Hanging On To Your Collection: A Pennant For Your Thoughts

Before my family owned an auto, day trips were taken by bus or boat on Lake Michigan. On rare occasions a family friend or relative invited my family to “Take a ride in the country”. Sitting in the back seat between the other lady and my Mother, these early adventures required complete silence on my part and an obstructed view of the countryside we were driving through.

n bus trips we would visit the usual tourist places like the Madison State Capitol, Devils Lake, Wisconsin Dells or Cave of the Mounds.

Boat trips were on the Milwaukee Clipper, sailing out of Milwaukee for Muskegan, Michigan and back in one day. Our visits were very short but I was intrigued with traveling and have continued to be all of my adult life.

Collectible souvenirs from the era of the late Forties and early Fifties were plentiful. There were many produced in post war Japan and sold at every gas station, cafe, drugstore, novelty shop and even in motel lobbies along the roads. Souvenir trinkets, wearables, use-ables or just dust collectors were fitted with a small decal sticker, painted or printed with the name of the town or area selling the goods to show off to friends that one actually made it to some exotic location like Gary, Indiana.

Today these items are still collectible, and no salt and pepper collection is complete without a wood block set from Wall Drugs, or the Corn Palace.

But for guys like me, too young to hang pictures of Marilyn or Jayne on my bedroom walls, the souvenir pennant was ideal. It was bragging proof I had actually ventured outside of the county limits.

These pennants were made of soft, heavy felt material with thick “painted” logos and lettering. On the wide end were two felt ties. The came in a couple sizes to fit into your budget. Later I added some baseball and Wisconsin Badger pennants. Since mine were hung, sunlight faded the fabric. Vintage examples for sale today often show fading and loss or cracked paint from being rolled up or from handling, leaving most in less than perfect condition. Newer examples have light printing on stiffer material and no ties, some even have pre-punched hanging holes.

Today lots of sports pennants are collected, baseball teams and special games are always in demand. A sports hero signing one can add great value to any pennant. Sports collectors often display pennants on walls with other memorabilia. These colorful pieces are attractive wall hangings for a bedroom, den, family room, or office. And let’s not forget the vast number of sports bars around the country, somebody had to collect all the goodies hanging on the walls in these places.

If you have started or would like to add some to your collectibles, please remember what we all stress in our writings here at Collectors Quest: Always consider condition, rarity, and cost before any purchase. And most important in any dealings with signed items, is it real?