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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Collectors have 100-plus years for baseball goodies    List Jim Trautman Next   Take Me Out to the Ball Game   By Jim Trautman Riding on the New York City subway on a summer day in 1908, Jack Norworth noticed an advertisement reading, “Ball Game Today at the Polo Grounds” which, at the time, was the home of the New York Giants baseball team.   Norworth went home and was inspired to write the famous song that is still a standard at many ball parks today and during the Seventh Inning stretch at Wrigley Field, Chicago, Take Me Out To The Ball Game was played.   Some interesting history about the song is Jack Norworth was a vaudeville performer and songwriter, but he had never been to a baseball park in his life and did not enter one until 1942 when he was honoured at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.   With that song, another ball park tradition was born, Cracker Jacks. The caramel coated popcorn, peanuts and molasses product had been developed in 1893 and sold at the 1893 World’s Fair, better known as the Columbian Exposition, in Chicago, Illinois.   Cracker Jack sales were good, but they skyrocketed when the public began to sing the song, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, I don't care if I never get back.   To increase repeat sales of Cracker Jacks, the company hit upon the idea to put a prize or item in every box to keep customers returning for more. Starting in 1912, the company motto became, “A Prize in Every Box”.   Since Cracker Jacks and baseball were now linked in the public’s mind and sold at the ball parks, the company began to issue baseball picture cards in the box. In 1914, a set of 144 players cards were issued with one being included inside every box of Cracker Jacks.   The famous players were all represented on cardboard: Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, and Shoeless Joe Jackson, who would become famous during the rigged 1919 Black Sox World Series. The cards measured 2 ¼” x 3”. A complete set today would be valued at $300,000.   In 1915, a larger set of 176 players was issued, this time the cards could be found inside the boxes or one could send in a coupon and 25 cents for the set. Today, a complete set is valued at $130,000.   Cracker Jacks continued to include baseball prizes in their boxes over the years, from pins with pictures of players, plastic figures and, in 1992, miniature reproductions of the 1914, 1915 cards.   Baseball teams began to issue individual player photos, which were used as giveaways at special days at the ball park or sent through the mail to fans who wrote to the players. In addition, photos and many other types of souvenirs became another way to produce revenue for the ball club.   It was not only the major league teams that issued collectible material, but minor league ball clubs got into the act as well. For many years, the Boston Red Sox issued 25 sepia-toned photo cards of the team members. Photos could be purchased individually or as a complete set. The entire set of 25 now sells for $350.   The Ted Williams photo is valued at $60. Dom Dimaggio, Joe’s Dimaggio’s little brother, had a fantastic baseball career of his own with the Boston Red Sox, but his photo is a mere $15.   In the 1950s, the Milwaukee Braves issued several beautiful full colour action shots of their players. The high quality photos of such famous Braves as Eddie Mathews and Henry Aaron are sought by collectors.   A trip to the ball park would not be complete without a program. Anyone who has been to a ball park can still remember that sound of sellers hawking, “Programs, get today’s game program. You cannot tell one player from another without a program.”   Almost from the first game in the 1800s, teams have sold some type of program in the park. It should be noted that the addition of numbers on baseball players uniforms did not appear until employed by the New York Yankees in 1929.   How could one tell one player from the next without a program? Starting at the turn of the 20th century, when photos became inexpensive, the program included a photo of every player and one large team photo.   Many programs have become valuable. World Series programs are always special. In some cases, when a player was traded during the course of the season, he still remained in the team program because some teams issue an update of their programs over the course of a season, although many do not.   The program from the first Major All-Star Game played in 1933 in Chicago is sought after by collectors. The All-Star Game was played at Comiskey Park, in conjunction with the 1933 Century of Progress World’s Fair held in Chicago.   The concept was to give fans the opportunity once a year to witness the best players from the National and American League in a one-game competition. Briefly in the late 1950s, the All-Star Game was expanded to two games a season. The program from the first game is valuable not only because it was the first, but the galaxy of stars assembled in one game was fantastic.   One usually purchases a program so on a cold, winter night looking at it can bring back the heat, sounds, smells and the other pleasant memories we retain of a day at the ball park.     The other key purchase for a trip to the ball park is a pennant, another item to be put on the wall to support our team. Through the years, hundreds of different pennants have been produced. In fact, one can usually just look at a pennant and be able to tell from which period, or year, it was produced.   The red pennant of the Chicago White Sox of 1959 features not just a sock, but a sock with wings. The 1959 team slogan was “The Go, Go, Sox.” They weren't a heavy hitting team, but one that featured speed and base stealing hence the wings.   The “Go, Go, Sox” played in the World Series that year against the new Los Angeles Dodgers. “New” because the Dodgers had only been in Los Angeles for a few years after fleeing Brooklyn. The Sox and their speed could not overcome the Dodger pitching and lost 4 games to 2.   Many team pennants feature the team logo, names of the players and in some years a team photo was embossed on the pennant. The team photo on the 1968 World Series pennant of the St. Louis Cardinals features the famous Yankee home run hitter Roger Maris. But, in 1968, Maris was a member of the Cardinals.   Even minor teams not only manufacture pennants, but issue special ones that commemorate winning a championship series. The 1985 Syracuse Chiefs, farm team of the Toronto Blue Jays, were the champions of the International Baseball League. A pennant was produced with the names of the team members, many of whom would become stars with the Blue Jays.   A trip to the ball park can mean a free gift. Major and minor teams and their many sponsors have special days where items are given to the paying customers. Team photos, hats, seat cushions, schedules, bats, autographed balls, batting helmets, player photos to have autographed have all been giveaways.   One year, the Syracuse Chiefs sponsor, the Merchants Bank, gave out yellow team raincoats to children attending. In 1971, the Montreal Expos gave out batting helmets in the team colours - red/white/blue. On the back of the helmet is the sponsor of that give way Hygrade Meats.   In one famous incident, a Chicago White Sox game in the late 70s was forfeited over a give away. The team gave every fan a 45 RPM record with baseball songs. The field became littered with the flying records.   Throughout the entire season, teams and their sponsors not only give out material at the ball park, but have mail offers. For many years, police and fire personnel have distributed picture cards. The individual card features a player on the front and on the back is a fire safety or crime tip. Some sets even have the police dog as a team member on its own card.   Baseball and the experience of going to a ball park are memories storied away and the items picked up at the souvenir stand, or from writing to a player, remain forever.   The last photo taken of the crew members of the famous U.S. battleship Maine, destroyed in 1898 in Havana Harbour, is of their baseball team which had just won the military World Series in Key West, Florida.   Enjoy the warm summer weather and if you have the time, take in a game. Remember that when it comes to baseball, the field of collecting is unlimited.     Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2011 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster