Vintage Baseball

My Dad, The Baseball Fan

Uncovering all of this baseball stuff of my dad's is like a glimpse into his youth. And I like looking into the past and envisioning him there.

Henry Mautz, Catcher for East Bristol, Indians. Circa 1953. Wondering if that is a Milwaukee Braves Cap?

MacGregor Goldsmith Official Baseball Score Book

Found several of these score books for the East Bristol Indians

Jr. New York Yankees vs. East Bristol Indians Score Book

East Bristol Indians Score Book, June 30, 1952

Mautz - Catcher

Milwaukee Braves Yearbook 1953 - First Year in Milwaukee

Professional baseball comes to Wisconsin in 1953 and my dad had the Brave's first yearbook after coming to Milwaukee.

Seeing as how this order form is still inside the yearbook, I suspect he never mailed it in to get the Big League Books he requested. Wishful thinking, I guess. Note how it still says Boston Braves. Perhaps a miss by the editor?

Big League Books Order Form from 1953 Milwaukee Braves Yearbook

Get Your Big League Books Here

Two wood bats found in the tavern. Making the assumption these were my dad's since he was the ball player in the family. Montgomery Ward sold the private line of Marathon baseball bats up until around 1960. Based on the logo and catalog number underneath it, this bat was manufactured between 1935-1940.

Montgomery Ward Marathon Baseball Bat

My Dad's Baseball Bats

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Vintage Soda Bottles

Vintage, Retro Soda Bottles They just don't make them like this anymore. Although they are heavy and fragile to transport, they are a more environmentally friendly option than the plastic soda bottles of today. And they just look so much cooler!! Buried in a box in the side garage were a pile of empty soda bottles of various brands. I find the bygone days of regional soda, before Pepsi and Coke took over everything, fascinating. I grabbed a few of some of these more interesting looking bottles, most of brands I had never heard of, and found a way to use them as vintage decor in my office. Most of these are from the 1950s. It was fun to do a little retro soda research. We do love our soda pop! Pile of 60+ year old empty soda bottles Vintage Soda Bottle Decor in My Office Howel's Root Beer Bottle is Circa late 1940s The origins of Howel's Beverage Company out of Chicago, IL started with the sale of an orange-julep syrup (this would eventually bec...

Red Dot Potato Chips Cardboard Boxes featuring Ta-to The Clown

Historical Cardboard Boxes with Stories as Interesting as Their Contents I am finding that some of the cardboard boxes that are in the tavern are proving to be unexpected windows into history. So for your reading pleasure, here is what I learned out about what was once a Madison, WI based potato chip company, complete with a creepy clown mascot. Red Dot Potato Chips and Ta-to the Clown The first thing I noticed when I found these boxes were that they had my dad's name on them. Once I got past that and all the cool things that were stored inside them, I was then drawn to the brand of potato chips I had never heard of along with its eye-catching clown. I wanted to find out more. The Company's Mascot - Ta-to (rhymes with potato) the Clown Were clowns not considered creepy back then? A quick google search revealed an interesting story of an entrepreneur with a tragic ending from right here in Madison, WI. I encourage you to check out this i...

Kurth's Brewing, Columbus, WI

Kurth's Beer from Columbus, WI Well, the online auction of items from the tavern has been over now for a few months and at times I find myself still reflecting on how valuable some of those items were to people. Our signature piece was the Kurth's Beer sign that had been sitting in the garage for upwards of 70 years. It's that sign that has inspired this blog post, which focuses on all the vintage Kurth Brewing items that were found inside. Kurth's Beer Sign If you want to know more about Kurth Brewery, I encourage you to check out this July 2016 article by Lisa Cestkowski for the Columbus Journal https://www.wiscnews.com/columbusjournal/news/local/kurth-brewery-was-barreling-full-steam-ahead-until-flames-altered-the-course-of-history/article_a5cd6ef0-4a02-5501-bd40-1084d25fe168.html I'm sure it makes sense that there was an abundance of Kurth's Beer served at the tavern. Since the brewery was located in Columbus, WI it was likely the closest bre...

Mautz's Tavern- A Historical Commentary

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