Lot # 68: 1944 Philadelphia Phillies/Blue Jays Shibe Park Single-Game Pass

Starting Bid: $100.00

Bids: 2 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Spring, 2017 Premier Auction",
which ran from 3/16/2017 4:00 AM to
4/2/2017 10:16 AM



Little-known fact: the 1944 and 1945 Philadelphia Phillies adopted a Blue Jays emblem and used the team nickname "Blue Jays." In the midst of a long stretch of losing seasons the 1944 season would be the first under a new ownership and during the offseason prior to the 1944 season enlisted the help of marketing consultants to help improve sales. That winter they launched a contest seeking a new name with a $100 war bond as the prize. With 5 000 entries the winner was submitted by a Mrs. Elizabeth Crooks and the Blue Jay emblem was affixed to uniforms promotional items and scorecards alongside the name "Phillies." Of course nobody knew whether to call the team the "Blue Jays" or the "Phillies " and the resultant confusion basically caused people to simply ignore the bird - and by 1946 the Blue Jays nickname and emblem was officially abandoned. While Mrs. Elizabeth Crooks was surely enthusiastic about her nickname it seems that nobody else really cared. Proof positive is this 1944 Shibe Park single-game pass which includes the Phillies team name and logo with the blue jay above it. in excellent condition the light paper pass is like many other passes and tickets of the era quite an attractive piece of art; a three-color print job against a watermarked tan background. An interesting piece of Philadelphia baseball history.