Billy Pierce Display Items

I haven't added any cards to my Billy Pierce binder in months. Frankly, I don't see myself adding anything new to the Pierce card binder for a while. There are only two on my want list and neither is easy. The '59 Bazooka is very pricey and the 1959 Topps Venezuelan version of his card with Bob Friend, #156 Ace Hurlers, is very scarce.

But that doesn't mean my Pierce quest has been fruitless. Over the past few months I've come across photos, postcards, and display items. The first of which completes a 'want' I've chased (in the dark) for a couple of years.

I had seen references to a set of drinking glasses issued by the White Sox after they won the 1959 AL title. I assumed that BP would be on one but given that he was snubbed in the Series by Al Lopez I wondered. I had a couple of eBay saved searches going for years but nothing turned up. Then a few weeks ago I saw the glass that I posted at the top. It was a bit more costly than I expected but not crazy given how rarely they turn up.

I put in a bid and won it. It showed up, packed expertly, last week. It is sitting on one of my glassware shelves on my wall here next to my desk. Looks sweet up there.

Here are shots of the sides:

The glass is in such nice shape I wondered if it actually was something produced that long ago. I did a little more digging and saw that a few sets of these had been available through various major auction houses over the years. So I'm assuming it's legit. These two pics came from the auctions:

In addition to the glass, I added a New Comiskey Stadium giveaway premium. This is one of those 'stretched canvas' type things and was handed out to fans in July of 2007 on what was apparently Billy Pierce Day.

This one is supposedly from his estate. It came with a letter stating such but they are not rare. I've since seen several on eBay at a similar price.

Here's another angle showing more of the side and the fact that it has a frame. Well, it's sort of a better shot. LOL

I haven't put it up on the wall yet. That'll take a decision on what comes down. Wall space in my hobby room/office is at a premium these days. 

I have a few other BP paper items that'll show up very soon.

Odd Things

I just found out on Monday that there is something called the 'Golden Age' Hall of Fame ballot. Ten former players (and an exec I think) are up for election. The names include Dick Allen, Tony Oliva and more. Billy Pierce is also among the nominated players. 

While it would be cool for him to make the Hall I have no expectations of him doing so. To be honest I'm in the 'too many guys get in now' camp. But that's a thought for another day. 

I recently picked up my second 1980 Marchant Exhibit card. These are reprints of the original 'arcade' Exhibits and I discussed them a few weeks ago.

They come in three colors, a 'rainbow' as it were, and I have the red and blue tinted ones now. I need the sepia one. Funny thing is the original Pierce Exhibits are much more plentiful than Marchant's reprints.

I found a listing on eBay for Marchant Exhibit Ernie Banks cards and the photo showed a Banks 'rainbow'. The seller calls them Sepia, blue and brown. That means either the 'brown' is what I've seen called 'red' or there is another color in the 'rainbow'.

The Pierce was part of a two part eBay 'lot' which included this Jimmy Piersall. They cost me $2 total and I was happy to pick up the Piersall. He's quite a story.

Finally here's an oddball Pierce item I found while searching for something else. The stadium cup was listed as a 1996 item. Billy shares the side of the cup with Minnie Minoso and Sherm Lollar. 

Not 'Selfies", these are 'Shelfies'!

I'll leave the pouty faces to teenage girls and silly baby memes and post a couple of pics of what's currently on the walls on my home office. I guess you can click the pics to view them bigger.

Up top, my replica Orioles game give-away bronze statues. From left: Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver, Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson. The Cal Ripken is on it's way via an eBay win. I had waited that one out because the prices were too high. I finally found one for a reasonable price.

The pennant is one I picked up in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame shop years ago, It's one of those nice heavy felt embroidered ones that commemorates the 1966 Series. The date is behind Frank in the picture and you can't really get a feel for the quality of the thing in a picture.

I rotate my bobbleheads as the mood strikes and here is what currently sits on the shelf. From left: 'Lil Red' the Nebraska mascot, both of my Sandy Koufax bobbles, Cal Ripken, a Gold Glove commemorative Brooks Robinson, Guy V. Lewis, Frank Robinson (as a Red), Johnny U., a very sweet ceramic S.A.M. Brooks Robinson bobble, Jim Palmer and Shasta, the Houston mascot.

I had a Jim Palmer S.A.M. ceramic at one time. They are really high quality and I bought them for my boys who are named for those two Oriole stars. Sadly my Jim knocked the ceramic Jim off my desk and into 10,000 pieces not long after I bought him. That's what I get for letting clumsy pre-teens get near my 'stuff'.

Oddball Orioles Stuff #2

Have you ever found something stashed away in your collection and not only have no clue where it came from but not even know what it was?

That's how it was with this Jim Palmer item. It looked like some sort of bookmark. On the front is the picture and text promoting the Donnelley Yellow Pages with a reference to codes to use with an information 'hotline'. You could get O's ticket info, scores, etc. The text is applied to a peel off sticker I'm guessing was meant to be stuck on your (land line) phone. 

The back has a flowery bio and highlights of Palmer's career. The 'card' has two horizontal folds but they looked to be not part of the original design. I don't know where I got it but it likely came from my aunt who lived in Baltimore and liked to send my O's stuff she came across.

The thing puzzled me. I couldn't think of what the origins might be. I looked at it a few times and had it laying on my desk for a couple of months and then I finally decided to try to find something on the 'net.

After a couple of attempts I tried googling "Donnelley Yellow Pages Jim Palmer" and the first hit answered my  questions. There was an eBay auction for a "JIM PALMER HALL of FAME PIN - rare -" that went on to describe the item as a stadium giveaway. The below picture (which I took from the listing) shows the 'card' and a pin of some sort (it's very hard to distinguish in the crappy photo) commemorating the H-o-F election of the Oriole righthander. Here is the text of the listing:

The pin is gold in color shows PALMER 22 ORIOLES with HALL OF FAME running vertically on both sides.  A clasp is on the back. Can be worn as a lapel pin, tie tack or sweater pin.

No date is given but logic would lead me to believe that it was issued at a game at Memorial Stadium later in the 1990 season (he was a member of that year's class) or, more likely, sometime in 1991. Here is the picture from the listing. The pin and card are still in the plastic packaging. My card doesn't show a 'pinhole' so I guess the pin is loose in the package.

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Well this isn't as earth-shattering as discovering a previously unknown t206 card but at least my curiosity is satisfied. I've got a fair sized pin collection and I'd like to add this one but 1) I already have a couple of Palmer pins and 2) $10 plus shipping is more than I'm going to pay for something I can't even get a good look at.