Hi All,
I learned about the new passport book right here on this blog about a month or so ago. Personally, I think it's as good an idea as any to collect something tangible to go along with your memories of the Chase. I've now seen 23 MLB teams in their home ballparks and am not about to start all over to get a stamp collection, but more power to all those gathering stamps (my wife has been very diligent over the years collecting the stamps in our national parks passport book and I've bought into the idea as well, gathering stamps in my presidential library and museum passport book... so the idea itself is pretty cool).
However, shortly after I started approaching this as a Chase, I hit on the idea of collecting the little souvenir batting helmets you get with ice cream...I've got the grand plan to turn over the full collection to my son once I complete it (although he wasn't old enough to remember some of his earliest ballpark visits, I consider him a future fellow Chaser since he's only one behind me at 22 MLB teams and still just 10 years old). We've come close a couple of times to being unable to get one, but so far have managed to score each one...along with a Rally Monkey ice cream dish in Anaheim, a Fenway 100 year anniversary logo in Boston and a Mets 50 year anniversary logo at Citi.
Just out of curiosity, anyone else collecting souvenir helmets?
Steve
PS: I'd greatly appreciate if anyone can help round out missing helmets from Chi Sox, Cards, Braves and Marlins (the fish from the Florida logo days, not the hideous Miami M). For anyone heading out to those ballparks, I'd be willing to pay for your ice cream and the shipping to get the helmet to me. Also, for anyone else collecting I've got extras (after all, I can't let my son enjoy ice cream alone) from NYY, Padres, Pirates, Giants, Athletics, Indians, Reds, Blue Jays and Tigers if you didn't pick one up at those ballparks. Shoot me a note.
Comment
Great post, Steve! I use to collect the full size helmets when they were a prize for winning the carnival game where you guess how fast you throw. But I haven't started with the mini helmets...yet! I think eBay is a great idea to search.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the tip on ebay, I'll follow up with that if nothing else works out.
About the storage, I've been thinking of creating a board to mount the helmets, maybe putting some velcro tape to the back so they'd stick straight out with the team logo showing, then maybe also the team names that can be stuck on with velcro underneath. The velcro is so that the helmets and team names can be moved around on the board to keep up with the standings. There would be six columns, one for each division. The board can be as fancy as you want to make it, dividing it in halves by American and National Leagues and also labeling each column with the divisions.
Knowing me, by the time I round out the last 7 remaining teams which are all mostly in the central and western part of the country so involve travel for me, this will be a retirement project so I'll have the time!
Hey Steve! I also collect the little ice cream helmets and a rally Monkey (stuffed animal) for my kids. Most games we have a kid or two along so getting someone to eat a $7 ice cream isn't hard, but 2 games they weren't with us because we had turned it into an adult weekend with lots of adult beverages. Those particular games, I found a seller on ebay to buy the helmets from. I think I paid around .99 for the helmet and maybe 1.59 shipping. I remember them being around $3 for each mini ice cream helmet. Have you thought about storage for them? I currently have been to 14 stadiums, so we have 14 monkeys and helmets. The kids sleep with the monkeys, you should see that mess, but the helmets are stored on a shelf in a closet. I would love to find a display case to hang on the wall of our basement. I just wondered if you've ever come across something like this or not? And while just 30 empty slots would be ok, wouldn't it even be better if they were divided into their divisions? Just thoughts.
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