EndzoneSports
11-16-2007, 10:06 AM
Having recently reviewed Grey Flannel's Holiday Auction catalog, we were initially psyched to see an early-1990s Karl Mecklenburg game jersey being offered (see http://www.greyflannelauctions.com/showdetail.cfm?CategoryNum=11&Lot=702)--as we have been actively searching for an authentic Meck gamer for some time. From our initial observations, a couple of items jumped out at us...
First was the apparent incorrect identification of the jersey. The GFA catalog lists this as being a "1991" era jersey, however, one minor detail would point to '92. 1991 was the first year where Broncos' uniforms were adorned with the NFL Shield; for the first year only, the jersey's embroidered patch was affixed below the collar's neckband (see detail/photos at http://endzone.pscoggin.com/PDFs/Uni_1991.pdf). In 1992 (and for all years thereafter) the NFL patch was raised and placed on the collar's neckband (see detail/photos at http://endzone.pscoggin.com/PDFs/Uni_1992.pdf). The "DU" date of manufacturing code (showing clearly on the flag tag below the manufacturer's tag), corresponds with a manufacture date of Feb '91--appropriate for use during the '91 season, although the NFL Shield patch's location would seemingly indicate '92. It is possible, that this jersey was acquired by the team in '91 then held over an prepared for use in the '92 season.
Our second concern was the amount of use (or lack thereof) present on this jersey. Whether used in '91 or '92, Karl was a 16-game starter for the team during both seasons. Playing in the trenches as a LB/DL during an era when players typically did NOT change jerseys as frequently as underwear, one would expect to see more significant wear exhibited. Another interest collector contacted GF to try to get more detail and was told (in a not very friendly way) "that if there were repairs or any other marks on the Meck that they would have been listed in the description."
As icing on the cake, I contacted Mr Mecklenburg via e-mail on 11/13 and asked him to review and offer any comments on this particular jersey. His reply is posted below:
----- Original Message -----
From: Karl Mecklenburg
To: 'Endzone Sports' (EndzoneSports@msn.com)
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:29 AM
Subject: RE: Jersey review for ESC
Early in my career I didn't have my jersey tailored at all but from 86 on I had the sides and sleeves heavily tailored. The jersey in the auction isn't a game jersey. The team had replicas for charity events etc. I suspect that this is one of them...
Karl
Mecklenburg Motivation
Karl Mecklenburg
Keynote speeches inspiring positive change in teams and individuals!What I find most interesting in the prevalence of the "charity auction" jerseys, even back as far as the early '90s.
I forwarded this information on to GFA on 11/13, and while I did not receive a response to my e-mail, I see now that this listing has been removed.
Best regards,
First was the apparent incorrect identification of the jersey. The GFA catalog lists this as being a "1991" era jersey, however, one minor detail would point to '92. 1991 was the first year where Broncos' uniforms were adorned with the NFL Shield; for the first year only, the jersey's embroidered patch was affixed below the collar's neckband (see detail/photos at http://endzone.pscoggin.com/PDFs/Uni_1991.pdf). In 1992 (and for all years thereafter) the NFL patch was raised and placed on the collar's neckband (see detail/photos at http://endzone.pscoggin.com/PDFs/Uni_1992.pdf). The "DU" date of manufacturing code (showing clearly on the flag tag below the manufacturer's tag), corresponds with a manufacture date of Feb '91--appropriate for use during the '91 season, although the NFL Shield patch's location would seemingly indicate '92. It is possible, that this jersey was acquired by the team in '91 then held over an prepared for use in the '92 season.
Our second concern was the amount of use (or lack thereof) present on this jersey. Whether used in '91 or '92, Karl was a 16-game starter for the team during both seasons. Playing in the trenches as a LB/DL during an era when players typically did NOT change jerseys as frequently as underwear, one would expect to see more significant wear exhibited. Another interest collector contacted GF to try to get more detail and was told (in a not very friendly way) "that if there were repairs or any other marks on the Meck that they would have been listed in the description."
As icing on the cake, I contacted Mr Mecklenburg via e-mail on 11/13 and asked him to review and offer any comments on this particular jersey. His reply is posted below:
----- Original Message -----
From: Karl Mecklenburg
To: 'Endzone Sports' (EndzoneSports@msn.com)
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:29 AM
Subject: RE: Jersey review for ESC
Early in my career I didn't have my jersey tailored at all but from 86 on I had the sides and sleeves heavily tailored. The jersey in the auction isn't a game jersey. The team had replicas for charity events etc. I suspect that this is one of them...
Karl
Mecklenburg Motivation
Karl Mecklenburg
Keynote speeches inspiring positive change in teams and individuals!What I find most interesting in the prevalence of the "charity auction" jerseys, even back as far as the early '90s.
I forwarded this information on to GFA on 11/13, and while I did not receive a response to my e-mail, I see now that this listing has been removed.
Best regards,