Lighted Memorabilia Display

There is simply no better way for a kid to connect to a sport than by having him meet someone who treats them the right way and award them with an autograph.  In my younger days, I went to the San Francisco 49ers training camp on multiple occasions and got the chance to meet regarded 49ers such as Steve Young, Roger Craig, Jerry Rice and more.  To this day, my brother and I still have hats containing autographs of our favorite players.

When I unexpectedly came into posession of a baseball autographed by an entire baseball team, I knew that I wanted a way to display it in style.  It would also make a perfect gift, and best of all, baseball can be enjoyed by boys and girls, young or old. 

This instructable is very cheap to make (I spent $3) and could easily be converted to hold golf balls, autographable mini-footballs and basketballs, hockey pucks, tennis balls, and much more.  The display isn't limited to sports, you could also use it for things like guitar picks, movie props, or any number of other souvenirs.

Step 1 Quick Trip to Radio Shack

I know, I know, Radio Shack sucks as bad as K-Mart.  However, it is really about the only mass-populated store in the USA which supplies both 9V battery leads (item # 270-324) and an on/off push switch (item # 275-011A).  If you don't have a few LEDs on hand, grab a small pack of them (appropriately colored to provide your light display) while you are there.  I'm a big advocate of supporting local stores...  if you can get similar items from a better store, or can wait a few days in order to get them from the internet, by all means do so.

You will also need a few other items.  I used a soldering gun and some hot glue putting it together, as well as some masking tape and spray paint (which matched the team color).  I also used one of my favorite building items, an empty DVD spindle and a few CD blanks.  If you don't have one, you may also be able to substitute it out for something like a 2-Liter pop bottle with some modifications.  One last item, I spent 20¢ to get an 8x11 piece of felt from my local hobby chain.  Maybe most importantly you'll need your item to display later on. 

Comments

[snickerdoodles]

I can't help but think this would be perfect for a brain/alien display.

[yokozuna]

Hey, have you ever happened to see this instructable?

[RLewisH]

Very nice! I never of using bottle caps and felt as a stand for something!

[Biggsy]

This is a great cheep fix for displaying your autographed things, but have you considered what damage might be done to the ink? Certain inks degrade at a faster rate than others, did you apply any protective wax or varnish to the top of your ball to try and slow the ageing process of the ink? I'm no expert, but I know things fade in the light, just thought i would mention it.

Otherwise a really good I'ble matey... Great idea

[yokozuna]

For me, this was more of a way to keep the ball from getting dusty over time. I haven't protected the ball in any way, and I'm not even sure if that would be a good idea from a collector's point of view. You are right about light possibly damaging the ball though. I used a battery because I don't plan to have it on very much, just when friends are over or something. If you were making a version that was always on, you want to make it where you could plug it in. For that matter, you could put it on a christmas light timer where it's on like 12 hours a day. Thanks for your comments.