Dave Kingman Road '76 Pants Question

[skyking26]

Hi - Recently won a pair of Kingman road 76 Mets pants on ebay. Don't have them yet, but figured they would go well with my 77 Kingman top. Question - my 7 Kingman gamer tops and 3 pants show wear, etc. but are relatively clean...free of dirt and deep soiling. Although I do not have these pants in my hands, the images from ebay seem to reflect that these pants may be stained from improper storage thru the years. What do the readers here feel about, if this is the case, me having the pants laundered to get that soiling out??? At some point I would like to have the pants signed as all my other stuff is signed...

Thanks - Bob

[sportscentury]

Bob,

If you are sure that the stains are from storage, then having them cleaned and restored (gently and carefully) should be okay (and may improve the aesthetic quality as well as the value). However, could the stains/marks be from game play? Sometimes items make their way into collectors hands without having been washed. I've had some Rickey Henderson uniforms that have been trashed with dirt, pine tar, stench (no kidding), etc., for example. A few Steve Carlton items, as well, several of which still have the tobacco juice stains. If the stains/marks may be from game play, then I might suggest that you leave the pants be. The fact that your other Kingman items are clean is not so relevant to whether the 76 pants stains are from game play, storage, or something else.

Good luck,
Reid