When dealing with vintage collectibles, the term “rare” is often over used when describing items. I’ve been to sports memorabilia shows where dealers will boast rare cards - and multiples of that card will be seen throughout that show. A scan of Internet auctions will reveal thousands of cards, memorabilia and ephemera that although most will not see in everyday life, these items can be found by hobbyists in the “know”. The term “rare” should be used for items that are not offered or seen on a regular basis.
All that being said, I would like to talk about some rare bobbing head dolls. The early 60’s found the emergence of the bobbing head as a popular souvenir by Major League Baseball, NFL & AFL Football, the NHL and to a lesser extent- the NBA. As “point of sale” merchandising tools, a large sized bobbing head of NFL teams were used by retailers to draw attention to the standard sized dolls. They stood more than twice the size of the souvenir doll at a whopping 13” tall. These dolls were never sold to the general public and it is estimated that less than 50 are still known to exist. Until recently, the Minnesota Vikings Promo doll was the only team (of the then 14 NFL teams) that was not known to exist. We now know that it does and the tag “rare” can be comfortably used when describing this doll. We (Inside the Park Collectibles) were fortunate enough to obtain one during the 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago.
Our luck continued once we got back home from the National. Within a week, we received a call about the New York Yankee promotional doll. In our over 25 years in the hobby, we know of only 1 other baseball promo that exists (also a Yankee). Unlike the NFL dolls, it is not known whether other team promo dolls were made. We were lucky enough to be able to obtain this amazing doll, which again can proudly wear the tag of “rare”.
