Pictures are Worth a 1000 Words…
As the saying goes…a picture is worth a thousand words. This couldn’t ring more true, as it’s a special day for The General’s Assembly — the item featured in today’s post represents the 1000th piece of IU basketball memorabilia uploaded to the site. It’s also one of significance to me for a variety of reasons. Of course, this comes with an asterisk and disclaimer that assumes I can still count and do math worth a crap.
The plaque shown here is one that I acquired within the past couple of weeks through a local auction. I already owned one of these, but the one I had was given to me and you could say was a little on the “roached” side. It’s a fairly rare piece, so uncommon that it’s the first time I’ve seen one come available for sale in several years or more, which is saying something. I was and have been grateful when it was given to me; however, I’ve always wanted to upgrade the one I have. So…I was pretty excited when my mother was looking through some auction listings and let me know she came across this.
Well, I ended up going to the auction and much to my disbelief, won this for a meager $9. I couldn’t have been more thrilled, considering I’d place a value of $250-$300 on this plaque based on rarity alone. To top things off, I also won a vintage Indiana Hoosiers hat signed by Calbert Cheaney, Matt Nover, and Greg Graham for $9 as well, along with some other IU basketball items.
The 1987 team will forever and always be my team. I grew up watching IU basketball on Channel 4 with my pops in the 80’s, with fond memories Martha the Mop lady, a low, practically court-level camera angle, and Laz and Kitchel providing the color commentary. When our beloved Hoosiers won the title in ‘87, I was beyond hooked.
From a memorabilia standpoint, the quality and workmanship that went into several of the three-dimensional plaques I have in my collection make them some of my favorite pieces. This plaque was made close to home in Southern Indiana by Bruce Fox, Inc., a premier maker of custom awards and display products based out of New Albany. At some point, I plan to seek out information around this plaque straight from the source, but I understand from the person who gave mine to me (they apparently worked for the company or had relatives that did) that a very limited number of these were made, with many ending up in the hands of employees and friends/family members of the employees. If I recall the conversation correctly, he might have said 200-300 were made. I know there is one other variation of this plaque that exists, predominantly a brownish color that reeks of the 80’s.
For those of you have stop by from time to time, thank you a 1000 times over for sharing your passion for IU basketball and memorabilia with me. I hope you enjoy the next 1000 items showcased on the site!