How Slick is this?

While we are taught to never judge a book by its cover, I’m going to have to make an exception here. At more than 80 years old, the NCAA Final Four program featured here has aged pretty damn well, in my humble opinion. It’s fairly uncommon to come across one of these in the first place — I can count on one hand how many have come up for sale over the past several years. Age aside, many of these were probably chucked in the trash, limiting the supply. Those fortunate to have escaped the can likely weren’t handled with long-term preservation in mind: many were probably held in a rolled-up fashion during the game, stepped on while cheering (or ranting), showered in a beverage of choice by the guy sitting behind you while sitting on the floor, and/or scored. Personally, I’ve seen plenty of modern day programs that would envy the body of this old fart.

If you’re a hardcore collector of IU basketball memorabilia, this is one of those statement pieces that you simply have to have in your collection. For various reasons, this program has been elusive to me personally. When it has come up for sale, it’s usually gone with the wink of the eye. I’ve always told myself that when I add this to the collection, ‘I’ve got one shot’ and I better make it count. It’s like I missed the first one and I’ve got to hit the second, much like what Bobby Leonard faced in the final minute against Kansas in the title game. It’s gotta be a nice, clean copy. I’m just glad I finally added this relic that’s been missing from my collection.

Outside of a touch of paper loss at the middle of the spine, this program is sharp. The colors are vivid and not faded, there’s no surface abrasions to speak of, cover crinkle (as I call it) and signs of handling are minimal, there’s no creases or folds, and it hasn’t been scored.

To my fellow collectors — best of luck in finding a copy to add to your collection. Some words of wisdom — don’t think, just shoot!

Until next time, GO HOOSIERS!