The 1972 Rose Reds Home Jersey was just one a number of jerseys recently consigned to MEARS Auctions. The consigner had a few knits, including others from Reggie Jackson and Don Mattingly. The sad thing is that they been purchased in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the collector had held on to them all these years thinking they were something they were not. The purchase dates was discerned by looking at the letters that accompanied them.
A few weeks ago I authored a piece on the Founding Fathers of Flannel Forgers. In that article I laid out a general time frame that seems in line when these nasty little knits entered the hobby as well. With more and more collectors asking that MEARS look at knits from the 1970s and 1980s, I have started adding them to my on hand exemplar library as well. While my flannel references are far more substantial, I have picked about 80 knits over the past year or so, focusing on styles and years that support looking at period stars and Hall of Famers of the era.
These knit efforts often take a bit longer than flannels right now because I will typically order year/product specific yearbooks to support the work as well. With that being said, I will try to devote more editorial content to providing information on these uniforms as well in the form of “Knit Notes” which I plan to work in at least once a month.
While the information presented here reflects only some of the additional comments on the jerseys as opposed to the complete Letters of Opinion, my hope is that they will be helpful to collectors of items like these or for those individuals considering collecting knits from the 1970s and 1980.
SUBJECT: 1972 Pete Rose Cincinnati Reds Home Jersey
Construction: The offered jersey is constructed with a round/tapered tail. This is not consistent with either period images or period exemplars. When Rawlings introduced knit jerseys in 1970, those jerseys featured a square tail cut design. This can be seen in Rawlings products at least until 1973. This feature is not something unique to the Cincinnati Reds, but rather is a manufacturer’s characteristic. (PLATE I)
The crest on the offered jersey is also inconsistent with period exemplars with respect to the manner of embroidery of the lettering of REDS as well as the material used for the red color wishbone backing. The manner of embroidery on the offered jersey is more consistent with that found on replica offering. (PLATE II)
The manner in which the crest has been affixed to the jersey is also inconsistent with period exemplars with respect to stitching pattern/quality. In addition, the crest on the offered jersey has also been glued down prior to being sewn to the jersey. (PLATE III)
Tagging: Both the Rawlings tag and the year/set tag show signs of open seam holes. This is indicative of the tags having re-sewn to the body of the jersey.
Use and Wear: While the exterior of the jersey appears to be well worn and soiled, when examined from the inside, the jersey features almost no signs of use and wear. This striking inconsistency leads me to conclude that the use and wear to the jersey is not legitimate, but contrived.
Evaluation Findings: Based on my physical examination of this jersey and supporting data, it is my opinion that this jersey does not posses all of the characteristics you would expect to find in a 1972 Cincinnati Reds home jersey manufactured by Rawlings for use and wear by Pete Rose. As such the final grade for this jersey with MEARS hologram number 31166 is Unable to Authenticate.
SUBJECT: 1982-1984 Reggie Jackson California Angels Home Jersey
Dating the Jersey: The offered jersey is without any sort of year identification. This is atypical for Angels’ home jerseys from this period. Range of years is offered based on the style of Wilson manufacturers tag present in the jersey. Additionally, while Reggie Jackson played for the Angels from 1982-1986, we know the jersey is not from 1985 because of the absence of the Angles 25th Anniversary patch on the right sleeve of that year. The jersey is not from 1986 because of the style patch worn on the left sleeve (round version in 1986). The location of the Wilson manufacturers tag is also found atypically in the neck as opposed to the tail of the jersey. (PLATE I)
Name of the Back: The arch of the name JACKSON on the back of the jersey features a more pronounced arch than is typically found in Angles home products from this period. This can be confirmed by looking at period images and contemporary examples. (PLATE II)
Evaluation Findings: Based on my physical examination of this jersey and supporting data, it is my opinion that this jersey does not possess all of the characteristics you would expect to find in a 1982-1984 California Angles home jersey manufactured by Wilson for use and wear by Reggie Jackson. As such the final grade for this jersey with MEARS hologram number 31167 is Unable to Authenticate.
SUBJECT: c 1982-1986 Don Mattingly New York Yankees Road Jersey
Dating the Jersey: The offered jersey is without any sort of year identification. This is atypical for Yankees road jerseys from this period. Range of years is offered based on the style of Wilson manufacturers tag present in the jersey as it relates to Mattingly’s time with the New York Yankees.
Size: The size of the jersey is tagged as a 46 and this is the true size of the jersey. This appears to inconsistent with other period Mattingly offerings as well as with his height and weight as recorded in period Street and Smith yearbooks at 6”, 175 lbs. As such I would not consider the size of this offered jersey to be appropriate for Mattingly at this point of his career.
Supplemental Player Identification: The offered jersey features the name Mattingly in script embroidery sewn to swatch which is affixed to the interior button line on the lower portion of the jersey. This is atypical for New York Yankee Road products from this period. (PLATE I)
Font Style: The font style and cut of the lettering for NEW YORK is also not consistent with either period exemplars or period images. The font/cut on the offered jersey is much shorter/compressed in appearance than typically seen. This can best be observed by focusing on a single letter such as the “W” in NEW York. (PLATE II)
Use and Wear: While the front exterior of the jersey appears to be well worn and soiled, there is almost no use or wear on either the rear of the jersey or the interior. This striking inconsistency leads me to conclude that the use and wear to the jersey is not legitimate, but contrived.
Evaluation Findings: Based on my physical examination of this jersey and supporting data, it is my opinion that this jersey does not possess all of the characteristics you would expect to find in a c 1982-1986 New York Yankees road jersey manufactured by Wilson for use and wear by Don Mattingly. As such the final grade for this jersey with MEARS hologram number 31165 is Unable to Authenticate.
As always, collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.
MEARS Auth, LLC
For questions or comments on this article, please feel to contact me at DaveGrob1@aol.com