Misc. Memorabilia | Play Ball!

Baseball memorabilia comes in many forms. This ceramic mug celebrated the success of the 1954 Indianapolis Indians, who were lucky enough to have two future stars on their roster, Rocky Colavito and Herb Score. The Tribe also featured a pair of former Negro League players on their way up to the majors, Sam "Toothpick" Jones and Harry "Suitcase" Simpson. As an added bonus, the mug is adorned with Chief Wahoo in his prime. Also displayed here is an assortment of oddball baseball memorabilia that includes Hartland statues, 78 and 33 RPM records, popcorn megaphones, countertop displays, decals, glasses, stamps, a bat bank, a calendar, a tabletop pinball game, bobbleheads of a bird and a cat, and much more. Enjoy the ride!

Figurines of players were made throughout the game's history, but none were comparable to those produced by Hartland Plastics of Hartland, Wisconsin, from 1958 to 1962. Made of mold-injected acetate plastic resin, the figurines featured many of baseball's biggest contemporary stars, along with Babe Ruth. Despite good sales, the company was sold in 1963 to Revlon, which ended production of the plastic statues so it could repurpose the equipment that made them.

Misc. Memorablia

Disc records were wildly popular throughout the mid 20th century. While most played music, some offered playing tips for kids from ballplayers. In the early 1960s, Columbia Records produced the popular Auravison set of records, which included the many of biggest stars of day.

Deep down the rabbit hole of oddball items is the versatile popcorn megaphone. They had a brief heyday in the 1960s. Besides serving the duel purpose of holding popcorn and amplifying one's voice — does it really work? — the colorful fold-up megaphones showcased some of the finest logos baseball has ever seen.

Here are a pair of countertop advertising displays. The first is a 1949 Jimmy Fund premium, while the second calls attention to Spic 'n' Span Cleaners, which produced a variety of regional issues highlighting the Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s.

For those who love cartoon baseball mascots, decals and stickers are a great place to start. The most popular cartoon mascot of all, the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo, is represented here, as well as Oakland Oaks mascot from the late 1940s. Also fitting into this category are 1955 Post Cereal patches. One with the Orioles' mascot is displayed above.

Here is a display of commemorative glasses from the 1950s and 1960s. The Pirates' glass celebrates its 1960 championship, while the Cardinals' glass commemorates its 1964 title.

A number of sets of stamps have depicted ballplayers since the early 20th century, including one (pictured below) that celebrates the New York Yankees' 1943 World Series crown. Also included here are stamps from the 1949 Eureka set, which features National League players, and the 1964 Wheaties set, which includes players from all 20 MLB teams.

For kids who saved their spare change for baseball cards, a Louisville Slugger bat bank was a good place to put it. This one is from 1956. Each bat represents an American League team. The earliest one I've seen is from 1955, and each bat represents a player on the Baltimore Orioles. These were made by the Van Dine Bros. of Wyckoff, New Jersey. The bats were made of wood in the early years, and plastic in later years. I'm not sure how long production continued — I've seen a Ryne Sandberg bat, so they were made through at least the early 1980s.

This writing tablet came out during WWI, around the time pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander signed up for the war effort. Alexander saw acton in Europe, but came back shell-shocked and deaf in one ear, and was never the same pitcher again. Still, he remains one of game's greatest pitchers ever — and in the 1926 World Series, he had one last moment of glory when he struck out Tony Lazzeri with the 7th Game on the line, despite a hangover. Nevertheless, "Pete" won 373 games, and his 90 shutouts trail only Walter Johnson on the all-time list.

Called bobbleheads or nodders, these iconic souvenirs first appeared around 1960. You can tell the Orioles bobblehead is an early one because the team name is painted and not a decal. Most of them featured cherub-faced boys, but a bird was used for the Orioles and Cardinals, along with a bear for the Cubs and a cat for the Tigers. The Orioles bobblehead predates the famous funny bird that first appeared on caps in 1966, the year the Orioles won their first World Series, while the Tigers bobblehead was produced in the mid-1960s.

This commemorative plate celebrates the legacy of the Almendares Baseball Club, which was founded in Havana, Cuba, in 1878. The team, whose mascot was the scorpion, won 24 league titles and featured on its rosters an array of major league stars like Adolph Luque, Monte Irvin, Sam Jethroe and Connie Marrero, along with future television star Chuck Connors (see the next item blow).

Here's a closeup of a 1948-49 Almenadres team premium. Pictured here are bunch of notable players, including Hall of Famer Monte Irvin (third from the left in the second row), Fermin "Mike" Guerra (second from the left in the first row), future movie star Chuck Connors (to the left of Irvin), Morrie Martin (second from the right in the bottom row), Hector Rodriguez (above Irvin) and Mike Sandlock (middle row on the right). The team played in the Cuban Winter League.

Here's another close-up of the 1948-49 Almenadres team premium. Pictured here are future Orioles shortstop Willy Miranda (top row, second from right), one-time Dodger Al Gionfriddo (top row on the right) and Sam Jethroe (middle row, second from the left). Jethroe would go on to win the National League's Rookie of the Year in 1950. Gionfriddo is best known for robbing Joe Dimaggio of a home run in the 1947 World Series.

Here's the last closeup of the 1948-49 Almendares team premium. Pictured here is Cuban pitching legend Connie Marrero (second from the left on the bottom). Despite arriving in the majors at the ripe old age of 39, Marrero was arguably the Washington Senators' best pitcher since Walter Johnson.

Here's a bat that once belonged to catcher Ed Bailey that was signed by his 1958 Reds teammates, including Frank Robinson, Roy McMillan, Joe Nuxhall, Don Hoak and many others.

Known as the Pitcher's Battle, this tabletop pinball game was endorsed by Detroit Tigers pitcher Tommy Bridges, and produced by Robert G. Kollmorgen in 1935. They were sold at the J.L. Hudson department store in Detroit, perhaps exclusively. Bridges was the Tigers' ace between the Depression and WWII. This comes from Kollmorgen's obituary — he died in 2008 at 95. "Ten thousand game boards were sold at J. L. Hudson’s in Detroit. He obtained five additional contracts from other baseball stars of the era to produce other game boards. Due to World War II, materials became unavailable and no more game boards were produced."

Here is a pocket mirror featuring the St. Louis Browns mascot from 1952-53, when Bill Veeck owned the team, and Satchel Paige pitched for it. The mascot, known as a Brownie, comes from folklore. According to one source, Brownies were industrious and solitary household spirits

— and distinct from elves and fairies.

Here is a 1961 Los Angeles Angels premium team photo issued by Falstaff Bear, which was an Angels' sponsor. An expansion team, the Angels exceeded expectations while playing in old Wrigley Field, where 248 home runs were hit — a major league record that stood until the steroid era. Pictured are former Reds' star Ted Kluszewski, PCL legend Steve Bilko, one-time Browns ace Ned Garver, three-time all-star pitcher Ken McBride, longtime Senators third baseman Eddie Yost and pint-sized Albie Pearson, who quickly became a fan favorite.