Blackhawks' 1961 Stanley Cup banner sells for $38K

[July 17, 2013]  NORTHBROOK (AP) -- A 52-year-old original Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup championship banner has sold at an auction for $37,500.

The Southtown Star reports (http://bit.ly/12JHB8w) the 12-foot-long banner fetched more than expected during Tuesday night's five-minute-long auction at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers of Chicago.

The banner from 1961 once hung from the rafters at the old Chicago Stadium, before the owner of a suburban Chicago sports bar bought it an auction in 1994 for $15,000. It's been in hanging in the bar ever since.

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 1961, beating the Detroit Red Wings 5-1. The team was led by Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita. Today a replica of the banner hangs in the United Center.

The auction house says the 12-foot-long banner is in good shape, with only a few stains.

[Associated Press]

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