1955 Dodgers Schaefer Beer Question

[laughlinfan]

Thought I would tap the collective wealth of knowledge on this board and ask about one of my favorite display items. The 1955 World Champion Dodgers advertising piece is pretty popular among Brooklyn collectors, but I have often wondered about how it was issued. I initially thought these were probably sent to bars (or maybe beer distributors) in the vicinity of Brooklyn, but if that were the case, it seems very few would have survived, and those that did would have been pretty yellow from smoke stains, one would think. And it seems that an item this elaborate/unique (and probably tough to manufacture and assemble) would not have been created for such a limited distribution. Any chance that maybe this was some sort of redemption or premium item that could be sent away for? Adding to the mystery a bit - when I got mine many years ago, I was surprised to find that I also got a sheet that I believe came with it originally that shows who each player is on the display - if this were to be displayed in a bar, what would you do with the sheet? Again it seems to perhaps be something that was targeted more towards fans than as a point of sale advertising display. Anyone have any good info on this. (Or simply want to speculate with me?)

[sayhey24]

Very good questions Marty -- I never considered that it was anything but a point-of-sale item -- I thought bars and stores. While it's not incrediby rare, I don't think it's that common either.
I think it's probably one of the most beautiful of all post-war baseball advertising items. I'm especially fond of mine because it's one of the very first pieces in my collection -- I've had it since my parents got it for me as a kid somewhere around 1970.

Greg

[MK]

What an excellent question! I have always considered this one of the great collectibles commemorating Brooklyn's greatest moment. This is only speculation, but since Schaefer Beer was brewed in Brooklyn and a huge advertiser, you could probably find one of these in every window front right after the World Series and throughout 1956. Given the number of retailers in Brooklyn alone, this might explain why they are not as rare as some other pieces.

[Westsiders]

Took my son to Cooperstown this past summer, as he was playing in the Cooperstown Dream's tournament. First free moment I had, I took him down to check out the HOF.

Naturally, after leaving the HOF, we checked out the all (of the many) memorabilia shops that lined the street. Most of the shops offered the same exact items....got pretty monotonous. But one of the shops did have the '55 Dodgers Schaefer sign, and I must say, the sign is amazing in person (pictures really don't do it justice).

When I asked the shop owner for the price, he hit me with a price tag of $4K. Obviously, I balked at the price, but when I tried to negotiate, he wouldn't budge. Said it was one of his favorite pieces from his personal collection, and really didn't want to let it go. I don't blame him.

Great piece Marty.

[khkco4bls]

Usually a 1000 to upward 1500.

[bigfanNY]

I have owned 3 or 4 of these over the years living near NYC and They are very nice when all the heads are not bent. I have seen the displayed in a shadowbox and that seems the best way to display. All of the ones I got my hands on were very nice and were either taken right home from a bar when given to Bar owner or given to someone from a Schaffer employee. I am sure when they came out EVERY Dodger fan in Dodger Nation went after them explaining why they are not that uncommon.

[JayZim13]

The 1955 Schaeffer sign should be the backbone of any Brooklyn Dodger collector. Although they are not super rare, they are still tough to obtain, especially with all the heads intact. I believe they were distributed in bars but could have been sent to other retail stores in Brooklyn.

There is an additional piece to the sign. There is a paper diagram listing each of the players in their row.

I have one and have only seen one other. I will attach a scan.

[laughlinfan]

Thanks for posting your ID sheet, Jay - I have one also, and that led me to believe that whoever produced this was aware that it would probably not just be a point of sale piece. It probably was a pretty cool item back in '55, and I certainly could see Dodger fans pestering their friends who worked for Schaefer to get them one!

They seem to pop up once or twice a year on the Bay or in auctions, and quite often they do have issues with missing heads or badly creased necks. Hard enough for an oversized "2D" item to survive in nice shape for 60 years, and these usually show battle scars due to their construction. Ones in fairly nice shape don't seem to change hands too often, and based on the comments here I think we can understand why - perhaps one of the nicest display items produced.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and help!

Happy collecting!

[perezfan]

It also came with an easel-back (which is detached on at least half of the surviving examples). I thought that would be a cool way to display it, as opposed to hanging. But the 3 examples I've owned all had a torn or detached easel... not sturdy enough to support the piece.

So I eventually sold/traded all of them. Very tough piece to find in nice condition, and the example in the first post is probably in the top 5%. Great post!

[Rickyy]

That sign is in great condition! I also owned one before but not as nice. It's really one of the best advertising pieces ever. I replaced my 3D one with the table top mini card. I imagine a lot of these got folded and tossed out over the years...



Ricky Y

[keithsky]

I also own one of these tabletop ones but have been trying to find a 3D one I could afford for a while now. Nice way to display that Ricky and I might think about doing something like that. I just have mine in a topload right now for the past couple years.

[khkco4bls]

Michaels craft store has a shadow box that fits that 3D piece perfectly for display. Thats what mine is in. Ill attach photo later.

[laughlinfan]

Hey guys - I really like the tabletop tent style ad - have taken a run at a few of those before but have always come up a little short. I remember seeing an auction a while ago for one of these where they included the identification sheet with it - still seems more likely that the sheet went with the 3D piece, but potentially they could have all come together in one big box when they were distributed.

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by khkco4bls

Usually a 1000 to upward 1500.

Holy cow. I sold one here on the bst last year for around $400.

Was NOT easy to ship. Lots of delicate stuff sticking out all over the place.

Tom C

[perezfan]

Yes... I've seen them go for lots less, too. Often in the $400 - $600 range. But in pristine condition, I could see it going for over $1K...

[khkco4bls]

Tom do u still have a photo

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by khkco4bls

Tom do u still have a photo

I will search for the bst listing and post a link here.

Tom C

[btcarfagno]

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...light=schaefer

Tom C

[doug.goodman]

I just bought one of these (most recent REA) that doesn't have Campy's head, does anybody in Net54-land have one that they could scan (he's seated in the front row, so a scan is possible) for me? I have found a few images on line, but none are of very good quality. I just got it today, so I still need to do some more involved searches on line, but if one of you guys has one, I'm betting it would be a better image.

Thanx in advance.
Doug

[laughlinfan]

This work OK?

[doug.goodman]

Thank you Marty. I think that might be just what I need.

Doug

[jerseygary]

That's awesome! I love to see a happy ending for once! Please post a picture to show how it turned out. That is a beautiful piece from a storied team.

[rlevy]

I wanted to revive this thread from 6 years ago as I believe I have a little more info regarding these displays. I just purchased one, and it was shipped to me collapsed flat in the original box from when these were originally made. I have attached pictures below of the display flat as well as the box, which says “Sweeney Litho” and “Brooklyn Dodgers” in light pencil, but also has a full address for Sweeney Litho in New York as well. The person I acquired this from said he found both the display and box in his father’s things, but he doesn’t know how he acquired them. He also said his father had been in the advertising business, so he could well have acquired it though business contacts. However, since the item was originally delivered to Sweeney Litho, I think it seems likely that they were an art dealer (rather than a fabricator), and that the item was subsequently sold by them in a retail environment. This doesn’t mean they weren’t distributed though other means, but based on the box, retail sales seem to me to have been likely.

Rick

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[JackW]

Great info and a tremendous piece!

[perezfan]

What a beauty!

There's another current thread about threads that should not be bumped. This is one that NEEDED to be bumped. I've got to find one of these someday, but it's so difficult to find one in nice shape.

Very envious of you guys that have one!

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by perezfan

What a beauty!

There's another current thread about threads that should not be bumped. This is one that NEEDED to be bumped. I've got to find one of these someday, but it's so difficult to find one in nice shape.

Very envious of you guys that have one!

Agree. One of the coolest items of baseball memorabilia of all time.

[Chris Counts]

"I've got to find one of these someday."

I agree. After seeing this thread, the search is on for me.

[dwr11]

There was an extremely nice one of these on eBay within the last couple of weeks. I should have just sucked it up and put in a crazy price to win it. I think it went for around $1250.00.

[khkco4bls]

1251.09