This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Hunter Green), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 1950 Philadelphia Athletics (now Oakland Athletics) uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Oakland Athletics uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Oakland Athletics products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Bill Band for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd.

Beneath the silver plate is a 3” x 9” reproduction of a well known, best-selling print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 3” x 9” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by Major League Baseball unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by MLB. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

This home uniform shows a blue A with a golden border, a nifty design they wore for this one brief season. The patch on the left sleeve honors the remarkable Connie Mack, who in 1950 was managing the Athletics for an absolutely unprecedented 50th season. As far as we know, this may be one of the only times a Major league team has worn a patch honoring a living person can anyone out there think of another example? If so, please let us know at ssillcox@rogers.com .The story of the Athletics cannot be told without dwelling for a moment on the legend of the remarkable Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy - Connie Mack - who ended up owning the Athletics and would retain his position as team manager from 1901 until his retirement at the age of 87 in 1950. 50 years as manager of the same team it boggles the mind!!! And for every game the highly respected Connie Mack wore a suit and tie. It's hard to imagine the changes he witnessed, having directed the team from the very first year of the brand new American League in 1901, through two world wars, right up to Mickey Mantles 1951 rookie season. Even the Athletics home Shibe Park - was renamed Connie Mack Stadium.Sadly, perhaps inevitably, in 1954 the Mack family would sell the club to Arnold Johnson, who moved the team to Kansas City in time for the 1955 season. Connie Mack died in February 1956 at the age of 94.Interestingly, during the 40's, 50's and 60's many teams used zippered jerseys instead of the more traditional button front jerseys, while a handful of teams wore them well into the 70's and even the 80's. During Connie Macks reign the Athletics steadfastly resisted zippers, and in fact are one of only three pre-1977 major league teams never to have worn zippers, the others being the Yankees and Reds. The 1937 Cubs were the first team to wear a zippered jersey, and as far we can tell the 1988 Phillies were the last to wear one.And on the field, after three straight above-500 seasons including a terrific 81-73 finish in 1949, the Athletics couldn't do it for Connie Mack in 1950, and finished the 1950 season in last with a 52-102 mark.