World Series Press Pins I - 1947

Press pins have been around since the 1911 World Series. Which means there is one for every Brooklyn & Los Angeles appearance. They are small and great items for collectors who do not have a lot of space, like me, to display their Dodgers related stuff. When collecting, the first thing popping in my mind is: COLLECT THEM ALL! In the case of press pins that will never work for me since some of them are quite expensive. The 1916, 1920 pins probably will set you back at least $2000 each. Maybe if I win a lottery, but for now I decided to try to get my hands on one pin for every decade our boys played in the World Series. That comes to 6 press pins: one from the 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s and 2010’s.

I did some research and have decided on the ones I want, if I can get my hands on them. They are the ones I think are the most interesting of their decade. Recently I got my hands on the first one and it really is a thing of beauty. Not only the looks of it, but also the story behind it of that particular World Series.

1947 World Series
It was the first televised World Series, the first after the color barrier was broken and it featured the Dodgers and the Yankees. A rivalry that was in it's infancy. Also chronicled in detail by Kevin Cook in his book ‘Electric October’. Which I reviewed earlier. After five games the Yankees lead 3-2, game 6 had to be won by Brooklyn to force a 7th game. In that 6th game one of the best World Series catches was made. The Dodgers were leading 8-5 in the sixth inning. With two on and two out Joe DiMaggio came to bat and hit one that looked like a home run to tie up the game. But Al Gionfriddo caught it and the Dodgers went on to win game 6. In the end they lost the Series.

The Pin
I love the Dodger blue, gold plated pin featuring the Brooklyn bridge, literally bridging New York to Brooklyn where both teams were from. The baseball bat is prominently featured as the weapon of attack against the Yankees. There is a lot of detail for a pin only 1" in diameter. The pin was made by Dieges & Clust from New York.

Below are the instructions for Dieges & Clust, including color use and pin size. I do not own the documents, just found the pictures online.

Clem Labine "Always a Dodger": Review

A book written by someone who is so smitten by it’s subject is never a good thing. Colin Gunderson was so in love with Tom Lasorda, his biography about the man was a cringeworthy experience. Richard Elliott’s Clem Labine “Always a Dodger” is more of the same. Which is a shame because it’s the only book on just Labine.

The writer is the son of the best friend and off-season employer of Clem Labine. They became good friends. That fact is visible in the writing. Labine is worshipped to the max. So much so that there is little room left to tell about the man himself. Now, I really believe Labine was a good guy, a great reliever and an important piece of the Dodgers puzzle during the 1950’s, but enough is enough. No negativity is tolerated. Even Roger Kahn gets smeared.

One of the lesser Dodgers related books I’ve read. A nice addition to the Woonsocket Public Library, but other than that... leave it on the shelve.