Merry Christmas!

I received a few items this past Christmas, so I figured that I best load them up to the blog pages.
Christmas is and was a fun time for me. My family has a pretty good idea on what to buy me! Bears Stuff! If I unwrap clothes, I get pretty ticked. Just kidding, but I prefer the Chicago Bear items. My daughters are both working full time now, so they really forked out the dollars and bought Daddy some cool, or as they like to make fun of me when I say it, 'neato' stuff.

First there was the musical pizza cutter that plays the Bears' fight song when you use it (supposedly - like I'll ever use it), then there was the Scottish Christmas brand 'programmable light up pen' - I'm not quite sure what exactly it does, but it is quite interesting. I also received a set of Bears UNO cards in a nice helmet case.

As Christmas morning progressed, I had three larger boxes left and they were quite interesting too....a tailgater stool (which I had requested because I did not have one and it's a sharp looking accessory to any room), a 20" dual sided light up Bears player to hang in a window, and a 6 ft. floor lamp with metal, bendable snake-type arms. The light covers were logo "C"s and helmets.

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And how could I forget THIS great gift - the infamous Brian Urlacher "BearHug" poster. It measures an incredible 17 inches by 72 inches.

It was a nice Christmas for me!

Waiting For Christmas

I'm going to backtrack here for a moment and describe my collecting since Thanksgiving, and my last post. Well, waiting for Christmas is always a difficult time for many. My wife claims that Ebay brings me Christmas way too often as it is, and she may have a point there. I have, however, become more "picky" on what I choose to add to my already massive collection. I am quite interested in older stuff now (probably because I own quite a bit of the newer items). I acquired another older bobblehead from the 60s. Collector's refer to this edition as the 1965-67"Realistic Face" nodder. The one I purchased is a tad bit distressed on the back of the head and has a small crack in his jaw, but he displays well regardless. The item was actually listed on Ebay twice. the first guy bought it for $59.00 and immediately went for a profitable resale. I then bought it from him for $19.00, AND HE THANKED ME GRACIOUSLY FOR MY BUSINESS! LOL! In near mint condition this doll would be worth $200-$250.



'Tis the season to start gift shopping for friends and loved ones, so I figured that I ought to have some decent shoes....(smile). I got a great price on these Reebok Recline shoes at a Nike Outlet store (I know, doesn't make sense) in Effingham, Illinois.


So, the first real day of shopping with my wife, she said I was a "trooper" and I was able to purchase a nice reward. I chose the new die cast car from Upper Deck, the 2007 Chrysler 300cc. This updates my 1:24 collection of cars/trucks made for the Chicago Bears and approved by the NFL. Correction - I am still missing the 2006 Corvette made by Upper Deck, and there is also a 1:24 Ertl Toyota Supra in 2006.


My wife and I parted ways for one shopping trip. My job was to find some superman and batman action figures that we were to donate to some needy children. Naturally I went to Toys R Us and found exactly what I needed for the kids. Of course, being the big kid THAT I AM, I just so happened to run across the new 2007 Offensive Players Team set, offered by McFarlane Sports Figures. They have the Bears' starters (except Benson is included, and not Jones) from Super Bowl XLI. The figures are 2 inches tall and come packaged in a nice display...



And, while my wife was shopping a major discount retailer called "UFS" (Unclaimed Freight Store) she found me a Chicago Bears Water Globe. I have seen these and they retail at $29.99 to $49.00. This one is a bit cloudy on the inside, but that's no big problem. It doubles as a music box and plays "I Want To Be A Football Hero". She paid only $6.99 for it and it's a great paper weight. I love it!

With my daily surfing of Ebay, I found a couple of more neat items that were quite unique. The first is a retired Enesco Christmas ornament...a 1978 Garfield The Cat that is wearing a Bears helmet! THAT ornament is almost 30 years old! The second item was a set of salt and pepper shakers made by Warner Brothers in 1994. They are represented by the Tasmanian Devil. I had to have them! Both items are old stock, but new in box.

Thanksgiving 2007

Today I must give thanks to those friends and family who have stood by me this year, when I have needed them the most, especially my wife and daughters. Also, I appreciate the opportunity to get together with family and join them for a wonderful feast. So, while we wait for the turkey to roast, I shall add a few more recently acquired Bear items to this site.



McFarlane Sports Figures has added a Series 15 and this years starting Bear running back, Cedric Benson enters his career into toydom. The McFarlane packaging is considerably more compact this year, but the figure is still nice.



Forever Collectibles has created their 2007 Series 3 version of the Brian Urlacher Christmas ornament, and being that I have first 2 series, and the fact that I have an admiration of Chicago Bear figurines, I most certainly needed to buy this.


The following is is small figurine that I consider one of the gems of my collection. It was part of Tudor's 1983 Quarterbacks of the NFL collection. All teams and their starting quarterbacks were to have been represented. Even though the figure is only 3 inches tall, it has a value of $20.00, and being that it is still in the package, that value doubles to $40. I made a bargain with an auction price of $10.50. The package lists Jim McMahon as the Bears starting quarterback that year, which was true. But, his uniform number was #9. The figure shows #8, which was Vince Evans' number that year. Bob Avellini was #7. All three QBs played during the season. My guess is that the figures for all teams had #8 on them, but I am not sure.

And in my ongoing effort at obtaining bobbleheads, I have acquired a 2002 Walter Payton doll by Bobble Dreams. The doll was a promotion by Fla Vor Ice for a Chicago Rush arena football game. Walter is attired in a Rush uniform.

I got a bargain on an inexpensive 1975 Bears' bobblehead that is made of plastic. Apparently there must have been 2 versions that year, because I already have one similar to this one, only the face has buck teeth and the jersey does notcover his "belly".

I figured that I need a good Cedric Benson card before he makes it big in the league. The following is a 2005 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection rookie card, serial #'d 98/99 and autographed.

Shell Oil Co.gave out some 10.5 x 14 portraits back in 1981. They are represented in sketch like fashion and I now have Walter Payton (BV $12.00) and Brian Bashnagle and Gary Fencik ($4 each)...just something unique that I acquired...I like oddball stuff.
Speaking of oddball, I picked up a neat deck of cards called Chicago Football heroes and the set features artwork by Chuck Senties. Each card has an unusual caricature and special facts about each of many Bear historical players. I also bid 99 cents on an Avon after shave decanter (Wild Country After Shave still in the bottle) and won. I already had the empty bottle, but this Ebay auction offered the original box.

And for those of you that think my wife gets mad at me for buying all of this Bears crap, you are right. But, even something as simple as a cute Bear's Danbury Mint bracelet can sometimes ease her pain and mine. Plus, I got it for 1/3 of retail.

And finally for today I have one more addition. I am always surprised at what people will sell for a few bucks. Some things should just be held as momentos and collectibles. Like, for example, these scrapbook pictures - 58 double sided pages filled with Walter Payton clippings. It's a collectible that I would have cherished forever, but some fool sold it. Unbelieveable. It looks like some kid put it together, but to me it's precious. I think I paid 10 bucks, and the guy spent $7.00 in postage. Wow.

These Past Few Months...

...I have been fortunate to add a few more items to my collection. There are some things that you just wait for, things that you think that you don't really want or need, and this was one of those items...yes, one of those items that brings out the little kid in me. It's a stuffed animal. However, it is a high quality piece of work from a highly respected manufacturer of collectible bears known as Cooperstown Bears. My particular gem is a 16 inch mohair bear with articulating limbs and head. It has the Chicago Bears uniform (with Walter Payton's #34) and a helmet. These normally retail at $179.00 with a limited production of 3,000. Here's the kicker. Mine is serial #'d 0034/3000...that's right, it has Walter Payton's jersey number as the serial number! The value should be greatly increased. I don't think the seller had a clue and I was able to buy it for $40.00

I have also located a June 16, 1970 Chicago Daily New newspaper (front and back page) which was the day that Brian Piccolo's death was reported. Brian Piccolo is a Bears legend who died early from cancer.


I've increased to my rare bobblehead collection to include a 1961-1966 Type Two "Toes Up" nodder. These have a value of $200-$300 and mine is in fairly good condition. The decal on the front is a little worn.


I grabbed up a few more Brian Urlacher rarities...a limited to 2,000 special edition Bobblehead that was given away at a August 21, 2007 Schaumburg Flyers game. I guess that is some baseball team, but I don't care...I just collect Urlacher Bobbleheads. In addition, I have also purchased a 3 piece Russian Nesting Doll set with Urlacher, Olin Kreutz and Mike Brown. Nesting dolls are usually hand made and hand painted, so each one is somewhat different. They are really not that valuable, at this point.



In September of this year McFarlane Sportspicks issued a special boxed set of Brian Urlacher. This is the beginning of several new Bear issue pieces that will be offered this late fall and early winter. The Urlacher figure is the same pose as his Series 9 issue, only with a new paint job. Box sets allow collector's to actually remove the figure from it's packaging for display, but of course, I would never do that. LOL. Mine will display nicely in it's original box.




In addition, I have added a few more die cast vehicles.... The 2007 Upper Deck Transporter/Hauler, which has a Peterbuilt tractor and is the 17th in a series dating back to 1990. I have them all. More little die casts were added to my collection, as well...the 1:64 Ford Adrenalin and the F-150 Concept truck...


Oh, and finally, how could I forget....the 1986 Dairy Pak card of Walter Payton. Those came from the side of Milk Cartons back in the day...

Recent Additions...

I've picked up 3 new unique Bobblehead dolls...One is of legendary Chicago Bear Bronko Nagurski. The bobblehead is 1st in the Gridiron Greats Series and was designed by Nodders Inc. in 1991 or '92, I believe. The bobblehead is serial #d 374/2000. Bronko comes with original tag with the bobblehead number and facsimile autograph on it. Another interesting doll I bought is a Patrick Mannelly Chicago Bears bobblehead. Approx. 8" tall. This was a giveaway at the Schaumburg Flyers (Independent, Northern League baseball team) on July 7, 2007. He is wearing a Bears uniform, but a Schaumburg Flyers baseball hat. Only 2,000 were made. Patrick Mannely has been the long snapper and special teams member of the Bears for many, many years. I also found a James "Big Cat" Williams, that was a part of a 90's giveaway from TCF Bank in Chicago.

In 1983 an 8 inch Huddles teddy bear doll was created for all NFL teams. Huddles was a popular mascot back in the early 80's. The doll is relatively rare and can command prices anywhere from $10.00 to $80.00. Mine is still attached to it's original box (which has a rare "white" background)which should increase its value.

In my never ending mission to possess EVERY Bobblehead of Brian Urlacher, I have added a few more: The 2005 "Platinum" figure, the 2006 "Blatinum" version and the brand new 2007 "On The Field" series, all by Forever Collectibles, plus the innovative 2007 "Big Head" doll.

A few oddball items I picked up are a 1993-94 Deck of Ditka's Playing Cards, where Ditka selected star players of the year to make up the 52 card set. I don't know why I bought this, but it is a Sega Genisis 'Mike Ditka Power Football'. I don't know what kind of game it was, and I probably never will.

Walter Payton made a thin vinyl record for Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1976 called "Doin' It Right" and of course, I just HAD to have that! LOL
I've added a few more die cast toy cars and trucks. The Upper Deck 2006 series 1:64 scale mustang with an Urlacher trading card and a 1:64 corvette, as well as a 1:48 Pickup truck. I'm still a little behind on my 1:24 yearly collection but have located the 2005 Fleer 1937 Ford Truck (the last series made by Fleer before Upper Deck took over).