Ratsch Peerless Advertising Display

Years ago I saw a postcard that I thought was one of the nicest postcards that I've seen before.

That postcard was for Ratsch Peerless Athletic Goods. 

Ratsch Peerless was a Chicago Sporting Goods Manufacturing Co. as noted on the card.  They sold more than just baseball equipment as boxing gloves and a punching speed bag are also pictured on the card.

The graphics are just awesome with a baseball game in progress with the pitcher, catcher, third baseman and shortstop pictured as well as the batter for the team on offense.  The rest of the team members are seated in their respective dugouts.  The Grandstand looms over the field taking up the majority of the center of the postcard filled with spectators and even the netting behind home plate to protect those fans seated there.

There are two individual players pictured, one on each side in the borders.  One player from the Chicago White Sox and the other player from the Washington squad.  Interestingly the caption at the very bottom of this postcard notes it should be a picture of the "Championship Series 1908, Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers". 

What I didn't know about this postcard when I first saw it was that it was actually more than just an advertisement for Ratsch Peerless sporting goods, but it's an ad for the Ratsch Peerless window display that retailers could order for free.  The writing is printed on the post card not actually hand written as it has been seen on more than one example of the postcard address to different recipients.

Here is the back of the postcard. It reads as follows:

This illustrates our window display panorama.  Do you want one? If so, write us & we will tell you how to get one free. 

Apparently retailers could order a larger version of the front of the postcard to display in their window.  But what the writing doesn't tell us is any details about the display. 

Well, I then found another piece that has the same image as the Ratsch Peerless ad, only this one is for Diamond Brand Athletic Goods.  This piece turned out to be a page from a catalog for  Norvell-Shapleigh Hardware Company from 1910.  And it gives a bit more info to the mystery of the window display.

 



This page from the catalog is larger than the standard size postcard for Ratsch Peerless measuring 12 x 10.5 inches.  At the top of the image it reads, "Diamond Brand Show Window Display". 

But the part that interests me the most is the fine print at the bottom of the page which reads:

   

  The above is a color reproduction of our Diamond Brand Window Display - actual size, 28 inches high, 40 inches wide, 10 inches deep: shows a perfect Base Ball Diamond and Grand Stand; each player is cut out in Cardboard and is in proper position.  The Home Team is dressed in White, the Visitors in Blue; arranged so that and electric light can be inserted, thereby making an effective display at night as well as day. 

 

      Furnished to Handlers of Diamond Brand Base Ball Goods.  Full particulars furnished upon request.

This tells us that the window display was actually not just a flat cardboard sign to be placed in the window, but it was actually a three dimensional display with multiple layers.  Retailers could even place a light inside the display to light it up at night.  And it was quite large at over two feet tall and more than three feet wide. 

 

To date, none of the original displays have ever been found intact so we have to use our imaginations to picture the piece.  I would love to see one if one ever surfaces.

 

I also find it interesting that the same image was used by Ratsch Peerless and Diamond Brand which suggests the displays were actually made by a third party and licensed out to other interested parties.  Similar to how Felix Mendelson printed the M101-4 set and had multiple companies use them to print their own ads on the backs. 

I wouldn't be surprised to find another example with a third company's advertising on it.  What do you guys think?  Do you like these pieces or no?

 

Enjoy the hobby all...it's a great one.

Storage and Display

I have always had the image of a nice home office that is essentially my "Baseball Room". Filled with baseball memorabilia, cards on display, cabinets, autographed balls, vintage equipment and so on and so on.

Well, over the years I have been accumulating a bunch of pieces that will someday go in this room, but I don't have a room. All of my stuff is in boxes, hidden away from sight, most of it is actually in a storage facility. (That makes it sound like I need a whole storage facility to house my collection. Far from it, there's a couple of boxes in there with my baseball stuff.) I do have my cards with me though. I get a lot of joy out of flipping through those little wonders. But even those are kept in a box, out of sight until I pull them out.

I sometimes wonder how other collectors store and/or display their wonderful collections. So, how about you? What do you do with your cards and memorabilia? Do you use albums for your cards, or are they in individual holders in a box like mine? Do you have some on little easels on shelves or on a desk? I know of one collector who had a wonderful way of mounting a bunch of graded cards as a border that went around his entire room with each card side by side. And another collector whose cards were on the walls housed within very nice looking display cases that held about 80 to 100 cards a piece. His collection looks very impressive displayed in this manner.

Some collectors have this whole Memorabilia Room thing figured out just right though. Check out this little corner of heaven that sets the standard to which my goal is set for my own room.

All of the images in this post are from the collection of Joe Kirschner from the New York metro area. He has been collecting these treasures for the past 11 years and has done a very nice job. His room is filled with enough stuff to keep a person busy for a couple days just to take it all in. Look at all of these vintage uniforms! They may not be Barry Halpers revolving closet of Babe Ruth's and Lou Gehrig's and every other HOFer, but these things are the genuine article. Vintage uni's from players that loved the game for the game, not for anything else.

Of course, this is mostly memorabilia, and I am more of a card guy, but I can't deny this stuff is awesome. In fact, like I said earlier, I also pick up this sort of stuff when I can find it at a price I can't turn down, but the fact that whatever I buy ends up in a box in storage keeps me from really seeking it out at this time. Someday though.....aaaaaaah.....someday.

Now, what about cards! How does one properly display his cards? Please share with me what you do. I'd be very happy to post about your collections and the many ways you have found to display them.

Keep your eyes on the prize people and enjoy the hobby, it's a great one.....

To see more more of Joe's collection, you can visit his website here. There are also several other collector's displays showcased on Joe's website.

Barry Halper Auction 1999

I just recently picked up the auction catalog for the Barry Halper sale that Sotheby's had in 1999. I have read about Barry's collection, and have seen several pieces from it in the past, but I never saw the catalog and had no idea what was actually in the auction. I was so curious to finally see the details of the auction, so when I got the catalogs (yes, there are two of them because his collection was so massive) I was very excited.

If you have never seen what this man had in his collection, then you must get a hold of these catalogs and spend some time browsing them. His collection seriously rivaled that of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He had some very important baseball memorabilia.

It wasn't just the cards that have me in awe either, although he did have many great cards. It was the game used items, the personal items of the greats of the game, the shear scope of the collection that floored me.

Remember George Brett's pine tar game? Barry had the actual ball that Brett hit for the home run, the uniform he was wearing, and even the actuall pine tar bat. George did, however, ask Barry for the bat to be returned and he replaced it with another bat that had been used to hit three homeruns in a 1978 AL playoff game against the Yanks. Remember Bill Buckner in 1986? Barry had Bill's glove and shoes from that historic moment. Ever hear of Cy Young? Yeah, Barry had one of his game used jerseys. And what about Cap Anson? You remember, waaaaaay back in the day? Yup, one of his jerseys was in Barry's collection also.

I could go on and on with all the crazy stuff he had. It must have been so amazing to sit in his collection room and just look around at everything in sight. Someday I would like to have an office in my house that is home to the many pieces that I have collected in my life. Luckily for me, my wife wants me to have this room also. Isn't she great.

Barry Halper - 12/03/39 - 12/18/05