How do I "display" sports items for an auction

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AllisonA.

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I just got a call from a local non-profit group looking to frame several sports items for an upcoming auction. Of course they have a very small budget to do the framing. They aren't looking to actually "frame" these items, but want to make them look great while on display.

They have signed footballs, jerseys, baseball hats and one baseball bat, so far. I have shadowboxed most of these items in the past, but they don't want to spend that kind of money. Any ideas on how to temporarily display a jersey?

I'm just starting out and this event draws alot of attention. I really want to have something to offer them.

Allison
 
Hang them on a wall and put a "frame" around it. No glass, just use a frame as a way to highlight the jersey. Kind of like a very fancy (expensive) box.
 
Marc Lizer has made some great magazine holders and jewelry boxes in the past that he had shared in the tips section, but I couldn't find them by searching.

A shadowbox moulding with a velvet mat where the glass should be might make a beautiful stand to rest a football on top of.

'course you get to keep these after the auction.
 
For the jerseys you could cut a foamboard insert for each one and tach in place, and have one frame with out glass and a velcro type fabric and a little dot on back of jersey and change them out as they come up for bid. Do the same for each of the other type of items. You retain ownership of the sample frames. You can either sell them when you get orders, or use them later to make shop models.
 
I love the idea of using a frame without glass and just changing the jersey as they come up for bid. The idea for a shadowbox that lies on a table would work for the footballs and the baseball caps.

Thank you so much, The Grumble always has great answers.

Allison
 
For footballs, baseballs/tennis balls, golf balls, soccer balls/volleyballs, and ball caps, I suggest you check out "Ball Mounts", an exclusive product of United Mfrs Suppliers.

They are clear acrylic, molded to the shape of the ball, and come with a flat acrylic sheet to mate with them and serve as glazing. This way you can quickly & easily frame and protect a ball or cap, using ordinary framing materials with 1/2" or so rqabbet depth. Very cost effective, and a great looking display.
 
Thanks Jim, I think that idea would work better for the objects. I just talked to my customer and she said some of these items were for a silent auction and they would all need to be protected, not just one at a time. I'll check out my united catalog right now.

Allison
 
Originally posted by Jim Miller:
For footballs, baseballs/tennis balls, golf balls, soccer balls/volleyballs, and ball caps, I suggest you check out "Ball Mounts", an exclusive product of United Mfrs Suppliers.

They are clear acrylic, molded to the shape of the ball, and come with a flat acrylic sheet to mate with them and serve as glazing. This way you can quickly & easily frame and protect a ball or cap, using ordinary framing materials with 1/2" or so rqabbet depth. Very cost effective, and a great looking display.
Click to expand...
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G'day Jim,

I can never find United Manufacturers products mentioned on the G in their online catalogue.
Anyone got a link to these "Ball Mounts" ?
I'm intrigued to see how this flat acrylic mates with a mount to form the glazing . . . :confused:
 
Les:

I couldn't bring up the ball mount display kits on their web site, either. So, I called United & learned that the kits aren't on the web site yet. So much for technology. :rolleyes:

I'll try to give you a better description...

The mount is clear acrylic, molded to the shape of the ball. Its bottom edge is flanged, to be retained under a flat acrylic glazing panel, which has a hole pre-cut to the precise shape of the mount.

A kit consists of the molded mount, and the flat glazing piece with hole to fit the flange of the mount. The glazing panels are generously sized and may be cut to fit the frame design.

To assemble, just drop the ball into the mount. Then the flat, acrylic glazing piece may be trimmed to fit the frame, placed over the mounted ball, and the assembly may then be fitted into an ordinary frame with matting. Other flat items, such as photos, may be included. The mounted ball protrudes out of the flat glazing.

These ball mounts are pictured on page 78 of the January Picture Framing Magazine. They are also pictured in United Mfrs Supplies supplement #42 published about a year ago, and maybe others, too.

There are four sizes, which cover most sports balls. A tennis ball would fit in the baseball mount, and a ball cap would fit in the football or soccer mount. These kits would also be useful for mounting other three dimensional objects, such as dried flower arrangements. Here are the numbers:

United #5927, Baseball Display Kit; $22.00
Glazing panel size 23.5" x 13.5"

United #5928, Golf ball display kit; $22.00
Glazing panel size 23.5" x 13.5"

United #5929 Football Display Kit; $47.00
Glazing panel size 31.5" x 23.5"

United #5930, Soccer Bll Display Kit; $47.00
Glazing panel size 31.5" x 23.5"

As a special bonus for this year's "Complete Guide to Shadowboxes & Framing Objects" workshops at WCAF, our sponsor United Mfrs Supplies generously provided a golf ball kit for every student. Thanks, United.
 
Thanks for going to that trouble Jim.
Gives me a better picture of the system, thanks.

If you (or anyone else) ever get a pic of something framed up with this product, care to post it ?

I think it's like a (failed) system that was tried here in Australia a few years ago.
A flat acrylic sheet, with a 'bubble' formed in the surface in the shape of an item.

The manufacturers had them for all types of balls and horseshoes !

Unfortunately, they didn't do a lot of market research and underestimated Australian framers reluctance to take on most things acrylic.

Sort of like this product, which I've posted here before for people looking to mount caps . . .

Scroll down to Hat holder w/frame

Oh, someone really should advise this web developer how to spell CUBE !!!

Qube indeed !
Lance, did you do that page ? :D

Thanks again.
 
Originally posted by realhotglass:
...I think it's like a (failed) system that was tried here in Australia a few years ago.
A flat acrylic sheet, with a 'bubble' formed in the surface in the shape of an item...Unfortunately, they didn't do a lot of market research and underestimated Australian framers reluctance to take on most things acrylic...
Click to expand...
That's interesting. Maybe these are similar products.

Why did the system you described fail in Australia? Was there a problem with the product, or was it purely "Australian framers reluctance to take on most things acrylic"?

Do you have a better, more cost effective alternative for mounting sports balls?

And what's wrong with arylic, anyway?
shrug.gif
 
Products sound similar Jim,
Just the US one is 2 piece (?), while the Aus one was in one piece.

The Aus manufacturer must have used an air blown mould type setup, and heated the areas to be shaped, then moved into a mould where the shape was formed and cooled.

Well, the product had fairly set sizes, ball top with room for photo below, etc. Too rigid . . . suppose it could have been trimmed, but again too much trouble for most framers to muck about with.

Also, the shapes were usually a bit larger than the balls too, so they sort of sat in the bottom, looking a bit offset, and moved around.
They might have done ok with big volume sports memorabilia places, but they just didn't target this market, going straight to retail framers.

We make ball clip mounts for numerous sports balls, acrylic, but these go inside a package.
For years we have made convex glass (even very deep where needed) in a variety of set and custom sizes.
We can usually come up with a solution to most framing dilemmas, make a lot of glass cases now for those really awkward items like basketballs, footballs, etc.

Jim, you guys have AR (abrasive resistant), not available here as yet.
But I see Jerome posted to the UK forum that LJ supply an AR acrylic there, so who knows, they might bring it out here sometime.

Cyro have an Australian agent / importer, but no AR yet to play with.
Maybe that's another option one day.

Acrylic does have some difficult issues, as many US framers have pointed out in recent threads here.
Notably its being prone to scratching / dulling, and static issues.

Yep, I know there are ways to deal somewhat with both, but end clients can never be trusted to clean such a product without some problems / possible comebacks.
Most framers just don't have time for rework down the track, or clients that just don't come back because "the framer put this cheap *%^& on my artwork, look at it all scratched !". :rolleyes:
 
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