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Founded in 1941, Hartland Plastics
produced the 18 classic statues of star
Major League baseball players from 1959
to 1963 when it was then purchased by
the Revlon Cosmetics Company. Revlon
decided to stop the production of the
sports figures to solely concentrate on
cosmetic perfume cases and containers.
In 1987, Dallas attorney William Alley
secured the rights to produce a
commemorative set of the original 18
players. In 1988 celebrating the 25th
Anniversary of the original release,
the full series was issued.
After William Alley's mysterious disappearance while on a business trip in
1991, Bill Dunlop purchased the
Hartland name, and formed U.S.A.
Hartland Inc. USA Hartland was then
purchased by Steven Manufacturing later
that year, and moved the company to
Hermann, Missouri. In 1993 the Great
Missouri Flood completely destroyed the
Steven factory which was located off
the banks of the river. Hartland closed
its doors shortly thereafter.
In 2001 the company re-emerged as Hartland Collectibles LLC. Granted Major
League Baseball and Cooperstown
Collection licenses, Hartland partnered
with Krause Publications, and the SCD
Authentic series was created. The
company manufactured several new
statues, another issue of the original
18 figures, promotional giveaways at
stadiums and events.
Often mistaken for the 1990 original, this is the 2001 Hartland
Collectibles re-issue of the "The
Confrontation." This dual statue
unofficially depicts an argument
between Sparky Anderson and Al Barlick,
has an estimated value of about
$30.-$60. Because of
wrongly listed ebay auctions,
misleading the buyer to believe it is
the rare 1990 original, the fairly
common 2001 statues sometimes sell for
about $125.-$250.
The original, the rarest of all Hartland statues, had a production run of
20 figures. It came in a thick green
cardboard box, with a watercolor mural
on the front. The 2001 figure was
packaged in a snap together clear
plastic clamshell blister pack inserted
into a plain white box. First
sculptured in 1990, the piece was
slated for a 1991 release but was
pulled from production after the
disappearance of the Hartland President
Bill Alley. Ten boxes and fewer than 25
complete statues were made.
In 2001 after acquiring the Hartland trademark and molds, the new owners
located a single wax casting of this
rare piece. Thought to be lost forever
"The Confrontation" became the
company's first release. The original
cost of the 2001 statue was $49.95, and
was also available in a limited cast
bronze version for $499.00.
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