Collecting the Sox: Souvenir Cups

When you go to a game at Fenway Park, you have a few beverage options. If you lean towards the soda fountain items, you still have a big decision to make. What size drink do you want? The concession stand will tell you itself. The best value is in getting the souvenir size soda. Not only do you get the most beverage, but you get a collectable plastic cup as well. What more could a Red Sox collector ask for? Not only do you get the drink you were going to get anyway. But, you get a nice Red Sox collectable to go along with it. As you may imagine, that’s the choice I make every time I go to Fenway Park. The cups are colorful. Every year they come up with a new design for the cups. In many years, there are several designs. During the playoffs, they usually come up with a special design just for the postseason. (Does that make it a short printed collectable?) I don’t really like the “magic motion” designs they’ve been using a lot of lately, but that doesn’t detract from the overall appeal of the cups. I also got the souvenir cups in Montreal and Philadelphia when I saw games there. That gives a collectable high marks in my book. When you can get them everywhere, it makes for a great item. In fact, I can only think of one downside to the collectable.

What, on earth, do I do with all these cups?

Yes, I know, I could simply use them at home to hold my beverages. And, I do do that. But, there’s really a limit to the number of cups I need to drink from. Right now, I have the balance of them stacked in a corner. Not exactly the best displaying technique. What else can I do? I’ve thought about nailing them to the wall. A whole wall of them would make a nice mosaic effect. Or, a couple of them could be used to hang stuffed animals from. One or two Red Sox bears peeking out of the tops of cups could be a nice look. I also thought of using them as brackets to support narrow shelving. Other Red Sox collectables could be displayed on the shelves rather nicely.

Then, there are the larger-scale options. I considered gluing the cups together into a coffee table shape. If I placed a Plexiglas top on it, it could be a useful piece of furniture. I considered, once, cutting the cups into square pieces. If I attached them to a shirt, it would be making a set of Red Sox cup chain mail. I haven’t done that, though. So, I’m still trying to sort through display/use options.

Anyone have any ideas?