Vintage Sports Pennants & Flags

Vintage Sports Pennants and Flags

Celebrating your favorite school team is an age-old tradition. One of the traditions that has lasted throughout the years is cheering your team on with flags, banners, and pennants. Knowing the common attributes of a pennant flag and how to display your collection is important to helping you celebrate your favorite teams.

Most school pennants were created from felt material in the school's colors. The school name was applied to the felt, either by a screen printing method or hand-stitched, depending on the age of the pennant flag. Sometimes the school mascot or other graphics were also included on the pennant.

While all flags, pennants, and banners may come in a variety of sizes, the college pennant is the most common size, measuring 12 by 30 inches, cut into a triangle shape. The short side commonly has tabs or a sleeve, so you can insert a stick to turn it into a flag that you can wave during the game.

Almost every major school creates banners and flags for their teams. Along with the major colleges and universities, you will also discover that many high schools and other educational institutions also create their own pennant flag designs.

• The design of the pennants or banners will help you determine its age.
• Major colleges and universities may have different pennant flag styles for different sports.

Pennants and banners that have some age to them may be delicate. If you have a collection of these flags, it is important to display them in a way that both preserves them and lets you enjoy them.

• Vintage pennant flags that have some damage or may be particularly delicate can be professionally framed. That way, you can still see it, but it cannot be subjected to further damage.
• Pennants that are in better condition can be displayed in frames as well, with multiple pennant flags within the same frame. You can also include a pennant flag in a shadow box full of memorabilia.
• If you want to preserve newer pennant flags and banners, never display them by pinning or taping them to your wall. Tape can damage the felt, and pinning will create holes in the fabric that may get stretched and pulled over the years.