"Hit Sign, Win Suit" was an expression from the famous Abe Stark advertising sign which, in several iterations, was a fixture on the right center field scoreboard in Ebbets Field from 1931 though 1957, the last season for the Dodgers in Brooklyn before moving to Los Angeles. Displayed is a replica of the actual Ebbets Field sign, with the replica residing on the wall of a bar in Brooklyn for years. The offered replica sign measures 35.25" tall and 75" long. Abe Stark was born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in New York City, in 1884. He became a tailor; with a clothing store he owned in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. As a means to spur sales, in 1931, Stark had an enormous sign installed at Ebbets Field, one that covered the entire right field wall, just under the bottom part of the scoreboard, and ran about 150' from the right field foul line to the right center field scoreboard. The sign promised a ball player a free suit if the player hit the sign on the fly. Reportedly, for six years, not one player hit the sign.

Then, in 1937, Brooklyn Dodgers' shortstop Woody English, who hit .238 that season with only one home run, hit the sign with a line drive off Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Vander Meer. Supposedly, the only opposing player to hit the sign was Mel Ott of the New York Giants, and Ott hit it twice. Actually, the reports of how few players hit the sign are legend, rather than fact. The original Abe Stark sign was too big not to be hit frequently. Murray Rubin, whose father worked for forty years at Stark's clothing store, said this about his father, "On some evenings he altered more suits for ball players than for paying customers." Later, a smaller Stark sign, measuring about 3x30 feet and placed at the bottom of the right center wall, was installed, and Stark didn't have to give out too many free suits with the new sign. On the new, and more famous sign, Stark's advertising said, "Hit Sign, Win Suit. Abe Stark. 1514 Pitkin Ave. Brooklyn's Leading Clothier." In addition, on either end of the sign, the word "Clothes" has a super-imposed "GGG" over it. It is not clear, but "GGG" is a baseball announcer's expression (ironically for famed New York Yankee announcer Mel Allen, in particular) for "Going, Going, Gone", which could imply that Stark's clothing is selling fast. After Carl Furillo took over right field for the Dodgers, one fan suggested to Stark that he ought to give Furillo a free suit since his great defense in front of the sign saved Stark many free suits. Stark agreed, but teammate Duke Snider joked that Furillo only got the trousers. Abe Stark may have been obligated to give out free suits, but his sign was a stroke of genius. It was shown to millions on newsreels and later on television. It helped Stark become well-known, and he not only sold many thousands of suits, but his fame later helped him to become elected to multiple terms on both the New York City Council and as Brooklyn's Borough President.

The offered sign is tin, and weighs approx. seven (7) lbs. The red, white, and blue replica sign has slightly different wording than the famous Ebbets Field one. The replica sign reads, "Hit Sign/Win A Suit" two times, above and below "Abe Stark." The replica sign also reads, "1514 Pitkin Ave." In addition, the replica sign uses the "GGG" abbreviation on the top and bottom of the sign. The replica sign hung on the wall of a Brooklyn bar for many years. When the bar was about to be sold, many patrons who were Brooklyn fans when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn argued about who was to get to keep the sign, with one patron winning out and eventually directly transferring the sign to the consignor. The sign shows wear. It has been rolled. There are small holes from where the sign was affixed to the wall of the bar, and there are some stains, rust spots, scrapes, possible glue residue, etc. But this visible wear attests to years of display in the Brooklyn bar, and the replica sign makes a great remembrance of those great years of Brooklyn Dodgers' baseball at Ebbets Field, where, as Dodgers announcer Red Barber used to say, "Anything can happen at Ebbets Field." That includes a lucky batter hitting the famous Abe Stark sign, with this replica being a great, zany addition to any sports collection.

Estimated domestic USA shipping cost only. Does not include handling or insurance: 35.02 Please feel free to contact us for a more accurate shipping cost.