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 1989 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. 1989 was a World Series winning season for the Oakland Athletics.

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

After some lean years in the late 70's and again in the mid 80's, the Tony LaRussa led-Athletics clawed their way back to respectability, led in large part by the bash brothers Joes Canseco and Mark McGwire. The team had three straight Rookie of the Year winners in this period - Jose Canseco in 86, Mark McGwire in 87, and Walt Weiss in 88. In 1987 the Athletics finished 81-81, and in 1988 they won the AL West with a whopping 104-58 record. They made it all the way to the 88 World Series before bowing to the Dodgers 4 games to 1.Then came 1989. The Athletics won the AL West with a 99-63 record, largely the result of a terrific starting foursome of Dave Stewart (21-9), Mike Moore (19-11), Bob Welch (17-8) and Storm Davis (19-7). In the ALCS the Athletics made short work of the Blue Jays (downing them 4 games to 1 in the now best-of-seven affair). And thus they made it back to the World Series for the 13th time and first time since 1974 the opponents were their cross town rival San Francisco Giants.After winning games 1 5-0 and game 2 5-1, the Athletics were poised for a 4 game sweep when mother nature intervened. In an almost surreal fashion, game three was never played because the Bay Area was rocked by a mammoth earthquake that fortunately caused only minor damage to Candlestick Stadium.The Series was then postponed for ten days. When the Series continued, Athletics players Dave Henderson, Jose Canseco, Tony Phillips and Carney Lansford tied a Series record of 5 homers in one game (Henderson hit 2) en route to a 13-7 win. The Athletics completed the sweep and won their 9th World Series by winning game four 9-6. Dave Stewart (Series MVP) and Mike Moore each won 2 games in the four game sweep, giving the Athletics their first World Series since 1974.The patch on the right sleeve of this home uniform is the World Series Battle of the Bays logo, one of the first instances in the modern era where both World Series teams wore a specially made World Series patch. On the left sleeve is the elephant logo we saw last on the 1956 uniform.After a tremendous 1990 season where they went 103-59, the Athletics made it back to the World Series in 1990, making it their 3rd straight appearance in the Fall Classic. But they fell 4 straight to the upstart Reds, and the Athletics mini dynasty was over.