Closer Look - Twins Hall of Fame Bobbleheads

So I wanted to take a closer look at the most wanted Twins bobblehead set in the history of bobbleheads.  Everyone was thrilled when the Twins announced this set was being produced and I talked it up big time.  From those with direct knowledge I was lead to believe these bobbleheads would be awesome and holy shit, they didn't disappoint.  

If I could create/design bobbleheads, the detail (to me) is what sets bobbleheads apart from one another.  As bobbleheads have gotten more and more popular and more and more teams/towns/events are doing them, the quality has suffered.  Typically not to a great degree but the detail has been minimized.  The raised lettering of a player's name or logo on their chest or number on their jersey - typically those are all stickers or decals.  

Below is the Earl Battey bobblehead, completely detailed with his catcher gear.  All of that is raised, the straps on his back and legs.  Sometimes nowadays those are just a different color.  The TC is also raised on his helmet as is his jersey number.  The detail is just amazing.  And while there are little paint issues, to me thats what reminds all of us that these things are hand painted - and I would never say a bobblehead is in "mint" condition.  

Next, the quality of the box, maybe not a big deal to some, but I absolutely love the graphics boxes that most teams use these days.  Thats something that has come along way and from what I know, isn't a significant expense over the plain white box.  Also each bobblehead has its own full styrofoam holder - which is something I like more than the plastic clamshells. Yes - its messier but I think in the long run, it keeps much better than plastic and in general I believe it protects the bobblehead better.  The bottom of the base has a nice touch with the Twins 20th Anniversary logo stamped on it!  

Lastly, the overall appearance and quality of the bobblehead.  You can see that the name is raised on the front (and even tho I didn't picture it) the Twins HOF induction year on the back is also raised.  One of my favorite pieces of detail is on the base of the bobbles - the HOF logo, which is on a raised little block and then the decal is slid onto the block.  

All of this begs to ask one simple question.  What happens when the 2021 inductees are named.  I can only hope/beg the Twins will release bobbleheads of them that will slide right next to these 34 marvelous bobbleheads.  Joe Mauer is a lock and his bobblehead absolutely belongs next to this group.  I'd also say TC Bear should be a lock at some point.  TC is an iconic mascot (no matter who is inside the bear suit).  I can only imagine how sweet a TC Bear bobblehead would be sitting alongside the other HOF members.  

Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame Bobblehead Set

Well, I never officially retired so I don't need to file the paperwork to unretire.  But it has been a long time, which was never my intent.  But, life happens, 2 little girls happen and before you know it they are both talking, running and getting into trouble.  Priorities change, so the blog had to be put on the back burner.  Im hopeful this post spurs a little in me to find the time to blog a bit more often (probably never to the degree that I once did) but once, sometimes twice a week.  Thats my goal.  

Now, onto the topic at hand.  Today, the Twins sold their 5th "set" of bobbleheads.  This set is based on the players and team members that make up the 34 people in the Twins Hall of Fame.  It's a very impressive set and definitely from the picture, the most detailed and best looking set of the bunch.  Ever since I heard about this since a few days ago, I've been giddy.  

Based on the hero image of the 5 bobbles displayed (Killebrew, Carew, Puckett, Kelly and Hunter) the design and creativity of each is impressive.  Im sure the others will be just as awesome.  (When I'm able to share more pictures, I certainly will).  With a price tag north of $500 (after taxes) it's certainly a set that made people contemplate how to go about collecting it.  Several people I know were only looking to get a handful of players.  Others said at this time (during this damn pandemic) it was just too expensive.  Then others, like myself who are completists, knew we needed it and had to figure out a way to pay for it.  Proceeds (just like the previous 4 sets) benefit the Twins Community Fund.  

In the collecting world, people are raving about this set, even if they aren't Twins collectors or fans, they are wishing their favorite team would do something similar.  I tend to think, we'll see more of these come out over the next couple of years.  

I certainly wonder what will happen to future electees, they'll get a giveaway bobble (as is typical of the Twins the past few years) but I certainly hope there are update sets to this one in the future!  For now, lets appreciate the Twins and their marketing/promotions team for making this happen.  They've been hitting home run after home run the past few years and it certainly appears they aren't slowing down anytime soon.  

Twinsfest 2017

Twinsfest came and went with little fanfare, unfortunately.  I saw a report that only about 14,000 people gathered this past weekend (total of all 3 days)!  I know the Twins hope for many more people than that, especially during a 3 day event.  They did announce that Twinsfest 2018 will also be held at Target Field but could be a week earlier than normal (due to the Super Bowl being in town).  And then the event could shift to a different venue.  I do think attendance could grow if the venue is changed.  Target Field is a beautiful ballpark but its not a great venue to host such an event (since its in the winter).

I was able to buy a few things this year, nothing great tho.  The best part of the trip was bumming around with my buddy Killer for the night on Friday.

Twinsfest 2017

It's that time of year again that the Twins announce details surrounding Twinsfest.  Twinsfest 2017 will be held from January 27th through January 29th.  No surprise there as its typically at the end of January.  More details can be found here.  They'll update that more page with info over the next several weeks and then probably a week or so before the event, they'll release the map and details surrounding the player autograph sessions and other events they have during the weekend.  I typically try to hit up the Friday session with a buddy of mine.  We've had good luck in the past and it should be another fun time.  I was somewhat hoping they'd move to a different location.  Personally, I think its hard for Target Field to handle the event since its not an all enclosed stadium like the dome was. The memorabilia and collectors showcase use to be really good (tons of vendors) but had dropped significantly the past few years because of limited space.  

TwinsFest 2016

A little over a month ago it was announced via Twitter that TwinsFest would be held at Target Field the last weekend of January.  Friday the 29th through Sunday the 31st.  There is always plenty to do and see at TwinsFest.  This will be it's 3rd year at Target Field.  I believe the Twins want to make it an even bigger event than it already is.  Unfortunately Target Field can't take much more, although I'd move some of the events and and autograph signings to different areas within the stadium.  I believe certain areas could be better utilized.  As we get closer, I'm sure the Twins will make a formal announcement and share more and more information about the weekend, with of course the autograph signings being the main thing people (except, yours truly) are most interested in!

Remember, the event provides a huge charitable donation to the Twins Community Fund!

Twinsfest 2015

I pretty much foreshadowed this in my previous blog entry, you can read it, here.  I didn't take one freaking damn picture!  Not one...zero, nada zilch.  Ugh.  I called it without even truly thinking I called it.  So...for any of you looking forward to pictures...my bad, I'm sorry!  

I was done working a little early on Friday so I decided to drive down to Target Field and wait in line with the die-hards.  Luckily I was behind a couple guys that made the wait go by pretty quick.  Plenty of Twins stories were shared, both minor league stories and plenty about the big club.  We talked about the signings from this past off-season and what we all look forward to at Twinsfest.  

A buddy of mine got there about 40 minutes after I did and we met up inside Target Field.  Walked around all over, saw the clubhouse, said hello to Torii Hunter as he was walking to one of his billion appearances for the weekend.  Checked out the yard sale, the collectors showcase and several other things too.  I really didn't have a favorite part.  I just find it to be pretty cool to be at Target Field in January!  

Remember, the Twins Community Fund is where all proceeds from this weekend go and its a great charity!!  

TwinsFest 2015

TwinsFest returns to Target Field this coming January.  Read more about TwinsFest 2014 at the 2 links below!

Twinsfest!!
Twinsfest = Success

Here are a couple more pictures from the 2014 TwinsFest.  Target Field probably looked the same last night (if the lights were on).

In a little over 2 months thousands of Twins fans will fill up the Target Field corridors.  This is the second year the annual event will be held at Target Field.  It's definitely a more intimate setting when compared to the Dome days of TwinsFest.  The biggest complaint I heard last year (and continue to hear from dealers and collectors) revolved around the memorabilia showcase area.  I wonder if the Twins will move this to a different area in Target Field.  I have to think there are better areas for it, but the big question is if those areas are available!  

Check out the announcement about TwinsFest 2015.  

Minnesota Twins Bobblehead Sets (Part 4 of 4)

The final edition of this 4 part blog post centers around the fourth team set the Twins and the Twins Community Fund released.  In 2012 the Twins announced plans to showcase each manager the team has had in bobblehead form.  Typically known as the Twins Manager set, it was limited to 1000 sets and sold for $210 a piece.  As a collector this set was the least desirable of the 4, but I recently came across it while looking for the 1991 set.  In negotiating for the 1991 set I inquired about the Managers set.  We settled on a very good price and the seller was happy it was going to a collectors home and wouldn't be resold.  Below is the COA.

I'm sure the Twins will come up with another bobblehead set in the future, when they do, I'll be sure to blog about it.  I'm not sure what other sets they could come up with right now.  Perhaps a Hall of Fame set or a Washington Senators set.

Minnesota Twins Bobblehead Sets (Part 3 of 4)

The 3rd limited edition bobblehead set the Twins and the Twins Community Fund produced, came in 2011. It commemorates the 20th anniversary of the 1991 World Series Title.  1000 sets were produced and sold for $391 each.  Much like the 1987 set, this bobblehead set had 1 problem.  Relief pitcher Terry Leach wasn't part of the original set.  Read more here.

This set contains the only bobblehead (that I know about) of one of my favorite players at the time - Scott Erickson.  This is the most memorable World Series in my mind because it produced the best game 7 ever. Jack Morris vs. John Smoltz with the Twins winning 1-0 in the 10th inning.

Below is the COA for the set as well as a picture of all the bobbleheads!

Minnesota Twins Bobblehead Sets (Part 2 of 4)

In the 2nd part of this 4 part blog post we look at the 2nd set the Twins and the Twins Community Fund released.  In 2007 the Twins announced the release of a limited edition bobblehead set commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 1987 World Series Championship team.  This set had a production run of 1000 and it sold for $387.  The set had one problem, the Greg Gagne bobblehead depicted the player holding the ball with his left hand and a glove on his right.  Gagne was right-handed, so this was a pretty big issue.  The Twins acted quickly, as they sent out letters to those who bought the set. A replacement Gagne would be mailed out within a couple of months.  Below is the picture of the COA that comes with the set as my set is still in their original boxes.  I see plenty of sets that don't have the replacement Gagne, but most collectors will want a set with both versions.

Minnesota Twins Bobblehead Sets (Part 1 of 4)

In 1991 the Twins established what is now called the Twins Community Fund.  This Nonprofit was organized to enrich local and regional communities.  I believe the Twins, through the Twins Community Fund have produced 4 team bobblehead sets.  This is the first post in a 4 post series detailing each set.  None of these sets are SGA or ST bobbleheads.  They look very similar and I've seen some eBay listings and Craigslist ads saying they are SGA, but technically they are not.

The first set was sold in 2005 in an effort to raise money for the Hurricane Katrina relief fund.  This set is commonly referred to as the 1965 Katrina set.  A total of 500 limited edition sets were sold for $265 each. The set included 10 stars from the 1965 Twins team.  There has been some confusion over this set and some SGA bobbleheads of the same players, I'll blog about that in the near future.