Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction June 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/15/2016
The International Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees Display Plaque Collection
Founded by the NHL and the CAHA on September 10th 1943, Kingston’s International Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is the “Original Hockey Hall of Fame” and the oldest sports hall of fame in Canada. The first players elected to the IHHOF were inducted on April 30th 1945; Howie Morenz, Tom Phillips, Georges Vezina, Hod Stuart, Frank McGee, Eddie Gerard, Chuck Gardiner, Hobey Baker and Harvey Pulford were the first nine legends admitted into the hallowed hall.
The first forty-two inductees were inducted in the 1940s and 1950s, the President & founder of the IHHOF, Captain James T. Sutherland, travelled to NHL cities to present the formal induction scroll to a newly honoured member during a pre-game ceremony at an NHL game. In 1958 the NHL severed its ties with Kingston and established its own Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. It did recognize the first forty-two inductees during the Kingston era.
In 1965 the IHHOF opened its doors for the first time, on the Memorial Centre grounds in Kingston, which was the Hall’s permanent home until 2012.
The inductees’ display plaques offered here were created by the IHHOF and displayed there for almost 50-years. Hall of Fame referee Mike Rodden, the former Sports Editor of the Kingston Whig Standard newspaper, authored and typed the bios on most of the inductee plaques.
The IHHOF is now located at the Kingston’s Invista Centre and the sale of these display plaques is part of a fund-raising effort to fund ongoing operations for the IHHOF at its new location. The IHHOF is operated entirely by a group of dedicated hockey volunteers and has been in operation for over seventy-years.
This group of plaques that were originally displayed in the IHHOF in Kingston represents some of the earliest legends of the game including Harry Watson, Phat Wilson, Frank Foyston, George McNamara and 1915 Stanley Cup winner Hughie Lehman. Centralized vintage photos of each recipient along with a short bio placed beneath sits in each modest roughly 16” x 19” wooden frame. A bronze plaque with the engraved logo of the IHHOF has been placed above, while a thick and attractive gold-coloured wood name plaque that’s been hand-embellished sits affixed below.
All photos and mats show varying degrees of toning, while the frames show wear commensurate with their former use which includes random scratches, marks and abrasions present. There are also inventory numbers listed on the back of each piece. We should also note that the picture/bio for George McNamara is currently out of the frame, but the frame with the associated name plaque is included.
This is a rare opportunity to acquire the actual plaques made for these individuals from the original Hall of Fame in historic Kingston Ontario. The fact that the five offered plaques represent players with very few items in existence for collectors, paired along with their unique “1 of 1” status - should make these displays highly desirable.
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