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KeyMan
Collectibles |
NEWSLETTER |
August 2023 |
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Have A Good Time Collecting Baseball |
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Steven KeyMan |
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Theme Watches-
By Steven KeyMan |
Founder of
Keymancollectibles.com,
and a long time
collector, Steven
KeyMan has more than 30
years of experience in
researching, and
cataloging information
on Baseball
Memorabilia.
Researching his own personal
collection, and helping others find
information on their
collectibles, the
website grew into the
largest online resource
for baseball
memorabilia |
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Ask
Steven: Direct your questions or feedback,
about Baseball Memorabilia to Steven KeyMan
Steve@keymancollectibles.com You can also Send
KeyMan pictures of your personal Memorabilia Display,
and get your own Free
Collectors Showcase Room featured on the website.. |
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Baseball equipment, cards,
autographs, or photographs, are
typically associated with baseball
memorabilia. Collecting baseball theme
watches... are not. But, it's growing in
popularity. "It's about time."
Collecting watches that feature our
favorite players, is fun and a great
way to pass the time.
The Winchester Sporting Goods Store
pocket watch fobs were produced as a
promotional item in the 1920's. Pocket
watch fob's were a fashionable and
useful accessory in America throughout
the turn of the 20th Century.
The fob refers to the ornament, medallion, or charm, attached to a
pocket-watch chain. It allow them to be
secured to a waistcoat, lapel, or belt
loop, to prevent them from being
dropped.
The Winchester copper Alloy pocket
watch fob features
a baseball and catchers mitt in relief,
over a crossed bat motif. The back of
the fob reads: "Winchester, Sporting
Goods, The Winchester Store"
The
Dizzy Dean wrist watch was
introduced in 1935. The dial featured a
"Dizzy" Dean illustrated picture and
facsimile autograph.
The Chromium case watch which came in a gift box, was available with a
leather strap or metal bracelet band,
and sold for about $2.95. A second hand
rotated separately at the bottom
between the pitcher's legs. By 1936 a
pocket watch was made available with a
retail price of $1.50, .69¢ on sale. It
was reported that Dizzy Dean received a
penny in royalties for each watch.
"The Babe Ruth Watch Bats 1.000
with me every time" says Joe
DiMaggio in an endorsement ad.
This Babe Ruth Sports watch of champions hit the market in 1949. Made by
Exacta Time Corporation, for the Babe
Ruth Watch Co. Inc.
The watch retailed for $7.95, and was packed into a 3 inch diameter
plastic baseball that featured a Babe
Ruth facsimile autograph, reading
"Official" above, and "Wrist Watch,
Sports Watch, Of Champions" below. The
two-piece baseball shaped case contains
a die-cut textured cardboard insert to
hold the 1.25 x 1.5" Exacta Time
Corporation watch. Instruction and
guarantee, with a Sportsmen’s Pledge
card was also inserted into the box.
Each
of these Japanese import;
baseball
player novelty, "dime-store" toy
watches, feature two black-and-white
baseball player photos of twelve of the
games biggest stars.
The player photo cardboard backing was inserted from the back, held in
place with four prongs, and an elastic
band made to go around a child’s wrist.
The pictures of the ballplayers show
through two windows,
one on each side of a paper drawing of a clock, on the tin toy watch face.
Baseball player duos featured on the
watches included; Hank Aaron & Mickey
Mantle. Joe DiMaggio & Stan Musial. Bob
Lemon & Yogi Berra. Jackie Robinson &
Warren Spahn. Ed Mathews & Roger Maris.
Ted Williams & Willie Mays.
The
1957-1960,
Bradley Time Junior League baseball
character wristwatch features a colorful action
picture of a baseball and player on the
dial. The polished, chrome plated case
has a stainless steel back, and
matching expansion band for $7.99.
It was also sold as part of a jewelry set that came with a tie bar, and
cuff links. Matching rhodium finished
tie bar with baseball figure motif, and
a 'ball in glove' cuff links. The set
came colorfully packaged in a
clear-view plastic 3-D pictorial gift
box.
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This
Animation Wrist Action Dial
Watch was made in West Germany by the Esco company, copyrighted, and
distributed by the Masal Co. Inc. of
New York, NY. The "action dial"
features a Vari-vue flicker panel
(lenticular lens) of a baseball player
swinging a bat. "Move The Watch" and
"Watch Them Move" as it read on the
vending card. Lenticular technology was
invented and popularized by the
Vari-Vue company back in the 1930's.
Made available in gumball machines
during the 1950s
VariVue Flicker Rings
became the rage.
Endorsed by Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris
and Willie Mays, these youth size
"All
Star" Baseball watches were first
manufactured in 1964 by Bradley Time
Division. They were sold in department
stores and mail order catalogs up until
about 1967.
Also included with the watch was a Baseball Tips booklet, and as
advertised in both the 1966 JCPenny,
and Sears catalogs it also came with a
baseball. It is unclear if the ball was
offered every year. but the Tips
booklet, by National Baseball Schools
Inc. seems to be scarcer than the case
the watch came in.
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of
professional baseball, Major League
Baseball introduced the MLB logo in
1969. The logo was to be placed on all
officially licensed products,
thereafter. Campbell's soup in
conjunction with Major League baseball
helped promote the new logo with a
Campbell Kids Premium promotion.
As advertised in Campbell Kids Baseball Premium Catalog; "The Major League
Baseball Watch has baseball-bat hands
on a standard size face, leather band
and Major League Emblem.
Its electronically timed, anti-magnetic, diamond-tooled and
shock-resistant. A 19.95 value for 4
different labels from Campbell's
'"Baseball Nine" Soups and $6.95. Or, 2
different labels and $6.95 plus a
ticket stub from any major league
baseball game."
The
Major League Super Star watches
were manufactured by the American Time
Co., located at 611 W Fort Street,
Detroit, Michigan, and distributed by
Ross Continental of Hyde Park,
Massachusetts. Licensed by the MLB
Players Association they featured a
1968 Copyright.
Each watch came in a 9 inch by 6.50 inch "See-Through Gift Pack" display
box, accompanied by a 5" x 9" photo
card. The photo above a dotted line
measured 5"x 7" with a facsimile
signature of the
player, and team name below the line. Inserted into the box was the
warranty, and an order form for three
special offers.
Ten Major League Super Star player watches were issued: Hank Aaron, Ernie
Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Al Kaline,
Harmon Killebrew, Willie Mays, Brooks
Robinson, Tom Seaver, Joe Torre, and
Carl Yastrzemski.
As Advertised in the
1974 Kessler
Baseball Fan Guide, "The Kessler Sports
Watch Featuring the Unique sport-action
"floating" second hand" sold for only
$11.95.
The baseball on the face of the Smooth as Silk Kessler Sports
Watch is not
just decoration. It actually circles
around and tells you the seconds. This
Kessler exclusive is something really
worth giving or receiving. The normal
retail price is $19.95. But to Smooth
as Silk Kessler Fans, It's only $11.95.
The face of the watch depicts a bat swinging ballplayer, with a red
pinstriped uniform. and reads: "Always
a hit, KESSLER."
Topps Major League Baseball card
watches were issued By Nelsonic
Industries in 1989. Nelsonic produced
pop-culture-themed chronograph digital
wrist-watches for children and young
adults since 1981.
Officially licensed by Major League Baseball and the Players Association,
the wristband features the player's
stats and a facsimile autograph. Each
player watch was produced with either a
blue, black, or white wristband. The
face, which opens to
reveal the LCD time display, pictures the players 1989 Topps baseball
card. Major League Baseball card player watches include; Jose Canseco, Dwight Gooden, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens,
Kirby Puckett, Don Mattingly, Orel
Hershiser, Darryl Strawberry, and Ozzie Smith.
In 1994 Kellogg's
offered these
Major League Baseball
Watches, FREE with three proof of
purchase (UPC Symbols) from Kellogg's
Frosted Mini-Wheats cereals.
Baseball fans had a choice between an American or National League baseball
watch, when you filled out and mailed
in the order form found on the side
panel of the cereal box. The offer was
good until June 30, 1994.
The digital watch wristband featured 14 team logos from the respective
league you ordered. The watch casing
featured the Kellogg's logo above the
readout window, with the MLB logo
beneath.
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On Sunday, August 19, 2018 the St. Louis Cardinals handed out this
Dizzy Dean commemorative watch to
the first 30,000 fans ages 16 and
older, that entered Busch Stadium.
Presented By AT&T the watch is a
reproduction of a 1935, Dizzy Dean
wrist watch that was sold in department
and Jewelry stores for the price of
$2.95. The box that the AT&T-SGA came
in is also designed after the original
gift box for the Dizzy Dean watch. |
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