On Monday a friend and I visited a vintage shop in New Jersey. Although I bought only one thing (more on that later), I saw all sorts of cool stuff that I think would be of interest to Uni Watch readers, beginning with the electric football game shown above. Such a nice box design! And it was made right here in Brooklyn:
Inside was this beautiful metal gridiron:
The goalposts are metal:
The players are all red or yellow, not the custom-painted figurines we’re used to seeing nowadays:
The instruction booklet is included, and includes promos for other Tudor “Tru-Action” games:
The Tudor game wasn’t the only noteworthy thing I spotted at the shop. I also liked this baseball-themed coin bank:
What a bizarre color scheme — snot-green, peach, and purple! Also, I love that they went to the trouble of giving him a uni number on the back. Also-also, doesn’t it just kill you that his mask strap is covering up part of the cap logo? Now we’ll never know if it was supposed to be a “T” or an “I” or even a “J”! (Okay, probably a “T,” but still.)
I also spotted an interesting baseball trophy, which initially got my attention because of its very nice Bakelite base. But upon closer inspection I was intrigued to see that the player is wearing cuffed pants, almost like slacks:
Weird, right? Never seen anything quite like that. (Oddly, a few hours after I finished writing this post, I saw the exact same trophy topper on this eBay item.)
There was also an actual uniform that caught my eye: a vintage Greyhound bus driver’s jacket! Check it out:
Interestingly, the Greyhound logo is usually facing/racing to the right, but they chose to put the logo patch on the jacket’s left sleeve, with the dog facing to the left. Here’s a closer look — I love how they used the embroidery to show the dog’s ribcage, and the little blue dot for the eye:
The buttons on the chest pockets are arguably even better than the patch. They’re shaped like a driver’s wheel and say, “Ace Driver”! Not sure what the “M” or the numbers are about, though:
Nice interior tagging, too:
Priced at just $46, including a store-wide holiday-weekend discount, this seemed like a pretty good deal. Unfortunately, it was a little too short to fit me (something I don’t often encounter!):
While not sports- or uni-related, I also loved this spectacular 1943 record cover design, by longtime Columbia Records art director Alex Steinweiss:
As for the one item I bought, I talked about it in this post.
That electric football game looked to be in superb condition. Depending on the price, I would have had a hard time passing it up.
I know Tudor made the other sports games, but I have never seen footage of anyone actually playing them.
That jacket looks like it could be worn by a tall person with great abs in the current tummy-showing style and be a big hit.
Shawn Oakman
That Greyhound jacket looks like it’s intentionally short. Maybe it was designed to be worn in a seated position. I could imagine it being more comfortable and less cumbersome than a standand length jacket when you’re behind the wheel.
Correct on all points, Nathaniel. But still too short for me!
Looking at that baseball player bank – it looks like they modified a non-catcher’s mold by turning it around. If you look at the “back” of the player, the guy either has rear-bending hips, or he’s missing his butt crack. :-)
My speculative guesses on those Greyhound buttons:
“Ace Driver” probably indicates no accidents.
The numbers possibly indicate the number of years at the Ace Driver status.
Could the “M” over the US might mean they’ve driven a million miles?
Outstanding
Paul Robeson was, among other things, a terrific college football player, so I would say his albums are at least a bit sports-related.
I love that that company makes all sorts of sports games…and xylophones!
That jacket is excellent. But If I tried it on it would burst at the seams.
Where was that store and it’s name?
Valley Vintage in West Orange, NJ.