Up-cycling: Ricky Stanzi Pledge of Allegiance Picture.

First if you are not familiar with Ricky Stanzi just Google his post Orange Bowl interview. Seen it? Good.

I always see people up-cycling on Pinterest and Facebook, but I do not have the creative mind to transform junk into art. Unless my Hawkeyes are involved.

 I noticed a September 11th framed picture hiding in the corner and dismissed it initially. But the plaque inside the frame piqued my interest. The inscription was the pledge of allegiance and my mind started turning I instantly had the right picture in mind to replace it.

See: Patriotism

After I got home I downloaded the image and the next day I went to Wal-Mart to blow the picture up to fit the frame. An hour and some delicate surgery later the picture was replaced and I up-cycled my first Hawkeye piece.

Price Paid: $2.89 For the Stanzi Picture and 

Bought At: Muscatine Salvation Army

Condition: Up-cycled

Going For: ??? 

"There's nothing better than being American..If you don't love it, leave it. USA, No. 1"

Go Hawks!

High Riding Hawkeyes: Framed 1982 KRNA Basketball Poster

Salvation Army is usually hit or miss. You either get really good stuff, or you get stuff that has been sitting in grandma's basement for 40 years and no one wants any of it. But in town it is right next to where my Girlfriend works, so it is great way to pass time if I am waiting for her to get off work.

This one made me really mad I hadn't been there 10 minutes sooner. The lady checking me out said that she had just sold 3 other KRNA posters to someone a few minutes ago, but they had left just this one. But this one is better than nothing.

The '82 Hawkeyes were led by the Hawkeye greats Bobby Hansen, Steve Carfino Greg Stokes, Michael Payne, Kenny Arnold, and Kevin Boyle.  It was also the final season in the great Iowa Fieldhouse before Carver Hawkeye opened in '83.

Price Paid: $5.00
Bought At: Muscatine Salvation Army
Condition: Excellent. No damage and a custom frame
Going For: $15-$25 dollars

So I got a hit with this one, and it's missing brothers give me something more to keep searching for.

Go Hawks!

Change the Game: 1977 Iowa/ISU Commemorative Pepsi Bottle

As an Iowa fan, I always love a good rivalry game. My first 2 football games were rivalry games; 2005 vs Minnesota and 2008 vs Iowa State. But none of these games were bigger than the 1977 Iowa/ISU game. With that said, I'll let the wonderful writers at Black Heart Gold Pants handle the story of this game.

If that was tl;dr, here is the 10 second recap

Now that you are all brushed up on history, here is the bottle. Similar to the Coke Rose Bowl bottle, this was part of a commemorative set done by Pepsi. However, Pepsi only released 3 special bottles that year.

Price Paid: $6.99
Bought At: Coralville Stuff ETC
Condition: Excellent. Missing cap but no damage to the bottle
Going For: $3.99-$30

Here is hoping that the Iowa/ISU rivalry doesn't go away for another 40 years. Although, those ugly "BEAT IOWA" jerseys can disappear for another 40 years. Oh wait... that's 3 years from now. Damn....

Go Hawks!


PS: Thank you to BHGP for the history lesson and continuing good work.

10 Posts.... And 1000 Views Later

Holy Cow, 1000 views in less than a month. Wow. Thank You Everyone! It means a lot to me that you have taken your time to come view my ramblings and stories. 

Is there anything you would you like to see more or less of? Anything else you would like to know about my items? Do you have any great Hawkeye items you found in a give away pile or on a thrift store shelf? I would love to show the world your stuff! Do you like what you see? Hate it? Let me know! 

Thank you everyone who has visited keep checking back. There is a lot more stuff out there, and I plan on finding it. 

Go Hawks!

Crashing the Boards: Iowa Hawkeyes Stuff It Basketball Hoop

I am a terrible person. Maybe. I stole this item from someones cart. Maybe. I walked into the Goodwill in Iowa City and saw an unattended cart with an Iowa Hawkeye basketball hoop in it and I sat. And watched. And waited. And hoped. For 30 minutes. No one touched the cart. No one looked at the cart. No one moved the cart. I grabbed the hoop and put it in my cart, and waited for 5 more minutes. Thankfully no one came looking for it. I have never wanted to get through checkout faster. Thank God.

This is a really cool piece, I looks to be from the mid-80's, and was made by a company called G-K Enterprises out of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Beyond that, I really cannot find much more information. The company doesn't have a website and the phone number on the back is no longer in service. So yeah.

Price Paid: $3.38
Bought At: Iowa City Goodwill
Condition: Good. Slight scratching and some scuffs along the edges
Going For: I can't tell, as I can't find another one for sale online

So if the person who left that cart is reading this, I either thank you or apologize. But it looks very good in my living room.

Go Hawks!

This Clock Drives Me Cuckoo: Amana Furniture Shop Hawkeye Clock

If you have never been to the Amana Colonies, go now. Seriously, stop reading and go. You will find so much stuff to do. My parents used to take our family there once in a while and it was always one of my favorite places to go. The meat & cheese shop and brewery? Heaven. The restaurants? Fantastic. My girlfriend loves the chocolate shops and winery. But one of the most interesting shops is the Furniture and Clock shop. You tour the floor and get to see homemade clocks and wooden furniture being made before your eyes, and are able to buy these items in the shop. It is really cool if you have never seen it done before.

I messaged the Furniture store, and they said the clock is an Amana Cube clock and would have been built in the late 70's and early 80's. The original price would have been about $35 dollars. They told me it was a very popular clock and the dial was a custom order, as all Hawkeye dials were custom up until a few years ago.

Price Paid: $6.95

Bought At: Muscatine Salvation Army

Condition: Good. Some scratches but overall very nice

Going For: $35 Dollars in 1980, who knows now?

I love homemade items, and there is no better quality work than the awesome people in the Amanas. Seriously go visit them. Go now.

Go Hawks!

Dirty Laundry: 2004 Iowa vs Wisconsin Heartland Trophy Towel

Don't Spit in the wind. Don't tug on Superman's cape. Don't buy underwear from thrift stores. Good advice for life. I don't often hand around the towel/linen/bedsheet racks of thrift stores, but I needed black hand towels for my Hawkeye bathroom. Browsing the racks of towels, I found this little beauty hiding with a bunch of black towels.

The Heartland trophy game was the 1st played between Iowa and Wisconsin for the brand new Heartland trophy game in 2004. The Series, which was 39-38-2 in Wisconsin's favor, was won in Iowa City 30-7 giving Iowa the Bull and the share of the Big Ten Championship.

Price: .50 cents
Bought At: Muscatine Goodwill
Condition: Excellent. Barely looks 10 years old
Going For: On eBay about $3-$4 Dollars


No Bull-You can find a Hawkeye Hand towel at Goodwill. Just stay away from the tighty whiteys.

Go Hawks!