I Love You Honey

Now how would you imagine the method in which a Bear fanatic, or me, THE BearFanatic34, would proclaim his neverending affection and undying love for the woman in his life. Well, he would give her a Chicago Bears Valentine, of course. I managed to acquire a souvenir valentine from 1986, which was created to celebrate the Chicago Bears winning the Superbowl that year. It measures 11" high by 5" wide. The front shows "Monsters of the Midway XX Super Valentine." Inside is the phrase "I love you...even more than the Bears." On the back it show the score Bears 46/Patriots 10 with a heart and copyright of 1986. The valentine was unused and in very good condition. These were distributed among employees of WGN television in Chicago at that time. Now my dilemma, of course, as a serious collector was whether I should scan and copy the card and then give the duplicate to my bride, or perhaps endorse it to her via a "post it" note on the inside of the card. That way she could read it and then return it to me. I would hate to actually sign and deface the original collectible...that would be a major faux pas if the item is to maintain any sort of serious future value. But, then again, if I signed it and presented it to her, it would be a cherished symbol of heart-warming proportion. What to do...what to do??? After further discussions with my daughters, and a front line scrimmage in my brain, the only right thing to do was finally realized and determined. Without hesitation I personalized it and SIGNED it (in ink, not pencil)!Happy Valentine's Day Honey!

Mike Ditka Wine

If Mike Ditka was to decide to develop and market wine, well I'm certainly going to collect it. And that's what he did. And now I'm collecting and storing it. I don't know whether his restaurant had anything to do with it, or maybe even his heart attack, but I know that Mr. Ditka now enjoys wine, specifically red wine (as do I). On November 7, 2006 it was announced that Ditka had joined forces with The Mendocino Wine Company of the top wine regions of California to produce a selection of 5 wines that will be offered in his restaurants, as well as being distributed with select dealers.

The following are the wines in my collection (750 ml) as well as their current retail values: 2005 Chardonnay @ $17.99, a 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon @ $19.99, two lower end wines that are house wines at the restaurant; the 2006 Pinot Grigio and the 2004 Merlot, both priced @ $11.95. The top of the line bottle is Ditka's finest creation and suitedly labeled "Kick Ass Red" 2005 and it retails for $49.95. According to the Mendocino website re: Kick Ass Red "It is a brilliant, concentrated dry red wine with luscious aromas and flavors of jammy wild blackberry. It has a lingering finish of freshly ground black pepper and toasty vanilla. Worthy of cellar aging, this wine is delicious now with fine beef, wild game and artisan cheeses." It is a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Petitie Sirah.

As Ditka himself says when describing the Kick Ass wine, the one that he spent most of his time developing: "I'm looking for a big, brawny red wine, with a lot of ripe fruit flavors and a firm grip in the mouth. It needs to be the best possible expression of its growing region, and, of course, it needs to taste great with a good steak."

A Good Start For 2008

I picked up a few things early in 2008 that I consider gems that rank somewhere in my top 25 collectibles (for now). I am more and more surprised every day that I never owned some of these things when I was a kid. The 60's are bringing me more and more collectibles than I was ever aware of...like this Horsman Doll. Horsman had a big impact in the history of doll manufacturing. The company actually started in 1865 and changed ownership twice during it's storied time. The Cabbage Patch Doll craze of the 80's about shut them down. Some time in the late 50's or early 60's the Horsman Company began producing 'soft vinyl' faced dolls. Each doll series was recognized by a specific "mold number", and it's not really a Horsman original unless this mold number and the Horsman name is present on the doll....usually on the back, or back of the neck. The doll that I bought is punched with mold number 30 and appears to have a date of 1967 on it. It is one of the more unique dolls that the company made, for it is also a wind up doll. It shakes and shimmies. My research tells me that this doll was named Scrambling Quarterback. These dolls were made for most NFL teams and the figure wears team colors and has a team decal on the helmet. I have seen a price of $250 on these as a collectible. I paid a fair amount, but not nearly that much. Also, I do not have the original box.


I also bought a late sixties transistor radio, BRAND NEW in the box. It is made by Sports Radios, Inc. and has the Bear logo on the front. It is called a "Sports Radio Transistor 9", because it operates with a 9 volt batter...not too original, LOL. This radio is somewhat unique in that you can actually program your favorite channel and you can flip back to it at any time using the switch...pretty fancy for the times.


.
It should be apparent that I really enjoy old Chicago Bear toys and Bear figures. I recently acquired a 1989 hand puppet from the Skore Company. It has a vinyl face with a Chicago Bears helmet and is dressed in an oversized shirt with a bearhead logo. There is a mechanical operation with the puppet that allows it to project one hand at a time, or both hands simultaneously. It is labeled a "Team Master" and supposedly represents cheering. Cheering? Right. I don't think so. This doll throws long and nasty arm extensions like a boxer and his hands are flexed. Even though they can call it a cheering doll, I am sure I know what the kids did with it. The arms are really quick and I'm sure could put an eye out. LOL. Made for ages 3 and up.

Another interesting little figure I purchased, and I mean little. Supposedly it was a 1974 Jack Concannon electric football figure...hand painted. If you are familiar with the old Tudor Electric Football game, you will know what I am talking about. The figure is stamped Wilton 1974. This intrigued me. Besides the fact that Jack Concannon left the Bears in 1972, and the figures for the electric football games used decals for numbers, it was the "Wilton" name that bothered me. Most figures for the game were stamped 'Made In Hong Kong', and I believe that they had a hole or slot in the base. I finally figured out what it was. It was NOT an electric football player, it was actually a cake topper that was customized. The Wilton Company made these as CAKE TOPPERS! Nonetheless, it is a conversation piece.



I've added a couple more Urlacher goodies to my collection. I bid on a collector's plate that I thought might be from The Danbury Mint and then found out that it wasn't. I bought it anyway and I am far from disappointed. It's very large (12" diameter)and displays nice images. The back has some German stamping on it, but really doesn't disclose the manufacturer.
I also picked up one of those miniature jerseys that were giveaways from a Burger King Happy Meal. The Ebay scalpers were getting 10-15 bucks for those, so I waited until I could get one for $3.00.

And what's an ongoing collection of Bears stuff without a few more bobbleheads. I purchased a somewhat rare 4" Walter Payton bobble that was made for the 1995 National Sports Collector's Convention in Chicago. I also found the D&J collectible Payton figures, home and away that were authorized by thePayton family and serial #'d to only 3400.

Add to those a 2006 Rex Grossman (currently at a very low price)and a 1995 "Greatest Moments Wheaties box (12 oz.Series 39 C) of Payton and my collection is blogged to date.

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.

.
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.