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!

Art Snobbing: Iowa Hawkeye Booze Cruze Picture

I truly believe that we as Hawkeye fans come up with some of the best artwork for our team simply because of how diverse our fan base is. Handmade Hawkeye items are my favorite items to find in thrift stores, because you never know what you get. I initially dismissed this piece because I hadn't saw any Hawkeye logos on it, but I doubled back and picked it up. It appears to be a John Holladay print from the 80s, seen here. I have one of his Kinnick Stadium prints and I can personally say, this is very well done, creative and funny artwork.

This has easily become my favorite piece of artwork, just because it is one of the most creative pieces I have ever seen. My Hawkeye bathroom is made complete with this one.

Price: $5.38
Bought At: Muscatine Goodwill
Condition: Good, Small crack in the corner of the frame
Going For:  My good friend and fellow Hawkeye collector, Marty Boller, of the wonderful MJB Hawkeye Store puts the value of this piece between $20-$25 dollars.



Finding this picture made my day, and is one of the pieces that I still smile at every time I see it. A big thanks to Marty Boller for helping me find information on this one. Please go check out his store. You will be glad you did!

Go Hawks!

America's Real Choice: 1982 Rose Bowl Coke Bottle

So.... we are back to the '82 Rose bowl again. The 1981 Iowa Hawkeyes Big Ten Champions Commemorative bottle, with season record on the reverse showing the Hawks going 8-3 in Hayden Fry's 2nd year as coach, leading them to the 1st winning season in 20 years. The Bottle is unopened, and still has a slight bit of fizz is you gently shake it. It is a great bit of Hawkeye history.Coke has always been a great memorabilia dealer, and 25 Straight Sided designs were released that year. Iowa was included with Football National Champion Penn State, NCAA Men's Champ UNC and other very good teams. You can see the list here.

Price: $2.99

Bought At: Iowa City Stuff ETC.

Condition: Fair, bottle cap is rusting

Going For: Online they are fetching between $2 and $25



Finding one of these in good condition with the cap still attached has made this one of my favorite pieces. So open happiness Hawkeye Fans. Just don't touch my 33 year old bottle.



Go Hawks

Only Because It Says Iowa: Iowa Fight Song Music Box(?)

I am gonna level with you folks, I have no idea what the hell this thing is. I usually leave the figurine section alone, but this thing said Iowa on it, and it is a music box that plays the fight song. I had to have it, despite the little pipe cleaner creepy-eyed football figure. There is glue in the hands, so I assume it held something at one point. I honestly don't know if the football statue was added later or someone somewhere thought this thing as a whole was a good idea to begin with. The only redeeming quality is that it says "Iowa" and plays the fight song.

Maybe one day I will remove the statue and replace it with something better, or maybe this is one of those pieces that I one day discover is a rare, one-of-a-kind creepy ass football thing. Who knows?

It's eyes follow me when I move

Price: $2.38
Bought At: Muscatine Goodwill
Condition: Fair. Some chips and something missing from its hand.
Going For: Not a clue


So... yeah. If anyone has any info on this thing, please comment below. I would really like to know what this thing is.

Go Hawks!

1978 Collage: Musical Scrapbook of the Seventies (University of Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band) LP Record

Sometimes you go home empty handed. And when you plan a whole trip to Iowa City to check out thrift stores it is even more of a bummer. I still buy stuff, but no black and gold is depressing. So getting back to Muscatine I decide to stop and check out the Goodwill just to try and make myself feel better. No such luck. No glassware, no shirts, no pictures or posters. So I go to my fallback section; vinyl records. I love my music and vinyl sounds incredible. 9 times out of 10 the only vinyl available is old Kenny Rodgers or Barbra Streisand  (bleh) albums.

So I dug anyway, and I was stunned when I saw a Tigerhawk. It was an album called "Collage: The University of Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band." I quickly paid and went straight home to get the album onto my record player. Putting the needle down, "On Iowa" crackled through the speakers loud and clear. Side one is mostly Hawkeye pep songs, and side two is mostly pop tunes of the time (1970s) and marching band standards. The only song missing I find strange is the Victory Polka. Seriously?

Price: $1.38 (Price on the Record says $7.00)
Bought At: Muscatine Goodwill
Condition: Good condition, slight scuffs on edges
Going For: Well, I was seriously shocked at this one. It took me forever to find someone selling one. Anywhere. I finally found a website called MusicStack where it was going for $54-$113! Cha-Ching.


Well, since there is no Victory Polka on the album, lets have one here shall we? Cheers.

Go Hawks!

P.S. If anyone from the 1976-79 Hawkeye Marching Band reads this, bravo. You were awesome!

It's Only Weird If It Doesn't Work: 2013 Iowa Hawkeyes #16 Jersey

I love beer, but I cannot stand Bud Light. It is watery and has absolutely no taste. However I love Bud Light's Superstition commercials. We all have one. I watched a 50 year old lady at the bar wear a neon green tutu and blue leggings for the Seahawks/Niners game. My friend stands on his head for 4th Downs. Mine was my #18 Chad Greenway Capital One Bowl jersey. My parents brought it back from Orlando after the game, and it was my lucky go-to outfit for games. I used up until 2010 when Iowa hit a bit of a skid, and I deemed the jersey not lucky. Every game I watched while wearing, Iowa played horribly and limped to a 8-5 overall record. So the #18 has officially been retired.

I avoided jerseys for the longest time, as most are incredibly expensive. So while browsing for a waffle iron one Tuesday afternoon, I saw a black shirt with yellow stripes poking out of the clothing rack. I ran over and pulled a 2XXL #16 Modern style Nike Hawkeye Jersey. I had saw similar jerseys at Scheels for $50+ and I could not believe the great find. Adding to my excitement, it was yellow tag quarter day and this little number just so happened to have a yellow tag on it. Cha-Ching. 

I am just going to tell myself it is either a 2013 C.J. Beathard or 2011 James Vandenburg jersey and not a 2012 Vandenburg. Still too many painful memories.

Come August 30 I have a new lucky jersey to wear. Watch out Northern Iowa, nothing can stop us now. 

Price Paid: 3.38  .25¢!

Bought At: Muscatine Goodwill

Going For: $50+ in most stores, $20.99 and up on most online sites

Condition: Perfect. No stains, no stretches, gold bands are not cracked

Go grab your fuzzy keychain, dirty jersey, lucky underwear or neon tutu. Its only weird if it doesn't work. 

Go Hawks

In Commemoration: 1982 Rose Bowl Glass

My favorite hobby is collecting Hawkeye items and the second is collecting beer glasses and breweriana. I work next to the Goodwill in my town, and my lunch breaks almost always consist of browsing the glassware section. Glassware is always plentiful and I can almost always get a good pilsner glass or glass mug with a logo on it pretty cheap. So when I find Hawkeye glassware, it is always a good lunch break.

The 1982 Rose Bowl vs Washington may not have ended the way Hawkeye fans had hoped, losing 28-0 but the amount of commemorative items released was staggering. I suppose not being in a good bowl game for the better part of 2 decades does that to a fan base.

 Pretty much anything you can think of they slapped a Hawkeye or a Rose on it. I own few items from the game so this is one of the best finds I have come across. I found 2 of these glass mugs, both in perfect condition (which almost never happens.)

The text reads "Commemorating A 23 year dry spell, 1959-1982, Rose Bowl '82.".

Price Paid: .88¢ Per Glass
Bought at: Muscatine Goodwill
Going for: On eBay I found a few of these going for around $20 dollars per glass
Condition: Perfect. No cracks, chips or damage.

Drink Up Friends, its only 6 months til Football season. Go Hawks!