Scott Rolen Bammer Bears - 1999 Phillies

My mom mentioned she read a recent entry where I took issue with Mike Schmidt's criticism of current Major Leaguer's penmanship. Two things came to mind when I heard this news: 1. Now that Mom is a dedicated reader, I'll need to watch the language, and 2. I have to feature one of her favorite Phillies collectibles. So, with that in mind, this week's collectible is for Mom.

It was the summer of 1999, the Phillies were headed toward another sub-.500 season, Beanie Babies were the latest rage, and most of us still liked Scott Rolen. These three phenomenons met each other on May 29th at Veterans Stadium where the Phillies gave away 17,000 red, Scott Rolen Salvino Bammer Bears. Some of you may remember this date was significant because Rolen played (after the 1998 PR hit when he sat on his t-shirt promotion day).

Salvino partnered with several professional sports teams on player-themed bears in 1999, and in Philly, the popularity of both Rolen and bean-bag bears made this one of the highlights on that season's promotional schedule. Online sales in the secondary market were very strong and supported two additional Rolen Bammer Bear variations - red, white and blue Vet Stadium exclusive and a rainbow variation handed out by the Reading Phillies (July 11th).

I went to the game on May 29th and collected my red Bammer Bear. And encouraged by the strong eBay market, my mom authorized the purchase of five red, white and blue versions later that summer. We sold three of them online for a modest profit, and the final two were gifted to me and my brother. Today, you can still find all three variations online from between $5-$15...just make sure the ear tag is still present!

Note: The 2000 Phillies promotional schedule featured a Mike Lieberthal Bammer Bear.

Reading Phillies SGA
Rainbow Rolen Bammer Bear