For what I do, this has been a fun auction to prepare for. The jerseys I have looked at represent a great cross section of rare style flannels, those of Hall of Famers, and offerings from World Series seasons. The April Auction will begin on Friday the 17th in conjunction with the grand opening and the appearance of Reggie Jackson at the facility. Not only will “Mr. October be on hand as special guest, but he is also a consigner for this
event.
While I will not be able to travel to Milwaukee for this event, as a researcher/evaluator, I am always thrilled to get uniforms directly from the players to review. Problem free examples, like those provided by Mr. Jackson are invaluable in confirming data and trends in the MEARS data base. I would like to share some of the information or comments I have on a few of the uniforms that will be offered in a couple of weeks. You will be able to see and evaluate these items for yourself either at the 17 April preview or by way of the on-line descriptions.
1927 Sparky Adams Chicago Cubs Home Uniform: Hands down one of the most gorgeous jerseys I have ever seen. This is a first year style and the overall condition is superb. With that being said, the jersey does feature replacement buttons on the front. I know at first, this may sound like a problem, but it really isn’t. Why? The jersey comes with a pair of pants from the same season (different player) that has four original buttons in the fly. If I was bidding on this, and I honestly wish I could, I would simply swap out the buttons to give myself a high grade/high demand/ rare first year style that is 100% period correct.
1982-1984 Reggie Jackson California Angels Road Uniform. Consigned directly to MEARS by “Mr. October” himself. This is a great offering since it includes pants, stirrups and a pair of white sanitary stockings. The use was moderate to heavy, yet even and consistent throughout. Bidders looking for a Jackson Angels road jersey will have to choose between this one from Reggie or the one offered as lot # 82186 in the April Heritage Auction. That jersey is described as being worn “at some point between his 1982 free agency signing and the close of the 1985 season, as the left sleeve patch would change in 1986.” I can’t speak for why Heritage dated this jersey to include the 1985 season, but my dating was based on the fact that the Angels wore a circular patch on the right sleeve in 1985 to mark their 25th Anniversary; something it appears both of these jerseys are without.
1984 Robin Yount Home Uniform: Another wonderful jersey/pants ensemble. What I liked most about this, was doing the work and identifying an external manufacturers characteristic for Medalist/Sand-Knit jerseys from this period. This is covered in the on-line evaluation/description.
1979 Andre Dawson Montreal Expos Home Jersey: This summer “the Hawk” goes into the Hall of Fame as an Expo. Our data base suggests this is the earliest Dawson Expos jersey in the hobby. For what it’s worth, I think this going to be the steal of the auction. The jersey grades low because of stitch separation on the lettering and numbering. This can be fixed or addressed if the winner chooses to do so. The jersey also shows signs of nameplate having been placed over the original DAWSON (still present) and then subsequently removed. Referenced in the on-line evaluation/description, you will see that this is not an uncommon occurrence for period Expos jerseys (home/road-commons/stars). The grade is what is because our worksheet mandates certain deductions while leaving some discretion to the evaluator. I like the jersey because of the player and what I consider to be very strong “eye appeal”.
1957 and 1958 Milwaukee Braves Home and Road Uniforms: I have always felt that this was one of the most attractive flannel styles out there. Here you have your choice of home or road (both with pants and belts). The 1957 road also includes a pair of period stirrups. The condition on either of these is simply wonderful, but each though did loose some points for light use. The best part is, with either the home or road offering you are getting a World Series year uniform.
If you have any particular questions about these uniforms (other than pricing which I am not involved in), please feel free to drop me a line. As always, collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.
MEARS Auth, LLC
For questions and comments on this article, please feel free to drop me a line at DaveGrob1@aol.com