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have the most branded merchandise on the I World Series fever brought Kansas City merchandise back into the limelight. Here’s to you boys in blue! By Michael and James Fry Collecting KC
n honor of last year’s World Series victory by our boys-in-blue, we decided to dedicate this article to vintage Kansas City baseball memorabilia. For many people, the only team that comes to mind when the words “baseball” and “Kansas City” are mentioned together, is the Royals. But KC’s baseball history goes beyond the blue and gray. In addition to the Royals, both the Monarchs and the A’s have left their impact on this city’s sports scene. When looking into the world of sports memorabilia, baseball cards are one of the most actively bought and sold items available. That subject is so vast on it’s own that we’d need several articles just to cover the basics. In this article, we’re going to focus on other sought-after memorabilia, including pen- nants, programs, ticket stubs, original photo- graphs, advertising posters, and autographs. We’ll leave ball cards for another day. Royals Not only are the Royals the most recogniz- able baseball team in Kansas City, they also
secondary market of the three team listed previ- ously. It doesn’t take many estate sale visits to run
across some vintage item with a bold, blue KC. With all the pennants, pins and programs floating about, how do you know which ones are worth buying? Two good rules of thumb can guide your vintage baseball acquisitions. First, the older it is, the harder it is to find, resulting in greater value. Vintage Royals items from the 1980s are generally going to be worth more than items from the 1990s or 2000s. The Royals were founded in 1969, so any items from that first year can be worth even more. Second, items from their winning years—especially 1980 when they won the ALCS, and 1985 when they won the World Series—have extra interest and value. Pro- grams and pins from notable years sell around $10 to $15. Pennants from 1980 and 1985
Series’ for New York. Despite
the Athletics terrible run in KC, memora- bilia with the bright green and yellow is still worth keeping an eye out for. A few months ago we found a small KC A’s souvenir bottle opener shaped like a ball cap that sells around $100. Pennants, flags and programs in general sell for more than the Royals’ equivalents due largely to their age. Odd as it is, some of the most notable KC A’s items hold their value not because of the A’s collectability, but because of the fame of those individual players after they left Kansas City. For instance, a 1958 team- signed ball including Maris sells around $650 as compared to team-signed balls without his signature that can sell for less than $100. Monarchs As we continue back in KC baseball history, from last year’s best in baseball (Royals), to the mid-century’s worst (Athletics), we arrive at one of the best teams in all of the Negro Baseball Leagues, the Kansas City Monarchs. The Monarchs were an active team from 1920-1965 and at different times were a part of the Negro National League and the Negro American League. During their 45 years of play they won 13 league titles, two Negro World Series’, and were know as one the of best franchises in the league. They had quite a few notable players on their team throughout the years, including Satchel Paige, Buck O’Neil, and Jackie Robinson. Be- cause this is the oldest of the three Kansas City teams—and because of their historical impact— nearly any original item or Monarch’s memo-
sell between $30 and $40. Used and unused ticket stubs of notable games sell between $10 to $50. Athletics Prior to the Royals, Kansas City was representing in the major leagues with the Athletics from 1955-1967. Every one of the 13 years they played in Kansas City the A’s had a losing record. In 1957 they acquired a young outfielder named Roger Maris only to trade him to the Yankees the very next year. Through the early 1960s the A’s continued to struggle. Kansas
City fans watched the Yankees with envy as Maris broke Babe Ruth’s long-standing home run record and helped win two World
8 vintagekc fall 2016
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