thought to bidding on it.