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| 1919 Spalding Baseball
advertisement |
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| "Over there Over Here" |
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1919 WWI YMCA
Jewish Welfare |
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"Keep The Ball Rolling"
Theater Lantern Slide |
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| 1919 Goldsmith Athletic Goods
Catalog |
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| "Official League Baseball"
advertisement |
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| 1943 Sporting News Baseball
Guide & Record Book |
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| Goldsmith No. 97 Baseball
advertisement |
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1944 Toledo Mud Hens |
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| Magazine & Scorecard |
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2016 Memorial Day
Baseball Caps |
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| WELCOME ALL ! |
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Baseball Collectibles
and Memorabilia |
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| KeyMan
Collectibles |
NEWSLETTER |
June 2016
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Wartime Baseball Memorabilia &
Collectibles |
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Steven KeyMan |
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American History
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By Steven KeyMan |
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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. First used
for his own personal
collection, and then by
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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Memorial Day is an opportunity to
pause & reflect on the Sacrifices of
those who have died in service of our
great Nation. Before you throw that
burger on the grill and watch the
Memorial Day ball games, I ask that you
repeat the following sentence for all
to hear. "In remembrance we celebrate
your sacrifice and courage as a free
nation. Thank You"
Baseball, the American pastime was considered to be essential to the
morale of our nation and to the troops
that served abroad. With the onset of
the U.S. involvement in WWI in 1917,
Washington Senators owner Clark
Griffith launched a plan to support our
troops by raising money to purchase
athletic equipment, mainly baseball
gear, to outfit every U.S. military
training camp. Inspired by Washington
Senators owner Clark Griffith, the
effort to donate sporting goods was
joined by the
YMCA, Hillerich & Bradsby,
and Spalding. The Y.M.C.A. shipped
144,000 bats and 79,680 balls to the
troops overseas with the money raised
by Griffith.
Official National League Baseballs, and Bats used by American
serviceman stationed in Poitiers,
France during the first World War
featured an "American - France YMCA"
stamp. A number of other sporting goods
companies also donate equipment that
didn't have the Stamp, as Goldsmith states
in a 1919 ad: "The Goldsmith Official
League Ball No. 97 is being Furnished
by the U.S. Government, the Y.M.C.A., K
of C. to our boys at Home and abroad,
and is being used constantly in many
games 'Everywhere in France'"
The
Goldsmith baseball pictured here
was part of the shipment of sports
equipment that went overseas.
Interesting to note the ball inscribed
to Edith
from our war hero Ray reads "To Germany
and Back World War 1918" It was years
before WWII so there is no reference to
it as being from the first World War.
On July 11, 1917 the steamship Kansas, carrying outfits for 150 teams with
General John J. Pershing's army, was
torpedoed by a German U-boat and sunk
in the Atlantic.
 Since
its inception in 1933, All-Star game
profits were funneled to a relief fund
benefiting retired indigent
ballplayers. In 1941, the profits were
sent to the USO, to buy athletic
equipment for servicemen. Four days
after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor,
baseball executives established the
WWII version of the Bat & Ball Fund,
renamed the "Baseball Equipment Fund"
Once again Clark Griffith took charge
along with National League President
Ford Frick.
With $25,000 raised by Major League
baseball, contributions by the writers
association of America, and all the
proceeded generated by the 1942
All-Star game Clark Griffith contacted
several Sporting Goods companies.
Griffith obtained a discounted price
for equipment from Louisville Slugger,
Goldsmith, Spalding and the Wilson
Sporting Goods Companies.
The 1943 Sporting News Baseball Guide & Record Book reports that Major
League Ball Players agreed to take 10
percent of their regular season salary
in war bonds. During World War II there
were a number of special benefit
baseball games aimed at war relief, and
war bond sales. Pictured here is a
1944
Dodgers Yankees Giants Tri-Cornered
baseball game program & ticket stub.
The three way game played on June 26,
1944 was set up to support the war
effort with an unusual exhibition game
played by the Yankees, Dodgers, and the
Giants at the Polo Grounds.
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| Regular Season
wartime baseball
programs with patriotic
reminders to buy more
War Bonds also featured
air raid regulations for the ballparks. Most
programs issued between
1943 and 1945 had "Buy
United States War
bonds" printed on every
page, and reminding
people to save cooking
fats for the war
effort. (I believe to
make nitro) |
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Baseball also contributed to the morale
of the troops with their involvement in
the USO shows. This
1967 USO Shows
Major League Baseball Roundup flyer was
part of a handshaking tour in Vietnam,
involving Yankees, PR Director Bob Fischel, Joe DiMaggio, Jerry Coleman,
Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose, and Boston
Red Sox Tony Conigliario. The 5
ballplayers traveled to Saigon and met
up on the Intrepid in Tonkin Bay, for
the 17 day, Vietnam tour. Ernie Banks
and Lefty Gomez also joined the tour.
Pete Rose commented that they had to
carry cards identifying themselves as
colonels, because if they were captured
and didn't have the ID cards, they'd be
considered spies.
In 1991 Topps modified its standard
issue baseball card
set, by placing a Desert Shield
foil-stamped insignia on baseball
cards. They were Intended to be
distributed to soldiers serving in
Saudi Arabia. It was rumored that just
6,500 sets were manufactured, and the
cards distributed in wax packs were in
immediate demand, resulting in high
prices and hoarding among collectors.
Many of the cards, were scooped up by
military personnel stateside, and never
made it overseas.
MLB's annual league-wide observance of Memorial Day honor those who lost
their lives while serving their
country. In 2016 the league also plans
to participate in the National Moment
of Remembrance at ballparks on Memorial
Day, and teams will conduct moments of
silence and special pregame ceremonies.
 The
Memorial Day effort is part of MLB's
ongoing recognition of veterans, active
military and military families. MLB has
committed millions of dollars to
Welcome Back Veterans since 2008.
Special Commemorative Memorial Day
bases have been used in MLB games, like
this one from 2002. This year’s
uniforms utilize a new woodland
camouflage design licensed by the US
Marine Corps.
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KEYMAN COLLECTIBLES
RELATED RESOURCES |
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KeyMan
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KeyMan Collectibles Baseball
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KeyMan Collectibles Network54 Forum
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facebook" Post Questions and
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