Milwaukee Braves flannel—year ID help

[emann]

A friend of mine recently showed me his 50's era Milwaukee Braves flannel jersey which he's owned for probably 30-40 years. Great jersey, but we're having trouble narrowing down the year and player.

It is a size 44 jersey and has the manufacture tag in the collar “College Athletic Supply Co. Milwaukee”. No other team markings anywhere... Cream-colored, Zip-up front... It doesn't have the Braves Indian head logo stitched on the sleeve though, any idea what year this was added (it does not appear to have been removed either)? I've seen late-50's Wilson Milwaukee Braves jerseys that have that logo, but can't find an example of something earlier.

We're hoping the year can narrow down the player, the jersey is #4.

Any help appreciated!

[gingi79]

Can't connect all the dots but maybe I can shine a small amount of light. Here is a list of every player who wore #4 from their first year in Milwaukee in 1953 until they moved to Atlanta in 1966:

1953: Worn by Sid Gordon for 140 games

1954: Worn by Danny O'Connell for 146 games

1955: Worn by Danny O'Connell for some part of 124 games (he also wore #27 that season)

1956: Worn by Danny O'Connell for 139 games

1957: Worn by Danny O'Connell for 48 games and Red Schoendienst for 93 games

1958: Worn by Red Schoendienst for 106 games

1959: Worn by Red Schoendienst for 5 games

1960: Worn by Red Schoendienst for 68 games

1961: Not worn in a MLB game by any Braves Player

1962: Not worn in a MLB game by any Braves Player

1963: Not worn in a MLB game by any Braves Player

1964: Not worn in a MLB game by any Braves Player

1965: Not worn in a MLB game by any Braves Player

1966: Moved to Atlanta. No one wore it the first year either.

According the Baseball Almanac, the Boston Braves had an Indian head on their jerseys as of 1946 and didn't make any changes to their uniforms when they moved from Boston except changing the "B" to an "M" on their hats. The absence of the head according to this info may be a red flag.

Good luck in researching it. I would look a little closer for any remnants of stitching or glue residue. Hope I helped.

[sox83cubs84]

This doesn't sound like an MLB Braves jersey. Horace Partridge (the team supplier while in Boston) made the 1953 unies, while Wilson did everything else in Milwaukee except some mid-1960s road flannels of the non-tomahawk variety (1963-65), which were MacGregor.

Hope this helps.

Dave M.
Chicago area

[both-teams-played-hard]

This doesn't sound like an MLB Braves jersey. Horace Partridge (the team supplier while in Boston) made the 1953 unies, while Wilson did everything else in Milwaukee except some mid-1960s road flannels of the non-tomahawk variety (1963-65), which were MacGregor.

Hope this helps.


I agree with Dave. This doesn't sound like a Milwaukee Braves jersey. The lack of the sleeve patch is suspect. Should be made by Wilson. The local supplier may mean it is an Industrial or school jersey.
Can you post photos?

[flaco1801]

collegiate athletic suppy is just maybe what it is...never saw a braves shirt with that manufacturer....

[emann]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I'll pass it along and see if I can get photos to post...

[emann]

Here are the photos of the jersey... In person, it easily looks like a legit gamer, it is certainly high-quality enough. My friend has owned it for at least 30+ years as mentioned, it came to him in trade. Back story was it came from a thrift store in Wisconsin (where he lived), they also had the pants but the original buyer didn't want to spend the extra .50 cents for them!

Any help is appreciated!

[both-teams-played-hard]

Here are the photos of the jersey... In person, it easily looks like a legit gamer, it is certainly high-quality enough. My friend has owned it for at least 30+ years as mentioned, it came to him in trade. Back story was it came from a thrift store in Wisconsin (where he lived), they also had the pants but the original buyer didn't want to spend the extra .50 cents for them!

Any help is appreciated!

That one is a mystery. Looks like a legit 50s Braves flannel. The lack of the sleeve patch and the unknown supplier tag puzzles me. I am not sure if they even made salesman's samples during that era. I do not have an answer, but I would like to hear other's opinions. Still, a nice jersey...

[sox83cubs84]

Very attractive flannel, but not a Milwaukee piece...numbers are the wrong font style and the front number wouldn't be positioned to cover the placket braiding. It would be great to know just who used it...if it weren't adult-sized, I'd guess MAYBE a Father & Son Game at County Stadium.
More detective work will be needed, but it's still a great display item.

Dave M.
Chicago area

[sicollector1954]

I would contact Dave Grob. He might be able to answer your questions. He once helped me with a 50's Braves jersey. You can get his email from the MEARS website or email me and I can send you a couple of scans of mine for comparison. Good luck.