The Buffalo Bills and their colorful uniform history – a video

If you love the Buffalo Bills and their colorful history, then you’re really going to like this terrific two-minute video by NFL Films which chronicles the uniform color history of the Bills franchise from its founding in 1960 as part of the upstart AFL all the way to the modern era. Narrated by Scott Graham, one of the great voices of NFL Films, this video features three uniform history experts:

1. Joe Horrigan, Vice President of Communications and Exhibits at the Pro Football Hall of Fame where he has worked for more than 35 years

2. Michael MacCambridge, author of “America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured A Nation” and many other books as well as editor of the massive “ESPN College Football Encyclopedia”

3. Scott Sillcox, sports uniform historian, owner and founder of Maple Leaf Productions and Heritage Sports Art.

My name is Scott Sillcox and for 15+ years I owned Maple Leaf Productions. We were a licensee of the NFL, MLB, NHL and through a partner company, the NCAA, and we created and sold a number of products, the most famous of which were our horizontal posters. The Bills’ poster showed the evolution of the team uniform from the early days to the modern era – click here to see the poster or see the poster below. Our other products – all of which celebrated the history of team uniforms - included fridge magnets, clocks, playing cards and FanFrames.

If you are a huge Bills fan, you might be interested to know that the 14 pieces of original artwork used to create the Bills’ poster shown above – the actual hand-painted watercolor paintings – are available for sale at Heritage Sports Art. When you watch this NFL Films video, you will see 4 of the 14 actual painted uniforms – and you can actually own that original artwork – how cool is that!

Please note: Some of the 14 pieces of original Bills uniform artwork may have already been sold to other avid Bills fans, so you may want to act quickly if you would like to own what we lovingly, and honestly, call a “somewhat famous” piece of art. A lot of sports art is terrific, as is our art, but not many pieces of sports art have been reproduced thousands of times and can be found hanging in people’s homes and offices across North America – to me that’s what makes buying and owning this original art so cool.

Each piece of original artwork is beautifully framed in a tasteful and attractive way, and the engraved plate contained within the framed piece tells the story of that particular piece of original art and how it has been reproduced in thousands of posters and other products sold across North America. These framed pieces make a great gift – birthday gift, anniversary gift, retirement gift - and considering that you are buying original artwork that is also somewhat famous with a fun story behind it, they really are very reasonably priced.

Here is what a framed piece looks like.

Click here to see what all 14 of the framed Bills pieces look like. You can also purchase the framed originals from this same site.

Thanks for reading this post and enjoy the video!

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PS The video can also be seen here - just scroll down and then click on the Bills logo to see the video. Or you can also go directly to this NFL site to view the same video.

The Baltimore Ravens and their colorful uniform history – a video

If you love the Baltimore Ravens and their colorful history, then you’re really going to like this terrific two-minute video by NFL Films which chronicles the uniform color history of the Ravens franchise in Baltimore. Narrated by Scott Graham, one of the great voices of NFL Films, this video features three uniform history experts:

1. Joe Horrigan, Vice President of Communications and Exhibits at the Pro Football Hall of Fame where he has worked for more than 35 years

2. Michael MacCambridge, author of “America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured A Nation” and many other books as well as editor of the massive “ESPN College Football Encyclopedia”

3. Scott Sillcox, sports uniform historian, owner and founder of Maple Leaf Productions and Heritage Sports Art.

My name is Scott Sillcox and for 15+ years I owned Maple Leaf Productions. We were a licensee of the NFL, MLB, NHL and through a partner company, the NCAA, and we created and sold a number of products, the most famous of which were our horizontal posters. The Ravens’ poster showed the evolution of the team uniform – click here to see the poster or see the poster below. Our other products – all of which celebrated the history of team uniforms - included fridge magnets, clocks, playing cards and FanFrames.

If you are a huge Ravens fan, you might be interested to know that the 9 pieces of original artwork used to create the Ravens’ poster shown above – the actual hand-painted watercolor paintings – are available for sale at Heritage Sports Art. When you watch this NFL Films video, you will see 4 of the 9 actual painted uniforms – and you can actually own that original artwork – how cool is that!

Please note: Some of the 9 pieces of original Ravens uniform artwork may have already been sold to other avid Ravens fans, so you may want to act quickly if you would like to own what we lovingly, and honestly, call a “somewhat famous” piece of art. A lot of sports art is terrific, as is our art, but not many pieces of sports art have been reproduced thousands of times and can be found hanging in people’s homes and offices across North America – to me that’s what makes buying and owning this original art so cool.

Each piece of original artwork is beautifully framed in a tasteful and attractive way, and the engraved plate contained within the framed piece tells the story of that particular piece of original art and how it has been reproduced in thousands of posters and other products sold across North America. These framed pieces make a great gift – birthday gift, anniversary gift, retirement gift - and considering that you are buying original artwork that is also somewhat famous with a fun story behind it, they really are very reasonably priced.

Here is what a framed piece looks like.

Click here to see what all 9 of the framed Ravens pieces look like. You can also purchase the framed originals from this same site.

Thanks for reading this post and enjoy the video!

------------------------------------------------

PS The video can also be seen here - just scroll down and then click on the Ravens logo to see the video. Or you can also go directly to this NFL site to view the same video.

The Atlanta Falcons and their colorful uniform history – a video

If you love the Atlanta Falcons and their colorful uniform history, then you’re really going to like this terrific two-minute video by NFL Films which chronicles the uniform color history of the Falcons franchise from its founding in 1966 to the modern era. Narrated by Scott Graham, one of the great voices of NFL Films, this video features three uniform history experts:

1. Joe Horrigan, Vice President of Communications and Exhibits at the Pro Football Hall of Fame where he has worked for more than 35 years

2. Michael MacCambridge, author of “America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured A Nation” and many other books as well as editor of the massive “ESPN College Football Encyclopedia”

3. Scott Sillcox, sports uniform historian, owner and founder of Maple Leaf Productions and Heritage Sports Art.

My name is Scott Sillcox and for 15+ years I owned Maple Leaf Productions. We were a licensee of the NFL, MLB, NHL and through a partner company, the NCAA, and we created and sold a number of products, the most famous of which were our horizontal posters. The Falcons’ poster showed the evolution of the team uniform from the early days to the modern era – click here to see the poster or see the poster below. Our other products – all of which celebrated the history of team uniforms - included fridge magnets, clocks, playing cards and FanFrames.

If you are a huge Falcons fan, you might be interested to know that the 13 pieces of original artwork used to create the Falcons’ poster shown above – the actual hand-painted watercolor paintings – are available for sale at Heritage Sports Art. When you watch this NFL Films video, you will see 4 of the 13 actual painted uniforms – and you can actually own that original artwork – how cool is that!

Please note: Some of the 13 pieces of original Falcons uniform artwork may have already been sold to other avid Falcons fans, so you may want to act quickly if you would like to own what we lovingly, and honestly, call a “somewhat famous” piece of art. A lot of sports art is terrific, as is our art, but not many pieces of sports art have been reproduced thousands of times and can be found hanging in people’s homes and offices across North America – to me that’s what makes buying and owning this original art so cool.

Each piece of original artwork is beautifully framed in a tasteful and attractive way, and the engraved plate contained within the framed piece tells the story of that particular piece of original art and how it has been reproduced in thousands of posters and other products sold across North America. These framed pieces make a great gift – birthday gift, anniversary gift, retirement gift - and considering that you are buying original artwork that is also somewhat famous with a fun story behind it, they really are very reasonably priced.

Here is what a framed piece looks like.

Click here to see what all 13 of the framed Falcons pieces look like. You can also purchase the framed originals from this same site.

Thanks for reading this post and enjoy the video!

------------------------------------------------

PS The video can also be seen here - just scroll down and then click on the Falcons logo to see the video. Or you can also go directly to this NFL site to view the same video.

The Arizona Cardinals and their colorful uniform history – a video

If you love the Arizona Cardinals and their colorful history, then you’re really going to like this terrific two-minute video by NFL Films which chronicles the uniform color history of the Cardinals franchise from its founding in Chicago in 1920 to their time in St. Louis to the modern era in Arizona. Narrated by Scott Graham, one of the great voices of NFL Films, this video features three uniform history experts:

1. Joe Horrigan, Vice President of Communications and Exhibits at the Pro Football Hall of Fame where he has worked for more than 35 years

2. Michael MacCambridge, author of “America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured A Nation” and many other books as well as editor of the massive “ESPN College Football Encyclopedia”

3. Scott Sillcox, sports uniform historian, owner and founder of Maple Leaf Productions and Heritage Sports Art.

My name is Scott Sillcox and for 15+ years I owned Maple Leaf Productions. We were a licensee of the NFL, MLB, NHL and through a partner company, the NCAA, and we created and sold a number of products, the most famous of which were our horizontal posters. The Cardinals’ poster showed the evolution of the team uniform from the early days to the modern era – click here to see the poster or see the poster below. Our other products – all of which celebrated the history of team uniforms - included fridge magnets, clocks, playing cards and FanFrames.

If you are a huge Cardinals fan, you might be interested to know that the 15 pieces of original artwork used to create the Cardinals’ poster shown above – the actual hand-painted watercolor paintings – are available for sale at Heritage Sports Art. When you watch this NFL Films video, you will see 4 of the 15 actual painted uniforms – and you can actually own that original artwork – how cool is that!

Please note: Some of the 15 pieces of original Cardinals uniform artwork may have already been sold to other avid Cardinals fans, so you may want to act quickly if you would like to own what we lovingly, and honestly, call a “somewhat famous” piece of art. A lot of sports art is terrific, as is our art, but not many pieces of sports art have been reproduced thousands of times and can be found hanging in people’s homes and offices across North America – to me that’s what makes buying and owning this original art so cool.

Each piece of original artwork is beautifully framed in a tasteful and attractive way, and the engraved plate contained within the framed piece tells the story of that particular piece of original art and how it has been reproduced in thousands of posters and other products sold across North America. These framed pieces make a great gift – birthday gift, anniversary gift, retirement gift - and considering that you are buying original artwork that is also somewhat famous with a fun story behind it, they really are very reasonably priced.

Here is what a framed piece looks like.

Click here to see what all 15 of the framed Cardinals pieces look like. You can also purchase the framed originals from this same site.

Thanks for reading this post and enjoy the video!

------------------------------------------------

PS The video can also be seen here - just scroll down and then click on the Cardinals logo to see the video. Or you can also go directly to this NFL site to view the same video.

Hey Atlanta Braves Fans - Vote for your favorite Braves throwback uniform

Greeting Braves fans!

We're having a little fun and would love your help!

We are doing a poll over the next six months and asking fans which of 12 Braves uniforms they would most like to see used as the basis the the next "Throwback Uniform" worn by the Atlanta Braves. When we're done we will make the results public and share them with the powers that be at MLB and Majestic (the jersey guys).

To take part, just click on your favorite uniform below - you can select up to three uniforms. Then hit "Vote" at the bottom and you're done!

And if you like this, please share the poll with your friends by emailing them this page's url (http://blog.heritagesportsart.com/2012/07/hey-braves-fans-vote-for-your-favorite.html)!



Just a quick word about the images used in the poll - The actual original watercolor paintings shown in this poll are the same images used in the well-known Braves poster shown below,



and these actual original paintings - not reproductions, the originals - are available for sale in a beautiful framed format from Heritage Sports Art. These framed pieces would make an incredible, one-of-a-kind gift for a huge Braves’ fan.

Thank you for being a Braves fan and thanks for voting!

As always, feedback is welcome and encouraged.

Scott Sillcox

St. Louis Arena - Can you imagine drawing 17,984 seats by hand?

Greetings!

This posting is directed at fans of the St. Louis Blues and/or anyone who loved the venerable and magnificent St. Louis Arena, aka Missouri Arena, aka Checkerdome, aka The Barn.

St. Louis Arena, circa 1940's


St. Louis Arena, circa 1940's or 50's


St. Louis Arena, circa 1970's


St. Louis Arena in 1980 when it was known as The Checkerdome


St. Louis Arena on the day it was imploded, February 27, 1999

To learn more abut The Arena, please see what our friends at Wikipedia and Ballparks.com have to say.
St. Louis Arena on Wikipedia
St. Louis Arena on Ballparks.com

The Arena was closed in May 1994 (imploded five years later in 1999) and shortly thereafter the city offered much of the contents for sale in an auction. I bought 3000 of the wonderful seats that had been installed prior to the Blues inaugural 1967-68 NHL season. The seats were still in great shape after 30 years of use, although the backs of the seats were incredible filthy from 30+ years of spilled beer and soda and popcorn and peanuts. (I will expand upon this story another day.)




We stored the seats in a dodgy part of town and we used a lot of pressure washers to clean them (I seem to recall we bought at least six). We had a lot of fun selling them to fans of the Blues and fans of the Arena itself, and it took about three years to sell almost all of the seats. We ran radio ads and newspaper ads, did the usual PR efforts and generally hustled as best we could. One lesson in life - selling the 1st 500 of anything is a whole lot easier than the last 500.

It may never have occurred to you, but two adjoining seats share the same arm-rest "bracket" such that when you separate the seats, you end up losing every other seat because it doesn't have its own armrest. So when I say we sold almost all of the 3000 seats, I really mean we sold 1500 individual seats.

I will tell the story of the seats in greater detail another day, but this story isn't actually about the seats!

It was important to us when we were removing the seats to make note of the location of each seat. Thus we asked the building officials if they had a floor plan that would help us in the process of identifying each seat location. What they were able to come up with was a wonderful (but undated) seating plan of the Arena.



I am reasonably confidant that this seating plan is from the early 1980's - it looks and feels even older but I believe the early 80's is correct because it shows EXACTLY 17,984 seats which is almost exactly the reported building capacity from that era.

What is so brilliant about this seating plan is the incredible level of detail - literally every one of the 17,984 seats is shown. And it has all been done by hand!!! I wish I could say I counted each seat, but it appears that someone did!



The one other thing that I love about this seating plan is that it refers to the St. Louis Arena as the "Missouri Arena", not a name the building generally went by. I would love to know the full story!

And if you want to see this 28" x 44" floor plan live and in person, it will soon be proudly hanging in Frankie G's on Telegraph Road in St. Louis. When I know it is on display, I will update this post so you can see it in person.

If you have any questions, feel free to call me at 416-315-4736 (Toronto) or email me.

Many thanks!

Scott

PS from Fall 2021: To purchase a reasonably priced 8" x 24" plaqued mounted version of the Blues poster that's ready to hang on your wall, please visit Heritage Sports Stuff.

Hey Phillies Fans - Vote for your favorite Phillies throwback uniform

Greeting Phillies fans!

We're going to have a little fun and would love your help!

We're doing a poll over the next six months and asking fans which of 12 uniforms they would most like to see used as the basis the the next "Throwback Uniform" worn by the Phillies. When we're done we will make the results public and share them with the powers that be at MLB and Majestic.

To take part, just click on your favorite uniform below - you can select up to three uniforms. Then hit "Vote" at the bottom and you're done!

And if you like this, please share the poll with your friends by emailing them this page's url (http://blog.heritagesportsart.com/2012/05/vote-for-your-favorite-phillies.html).



Just a quick word about the images used in the poll - The actual original watercolor paintings shown in this poll are the same images used in the well-known Phillies poster shown below,



and these actual original paintings - not reproductions, the originals - are available for sale in a beautiful framed format from Heritage Sports Art. These framed pieces would make an incredible, one-of-a-kind gift for a huge Phillies’ fan.

Thank you for being a Phillies fan and thanks for voting!

As always, feedback is welcome and encouraged.

Scott Sillcox