*** Our latest sports memorabilia auction is now up and running and open for bidding. It ends Friday February 13, 2009. There are 150 lots with our usual No Buyer's Premium policy in effect. We are proud to announce that several of the lots come from the personal collection of famed sports artist Fred Kail. Just click on the Auction Tab at the top above to view all the items. ***

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HOCKEY FIGURALS

Because of the sudden end of the NFL season for me (my Giants lost to the Eagles this past Sunday), my attention is now focused on the NHL and the N.Y. Rangers. I guess I'm dating myself, but I remember the days of going to the "Old" Madison Square Garden on 50th Street & 8th Ave in N.Y. to watch NHL hockey. There were only 6 teams back then (Rangers, Black Hawks, Red Wings, Bruins, Canadiens & Maple Leafs) and the rivalries were intense. Those games made me a hockey fan for life.

As figural collectors, most of us are familar with the NHL series of bobbing head dolls from the early 60's and subsequent hockey dolls. But there are a number of great pieces of hockey figural memorabilia that for the most part go un-noticed.

As mentioned in the previous Blog entry (Decanter brochures), the early 70's decanters issued by McCormick are some of the most stunning figurals you will ever see. It was not  comprehensive series, but the teams that were made are just gorgeous. They feature a realistic face with tremendous detail to the uniforms. They apparently were made two ways- with a team name decal on the base and without.

We saw an interesting hockey item on Ebay a few weeks back. It was a pair of hockey salt & pepper shakers with the uniform colors of the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are pretty crude looking, but a neat oddball piece.

One of the best hockey pieces that we've seen is the Cleveland Barons mascot bank from the early/mid 50's. It was made by a company called Eldon and features the amazing  looking mascot of the Barons complete with top hat and hockey stick. It's quite rare, but if you are lucky enough to own one, it would surely be one of the highlights of your collection.

If you're a hockey buff like we are, let us know what other figural hockey items are out there.