WORLD'S LARGEST INFORMATION SOURCE FOR SPORTS DISPLAY ANTIQUES

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MARCH 18th-14th

2009

MARCH

22nd- 28th 

2009

MARCH 29th- 

APRIL 4th 

2009

APRIL

19th- 25th 

2009

One of the authors 

favorites!

MAY 

3rd- 9th

2009

One of the authors favorites!

MAY

24th- 30th 

2009

STERLING

21" W 18" T

PRESENTATION

SILVER 

BY REED AND  BARTON 

One of the authors favorites!

One of the authors favorites!

PIG SKIN

FOOTBALL

SHAPED

LUCKY CURVE

SKIFF

LARGE ROUND TENNIS

TIRE REPAIR

ALL AMERICAN VARNISH

CHYP

ZUT

JOE LOUIS

HAIR 

POMADE

GOLF CLUB

BOTTLES

ENSIGN

MIXTURE SAIL BOAT

Good sports tins are pretty rare. If you're active and continually hunting sports antiques, you come across sports tins every once in a great while. This small collection pictured above took me about 18 years to assemble. The rarest one you see there is the tan Pig-skin Mixture  at front center. It's shaped like an actual football, and is from about 1890. I got that at the Atlantique City antiques show about 12 years ago for $600.00 I think it was. I bought it on the last day of the show, in the last hour of the show. I once heard there are only 7 known examples of it. The latest one I got is the mustard colored All American Varnish tin with the football player. You can see it in the back upper right. I got it on eBay for $12.00 I think it was. It's from the 1930's, have never seen another. That Skiff one with the single sculler rower is a nice little tin. I met a guy named Jan Goedhart on eBay from Holland, eBay handle "tincollectors". He's the biggest dealer in Europe for tins. He knows I like the sports tins and offered me the Skiff for $100.00. It was kind of a no-brainer for that! It's the only one I've ever seen. It's English but still cool. It's neat when you meet people thru eBay. Jan is very helpful and shares his knowledge on tins. If you're a serious collector, Jan is just the kind of guy you want to know. He has years of experience in the Euro tins, so I was able to learn from him. That's very valuable as he's probably the world's most knowledgeable on the Euro tins. The orangish red Lucky Curve tin at dead center is another pretty rare tin. It's what is referred to as a "lunch box" style. I got that probably 10-12 years ago at the All American Antiques show in Glendale California, near Los Angles. I think I paid $350 for it, from Kim and Mary Kokles of Texas. They are one of the top advertising dealers in the country, and started the Indianapolis Advertising show. All these tins are basically reasonably priced. But there are some exotic antique sports tins that are pretty pricey. I'd say the top four sports tins would be the Home Run tin, the Home Run Stogie tin, the Ty Cobb pocket tin, and the Cy Young cigar tin. The Ty Cobb tin would probably be considered the Mother of all Sports tins, and goes for major bank. These four tins were in the April 2005 Robert Edward Auction of Watchung New Jersey www.robertedwardauctions.com I was taken back to see all four tins offered at once. See them below with the closing prices they sold for in that auction less premium:

Rob Lifson, president of Robert Edward Auctions was kind enough to provide photos of the tins above. Another interesting development in the sports tin world was the recent sale of another very rare circa 1890's baseball  pocket tin called "3 strikes". This tin was auctioned on April 8th 2005, as lot number #201 by the Wm Morford auction house of Cazenovia New York. www.morfauction.com . The closing price before premium was $11,500.00. This was the first time in 18 years I'd seen it offered. Till then I'd only seen it pictured in a book on tins. Another quite rare sports tin that was in that same auction was Lot # 126,  "Golf Girl" talcum tin. It sold for $875.00 plus 10% premium. Take a look below to see these exciting tins!

I attended the Grass Valley Old West Antiques Show, in Grass Valley California on Saturday May 13th 2006. The show is incredible and one of the best antiques shows in the country. I was too pressed for time to do a story on this years show, however I'll post a photo of the best thing I saw...an 1899 bicycle race poster from Carson City Nevada. I was so taken I forgot to measure it, but it was big, framed it was about 40 inches tall by 30 wide. It sold to renowned collector Peter Sidlow of Las Vegas for $4,500.00. It was not only the best thing I saw, but probably the best bicycle poster I've ever seen. Congrats Peter!

click photos

Circa 1890 Edwin J. Gillies 

football coffee tin at top center

I did find one item at the show....a circa 1890 Edwin J. Gillies coffee tin with an illustration of a football game. My friend John Bounaguidi was set up, and had gotten gotten two of these tins, one white, one red, out a a Hunt's auctions a year or so ago. He had the red one at the show and offered it to me for what he gave, which was $considerable$. I think it's a little faded, as I've seen another red one that wasn't. I couldn't make up my mind, so John told me to take it home and see how it works in my collection. I worked it in with my other tins and it looks pretty nice, plus my girl friend Barbara thinks I should get it, so darn I guess I'll have to now...it'$ only money!

If you can believe it, the Gillies Coffee Company is still in business, and they have a website with they're history. Seems they were a major player in the coffee business in New York City starting in 1840. Click here to read they're interesting story.

I've only seen a few examples of this tin in 18 years, and always wanted it. I'd sort of like to wait for one in a little better condition, but they're so rare I suppose I better bite the bullet while this one's available. Not only are the football graphics really nice, but it's American...not Canadian, not bloody English! On top of that it's one of the best depictions, of 19th century American football used for advertising, and I think it's the only tin with 19th century football.

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PHOTOS

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STORY

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