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 (Purple), 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 1969 Minnesota Vikings purple uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Minnesota Vikings uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Minnesota Vikings 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 the National Football League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NFL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

In 1967, General Manager Jim Finks brought Harry P. Grant (aka Bud Grant) to Minnesota. Grant brought with him a slew of Grey Cup championships from his days of coaching the Canadian Football League Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and a stoic sideline personality. Originally, the Vikings wanted Grant to be their inaugural skipper back in 61, but were turned down at the time. Now they finally had their man.With Grants help, the mediocre Vikings of the early to mid-60's quickly turned into a team to be reckoned with. In 1968, the Vikings had their first winning season as they went 8-6, and made it to the Western Conference Championship. This 1968 title would be the first of 10 divisional crowns the Vikings would see over the next 11 years!In 1969, Grants Vikings won all but two games during the regular season, going a league best 12-2. They went on to beat the Rams in come from behind fashion 23-20 in the NFL Western Conference Championship, then shut down the Browns 27-7 in the NFL Championship game.As mentioned in the 1961 jersey history section, in 1965 the AFL and the NFL agreed to merge. It was decided that beginning in 1970 there would be only one league, the NFL. In the interim, between 1966 and 1969, the AFL Champion would play the NFL Champion for the World Championship. It was only after the first World Championship had been played in 1966 that the name Super Bowl came into being.Thus it was that in 1969 the Vikings won the NFL Championship, but still had to play the AFL Champs in Super Bowl IV. In their first Super Bowl appearance, things didn't go the Vikes way as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Vikings 23-7 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.Note the patch on the left shoulder commemorating the NFL 50th anniversary. All NFL teams wore this patch for the 69 season.Speaking of Bud Grant, from his first year in 1967 to 1978, the Vikings won 11 division titles in 14 seasons. They won the NFL championship in 1969 and NFC titles in 1973, 1974 and 1976. Grant retired in 1983 but came back for one year in 1985. He finished with an all-time 168-108-5 record, making him the eighth-winningest NFL coach ever.This 1969 purple home uniform, though almost identical to the inaugural version of 1961, was not the only home sweater worn for this season. The Vikings wore another home jersey in 69 a simpler, more basic jersey. Just imagine the traditional Vikings purple sweater MINUS the sleeve striping, and yellow trim around the numbers. We chose to show this jersey because they seemed to wear it in their home playoff games.Note the NFL patch on the left shoulder of the jersey. This patch, worn to commemorate the NFL's 50th anniversary, was worn by all teams in 69. Of special note, the NFL patch was also on the alternate jersey mentioned above but its location was not on the left shoulder, it was one the lower left sleeve directly below the uniform numbers.