Birdbats
04-30-2009, 11:15 AM
I'm looking for examples of laundry tags included in 1972 Rawlings jerseys to help me prove or disprove a theory. I recently acquired a group of older Cardinals jerseys and noticed the laundry tag in one was worded differently than any I'd seen before. This particular jersey didn't have a year flag (not unusual on '71-'72 Cardinals jerseys), but it was worn by Ed Crosby, who played for the Cards in '72 but not '71. I think it's possible that 1972 Rawlings jerseys have a unique laundry tag -- and if they do, it would make it possible to differentiate a '71 shirt from a '72 shirt even if they don't have year flags.
Note: The Cardinals wore flannel through the '70 season. 1971 was the first year for knits. Their jerseys had crew necks in 1971-72; by 1973, they switched to a "V" neck. In 1973, Rawlings eliminated the separate laundry tag and included washing instructions on its regular red tag.
Here's a shot of three tags from 1971-72 era Cardinals jerseys. The top one has a laundry tag with "traditional" wording (i.e., used during the late '60s through at least '71) and no year flag. The middle jersey has the "nontraditional" wording and no year flag. The bottom one has both the traditional wording and a '71 year flag.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w232/birdbats/Jerseys/19711972Variations.jpg
The "traditional" wording is: "DO NOT DRY CLEAN. Wash in lukewarm water, 100 F, with mild soap. Do not use bleach. Do not use automatic dryer."
The "nontraditional" wording is: WASH IN COLD WATER. Use mild soap. Do not dry clean. Do not use bleach or automatic dryer."
It may be telling that the recommended water temperature was changed from "lukewarm (100 degrees)" to "cold." On 1973 tags, the instructions call for "cold" water. Maybe somebody realized that knits needed to be washed in colder water than flannels, so the laundry instructions that carried over from '70 (flannel) to '71 (knit) needed to be changed.
If you have a Rawlings jersey that can be pinpointed to 1972, I'd appreciate it if you could share photos of the laundry tag. Thanks.
BTW, I realize the middle jersey in the photo has a different size sewn over the original size. Not sure why, but the added tag was sewn to the red tag before that tag was attached to the jersey, which suggests it was done by the manufacturer.
Note: The Cardinals wore flannel through the '70 season. 1971 was the first year for knits. Their jerseys had crew necks in 1971-72; by 1973, they switched to a "V" neck. In 1973, Rawlings eliminated the separate laundry tag and included washing instructions on its regular red tag.
Here's a shot of three tags from 1971-72 era Cardinals jerseys. The top one has a laundry tag with "traditional" wording (i.e., used during the late '60s through at least '71) and no year flag. The middle jersey has the "nontraditional" wording and no year flag. The bottom one has both the traditional wording and a '71 year flag.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w232/birdbats/Jerseys/19711972Variations.jpg
The "traditional" wording is: "DO NOT DRY CLEAN. Wash in lukewarm water, 100 F, with mild soap. Do not use bleach. Do not use automatic dryer."
The "nontraditional" wording is: WASH IN COLD WATER. Use mild soap. Do not dry clean. Do not use bleach or automatic dryer."
It may be telling that the recommended water temperature was changed from "lukewarm (100 degrees)" to "cold." On 1973 tags, the instructions call for "cold" water. Maybe somebody realized that knits needed to be washed in colder water than flannels, so the laundry instructions that carried over from '70 (flannel) to '71 (knit) needed to be changed.
If you have a Rawlings jersey that can be pinpointed to 1972, I'd appreciate it if you could share photos of the laundry tag. Thanks.
BTW, I realize the middle jersey in the photo has a different size sewn over the original size. Not sure why, but the added tag was sewn to the red tag before that tag was attached to the jersey, which suggests it was done by the manufacturer.