1976 Hank Aaron jersey on ebay

[CollectGU]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180207219189&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

Above is a link to a 1976 Hank Aaron jersey that is currently being offered. I e-mailed the seller stating that I thought the Brewers wore Sand Knit in 1976, and he e-mailed me back that they wore both Sand Knit and Wilson. Can any Brewers experts please confirm if this is correct? I've noticed that there is a difference in the width of the sleeeve striping between Sand Knit and this Wilson so any photos showing the thinner stripinng would help. The seller also states that it comes with an authenticgamers.com COA, so Rob if you could shed any light on this jersey it would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave

[RobSteinmetz]

Re: 1976 Hank Aaron jersey on ebay

Hi Dave.

This jersey originated from the collection of a retired Houston area sportswriter. I purchased several jerseys from this individual, a couple of which remain in my personal collection. You are correct....the Brewers did wear Sand-Knit jerseys in 1976. However, in addition to this Wilson Aaron jersey, I've also seen McAuliffe Aaron jerseys from his final two seasons.

The jersey had the Wilson tag removed from the collar. Did Aaron or the Brewers remove that tag because they were wearing Sand-Knit at the time? Unfortunately, we'll probably never know. Did Wilson and McAuliffe make jerseys for Aaron? Given the fact that he had just shattered the most coveted record in all of pro sports, I think there is a possibility that these manufacturers would have had the desire to outfit the most historically significant (active) player at the time.

With all this in mind, and knowing the source from which it was obtained, I felt comfortable offering the jersey at the price at which I did (with full disclosure of all the information I had). As you know, the fact that it was made by Wilson (plus the missing wash/size tag in the collar) certainly negatively impacts the value. I share this information only because I want to make it clear that I did not sell this jersey for anywhere near the $10,000 "Buy It Now" option currently offered by the seller.

Whenver I sell an item, I fully disclose all the information I possibly can so that collectors can make an informed purchase decision. I have also been in contact with the seller over the last few days because of the number of questions he has received about the jersey. Keeping in mind that all of the information stated above was not detailed in the eBay description (and with the goal of making sure all customers are pleased with the purchases they make), I have offered to take the jersey back if the current seller so chooses.

I hope this information helps.

Best,

[CollectGU]

Re: 1976 Hank Aaron jersey on ebay

Rob,

Thanks for the reply and the additional information. Can any other Brewers collector's shed some light on this jersey? Does anyone own a Wilson made Brewers jersey from 1976? Does anyone have a photo of Aaron or possible another Brewer player with the thinner striping on the sleeves that would match a Wilson from 1976? In your opinion, would this jersey pass MEARS?

Thanks,
Dave

[RobSteinmetz]

Re: 1976 Hank Aaron jersey on ebay

Dave,

It's difficult for me to speculate on whether or not MEARS (or any other authenticator) would "pass" the jersey. If it were submitted to MEARS, based on my very limited experience with them, I would anticipate a fairly low grade given the fact that it is not a Sand-Knit jersey and it is also missing the wash/size tag in the collar.

Best,