Frank Thomas Game Worn Jersey - Ebay

[jerseyvault.com]

Does anyone have an opinion on this Frank Thomas game worn jersey on eBay?

Auction number on eBay is 8758880452

The jersey comes with COAs from Dave Bushing and Dan Knoll of SCD Authentic and well known Chicago Area Collector, Dave Miedema. This jersey was recently obtained from well known collector and dealer, Rob Steinmetz.

I don't know? Rob?

[eGameUsed]

Re: Frank Thomas Game Worn Jersey - Ebay

The jersey offered on eBay right now is mine. I did obtain it from Rob in 2005 in trade. He included the SCDA and Miedema letters, which I believe is how he obtained it. I am no expert on White Sox items, but do know Rob could chime in on it, or others.

I do believe there was a recent discussion on Wilson versus Russell White Sox jerseys from the 1990s. When these came into question, I asked Rob and his response was that both Russell and Wilson were commonly worn during the 1990s. I am not sure if this was just road or both home an road.

Rob does still have a Tim Raines jerseys from 1994 on his site. Link is:

http://www.authenticgamers.com/raines.94.rj.html

Tagging is a little different, but still a 1994 Sox Road made by Wilson. Hope this all helps!

Thanks,

Chris Boyd
www.eGameUsed.com
ccboyd@houston.rr.com

[RobSteinmetz]

Re: Frank Thomas Game Worn Jersey - Ebay

To Those Interested,

The '94 road Thomas jersey listed on eBay by Chris Boyd was originally obtained by me from a Mastronet auction, which is why it has a SCDA letter. I purchased the jersey with complete confidence because it had all the charactertistics of other Wilson White Sox jerseys I have handled over the years, as well as many player-specific characteristics. The size is correct, the strip tag on the tail is correct, and I've handled examples with both collar and tail tagging. I also have consulted several White Sox collectors on the subject of the team wearing both Russell and Wilson jerseys during this era, and that is defintely the case. In response to my confidence in the jersey, I purchased it from Mastro, I featured it on my website for several weeks, and I traded it to Chris - since my name will likely be associated with this piece for years to come, I think that speaks to my level of confidence. If anyone has specific questions or concerns, contact me directly at authenticgamers@aol.com.

Thanks!

Rob Steinmetz
www.authenticgamers.com

[kingjammy24]

Re: Frank Thomas Game Worn Jersey - Ebay

From about 1993 to 1998, the Chicago White Sox home, road, and alt. black jerseys were each supplied by both Wilson and Russell. That is, unlike situations where the road jersey, for example, would be supplied solely by one manufacturer and the home jersey solely by another, the White Sox had all 3 versions of their jerseys supplied simultaneously by both manufacturers during this time frame.
It's my opinion that the players were free to choose which manufacturer they wanted to wear in any given game. I believe the manufacturer they chose to wear therefore was simply based on personal preference.
Although I've seen photos of Thomas wearing both Wilson and Russell jerseys in 1994, it's my opinion that he had a preference for Russell. (Other players seemed to have a preference for Wilson).

There are two things that strike me about this particular Ebay jersey:

- Wilson tagging in the neck as opposed to on the tail. I've never seen a 1993 or 1994 Wilson White Sox jersey tagged in the neck. I've always seen them tagged like Rob Steinmetz's '94 Raines jersey - on the tail, with a size flag tag, and a strip tag with the Name/Year/Set in script. (I believe spares were tagged with just the year).
Wilson did tag jerseys in the neck during the 90's though. The only team I'm aware that used Wilson neck tagging were the Blue Jays, whose jerseys in the early 90's were always tagged in the neck (except for 1990). I have a couple of 1994 Jays jerseys and the Wilson neck tagging on the Ebay Thomas matches the Wilson tagging on my '94 Jays jerseys. It's pretty rare or atypical to see an early 90's White Sox Wilson jersey tagged in the neck.

- Wilson neck tags tended to fade relatively quickly. Heavy use/wear would often render the tag almost completely white. While the numbers on the Ebay Thomas show puckering, the Wilson tag shows very little, if any, fading at all. It's also my opinion that the sleeve trim on Wilson jerseys tended to fade noticeably. The sleeve trim on the Ebay Thomas looks relatively crisp.

Other than that, I think everything else matches up, including the fonts, size, patches, and the absence of a nameplate. Thomas took either a 46 or a 48 during 1994.

Rudy.

[RobSteinmetz]

Re: Frank Thomas Game Worn Jersey - Ebay

In my experience with this style Wilson tagging in the collar, those that are extremely faded are typically found on jerseys that show much more game use. While this particular jersey shows definite evidence of use, I wouldn't classify it as having use consistent with more than a handful of games. It would take laundering and use from many road trips for the tag to be completely faded and the sleeves to begin to fade.

An important note regarding Thomas during this era...this was about the time The Big Hurt Foundation was formed here in Chicago. Although he was never known for being openly generous with his equipment, Thomas did donate (and sell his own equipment) during this era. As a result, he went through many more jerseys than other White Sox players would have.

On a side note, I agree with Rudy's assessment of the players selecting their manufacturer of preference. I've heard from a few collectors who refer to Wilson White Sox jerseys as "salesman's samples", but that simply is not the case.

Best,

Rob Steinmetz
www.authenticgamers.com

[jerseyvault.com]

Re: Frank Thomas Game Worn Jersey - Ebay

I would like to thank those that have responded to this thread I started. The responses from Rudy, Rob & Chris were extremely professional.