I love vintage pennants. Especially ones that represent historical places throughout the United States. I started with seeking out pennants in antique stores and then went on to EBay and Esty to find ones for places that we have traveled over the years. I couldn’t believe the number of pennants that were made and how collectable they have become. It is very nostalgic to see what families collected on their road trips.
Pennants were first used on sea vessels back in the 1600s. The pennants at this time communicated who was on board the ship. Team pennants show support for certain teams and were cheap to make. Graphics were added along with school colors. Often used to honor a special event or victory. They were also used as souvenirs.
The historical pennants that I have collected over the past 4 months include those from presidential homes, horse races, buildings, etc.
My son has a few pennants for his favorite sports teams. They are cool but not as cool as the older sports pennants. However, historical/vintage sports pennants are highly collectable and a little more challenging to locate and costly. I had wanted to do something with the pennants in his room, with his navy wall. So, started by ordering a number of sports pennants from the 1980s and 1990s with colorful graphics and they were pretty reasonable (on Ebay).
Then to hang them, I stained two long pieces of pine wood. I used pine because it is a soft wood and I knew I could tack-up the pennants into the wood without much force. Then we hung the wood pieces, at the top of the wall in his bedroom. Then I attached the pennants to the pine wood. The pennants look like they were hanging from the ceiling (much like a boarder).
The total cost for this project was less than $50 and that includes the pennants. Plus, we can change out the pennants throughout the year to reflect different sports/seasons. I will keep on collecting my historical pennants while I hope my son continues with the sports pennants. I love collecting objects that we can display and share with others. The next project on the list is a head board for his bed.
Happy collecting!
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