Well,
this is the part we've
all been waiting for...THE NATIONAL..How was it? GREAT!! I think
everyone that attended had a great time. I hung my hat in the
booth of my buds, Herbert Thomas the third, and Chris Galbreath...me
and a whole contingent of their collector buds as well. Their
booth was sort of the collector central meet up
place for a lot of us. When I got there I told Chris about my previously
mentioned $10.00 Spalding ring bat find, and he told me to go
get it he wanted to see it. As mentioned earlier I was kind of
clueless as to what it was worth. Chris took a long look at it
said he thought it would bring $500.00 on eBay as it was. Then
he showed Matt Hart who said he thought it would easily bring
$600.00. I like those guys! And they introduced me to Bill
Rayburn from Murray Kentucky who said he could restore it. Sure
enough I left it with him and he sent it to me a few weeks later
and it now looks great! I posted photos earlier in the pre-con
road trip part of this story, but here it is again.
BEFORE
AND AFTER RESTORATION PHOTOS
C1880
SPALDING BASEBALL BAT FOUND
LYING
ON THE GROUND SOAKING WET AT
ANTIQUEFEST
LIVERPOOL NEW YORK
photographed
wet on location shortly after finding
photographed
dry
before
restoration
After
restoration by Bill Rayburn
Bill Rayburn
explaining restoration technique
he
would use on Spalding ring
bat
One
night during the convention week Chris and Herbert took me to
Bill's room at the Sheraton. Bill was sharing the room with two
other Bills, Bill Kopperud, and Billy Nix, all great guys...what
a blast their room was. They had their own, invitation only, mini convention going
on...stuff all over the place for sale.
It
was fun
stacked on fun. Another extracurricular activity was the Net54
dinner. The official name I guess would be the Net54Baseball.com
National Sports Collectors dinner.
Time
to get to it, but before we begin I'll clarify there were many more items at
the National than I feature here. I'm only showing the things I subjectively
felt were the best display pieces. Alright, let's get with it,
first up Hunt Auctions.
BOOTH
OF
HUNT
AUCTIONS
First up in the Hunt Auctions booth was an exceptional c1890 shaving mug with an illustrated baseball
game scene showing a runner sliding into home with the catcher
reaching to catch the ball. It was monogrammed A.S. Hakinger. You see
baseball shaving mugs now and then on the market but I don't recall one
with a game action scene. And this one was in pretty nice condition; the
gold around the rim was well intact, and the scene was nice and clear, a
classic example. 3 5/8" tall, $3,600.00.
Next was
a c1930 advertising display for Tip-Top bread which registered the daily price
of butter, featuring two boys eating sandwiches, one wearing a baseball
glove. 16 1/2" tall x 10" wide, $325.00.
Next was a comical
art print illustrated by C.M. Coolidge1844-1934 of dogs in the stands watching
dogs play a baseball game. Coolidge is probably best known for a set of
prints he did showing dogs playing poker, So this baseball themed one
would probably be an offshoot of the poker ones. However this baseball
one was much more deluxe than usually seen, in that it measured 17 1/2" wide by 14
1/4" tall framed. And the period frame was decorated with a hand of
playing cards in the top left corner and poker chips in the top right
corner, and a miniature bat, glove and baseball in between. Across the
bottom was the title "One to tie - Two to win" $950.00.
Next
was a wall mounted match holder which advertised Consols Cigarettes and
featured a colorful caricature of an 1880's baseball batter. Excellent condition, 8" tall x 4 3/4" wide, $1,750.00.
Next up was a
c1930's tan dog eared football helmet with a Spalding logo and the date
1934 written by hand and the name illegible, $475.00.
Next was another
brown leather football helmet, no chin strap or maker, $425.00.
Next,
another leather football helmet, this one black, made by Victor Wright and
Ditson, broken strap, $475.00.
Next was a nice
little die cut advertising sign for Wright and Ditson tennis goods. It
wasn't hugely striking but reasonably nice. For some reason vintage
tennis equipment advertising signs are considerably more rare than
baseball and football ones, and die cut ones even more. 16" tall x
6 3/4" wide, $160.00
Next
up was a c1930 paper advertising sign for Wonder Bread featuring a
football player with his helmet to the side spreading jam on a slice of
bread. Had what appeared to be slight water stains in the upper area,
with a home made frame. 45 1/2" wide x 32 3/4" tall, $650.00
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