Vintage Brew: 1951 Souvenir Visor Prototype

The Golden Anniversary Milwaukee Brewers souvenir visor is one of the more commonly seen artifacts of the 1951 League Champion Brews.

But honestly, did you ever really wonder …?Wouldn't it be so cool if those signature were real and not facsimiles?

C'mon … be honest !!!

“THE” 1951 Brewer Visor Prototype
by Paul Tenpenny
(Tencentz@aol.com)
Copyright 2015 Tencentzports
Printed with permission of the Author

In March 2013, Borchert Field brought you the story of the 1951 Golden Anniversary visor. One of my favorite collectibles, as I am continuously collecting autographs of the American Association players who played at Borchert Field.

This 7 by 10 inch visor was fascinating to me as I could tell immediately that these were accurate signatures on this cardboard sun-visor.

To reprise who's who:

• Jim Basso
• Paul Burris
• Mark Christman
• Buzz Clarkson
• George Crowe
• Art Fowler
• Charlie Gorin
• Joe Just
• Dick Hoover
• Robert Jaderlund
• Virgil Jester
• Ernie Johnson
• Billy Klaus
• Emil Kush
• Charlie Grimm
• Jim Basso
• Johnny Logan
• Robert Montag
• Billy Reed
• Ted Sepkowski
• Bert Thiel
• Bob Thorpe
• Al Unser
• Murray Wall

How did they get the team to sign the thing and make it all fit such a compact space?

I never expected an answer but with my "constant vigilance" on the internet and my moody "Mad Eye" on eBay "Brew Stuff," the unexpected landed in my lap.

Offered as a "collection of Brewer signatures" ... here it was, a spectacular "one of a kind," team signed piece of history.

One glance answered all my questions as it was simply designed by getting the team to sign their names on paper and "literally cutting and pasting" those signatures to the visor shaped prototype in an orderly fashion.

And thanks to the final product, I was able to return the wandering "Dick Hoover" signature to his rightful spot …underneath the Brewers script and our favorite catcher Owgust!