Could this be a 50s-60s era New York Football Giants?

[both-teams-played-hard]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300767258975?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Maybe re-cycled for use in practice?

[xpress34]

Hmmm...

Not a FB guy... wondering why it has 16 on front and back, but 60 on the sleeves?

- Smitty

[BrianK]

I was bidding but didn't win. I thought it was Giants ... but I guess I wasn't confident enough to throw real money at it.

It looks to me like a fan somehow acquired #60, removed the numbers from front and back, and fabricated a home-made Gifford jersey. Probably before the days of replica jerseys.

Will be interesting to see if the jersey pops up again. BTPH: I'd like to hear your thoughts.

[both-teams-played-hard]

From the Wilson tag and the blank size number, it seems like a professional jersey. The different numbers on the front and sleeves looks like a jersey re-used in practice.
The number "1" is pieced together. It was done for practicality, NOT aesthetics. I truly doubt that a "fan" had anything to do with this jersey.
I would like to hear Aeneas' opinion. I think he posted the photo from an NFL practice with different numbers on shoulders/front (maybe this was a Packers practice photo posted by Commando?)

[G1X]

As a long-time collector of NFL and AFL durene jerseys, here are my thoughts for what it's worth. This jersey initially caught my eye when I spotted it on ebay as I thought that it might be a New York Giants jersey. The Giants wore this white style for about a decade from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Previous to the mid-1950s, there were no numbers on the sleeves. By the mid-1960s, they changed styles completely sporting blue numbers and blue & red connected sleeve stripes.

After carefully studying the photos posted by the ebay seller (wish that all ebay posters would provide detailed photos such as this), I refrained from bidding as I did not feel comfortable that the original numbers ("0" and "6") were an exact match to what the Giants wore during that era. The sleeve numbers stood out the most as the Giants sleeve numbers tended to be more elongated with a slightly thinner font, and became even more so into the early-1960s. I also could not find an exact match on the front and back "6", especially with regards to the open tip of the "6". (However, since the "6" was moved at some point, it could be that the shape is slightly distorted due to moving and re-stitching.)

I am not saying that this jerseys "is" or "is not" a Giants game-used jersey, I am simply pointing out items on the jersey that I could not match and, therefore, decided against placing a bid.

Here are a few tips that I frequently refer to when looking at older NFL durene jerseys:
1. Is it the right size for the position? Modern-era jerseys are all over the place with regards to sizing, but older jerseys tend to be very consistent. If it is a lineman, it is highly unlikely that you will see a size smaller than a 48 in most cases. It it looks like a 1950s Colts and even has a crotchpiece, but it's #75 in a size 42 or size 44, it is most likely a well-made high school jersey. If the jersey does not have a size tag, ask the seller to measure the jersey (I did not get that far with the ebay jersey).

2. Learn the manufacturers as best as you can. Folks on this Forum can assist. There is a previous thread that points out some of the manufacturers/suppliers of teams from that era.

3. Were any college teams wearing that style? I once saw a durene Iowa Hawkeyes jersey that I thought was a 1950s Pittsburgh Steelers jersey. Especially beware of common styles such as the Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals, common blue jerseys such as the Giants and Lions, plain green jersesy such as the Eagles, etc. It can be very difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish the difference without knowing the manufacturers/suppliers, nuances of the styles, jersey size, etc.

4. Is it a high school jersey? In the high schools in the area where I grew up, receivers wore 50s numbers, and centers and some linebackers generally wore 80s numbers up into the early-1960s. So, if a high school team wore the exact style of an NFL team, the 80s numbers worn by centers and linebackers might be the proper size for a NFL receiver! Many schools in my area did not skimp on expenses as the jerseys were high quality.

5. Search as many photos as you can find. NFL coffee table photo books are great tools for durene collectors as are old football annuals (Street & Smith, etc.), yearbooks, and programs. Many of these publications can be found inexpensively at card shows and flea markets. This may sound "old school" in our high-tech world, but you need to go "old school" when collecting old jerseys! Gettys, Corbis, etc., can be useful, but as always, be careful about the dating of the photos on Gettys as they can be very inaccurate on older photos. The NFL Hall of Fame website has a great photo gallery with hundreds and hundreds of photos. Many old photos can be found showing game action and PR shots. There is also another site that has a huge gallery of photos, but my PC "crashed" and I currently cannot pull it up from my "Favorites" bar. I will try to remember to post it when my PC is up and running again.

Hope this information is useful.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

Always looking for 1974 and 1975 World Football League uniforms.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Hope this information is useful.


It is helpful, and thanks for your well-thought response.
I agree with everything you stated. I have only seen that blank size Wilson tag on pro jerseys and major college jerseys (of all sports).
http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/6856/dsc0201zfc.jpg

Of course, this could be a high school shirt. 1000's of HS and college teams used those sleeve stripes and colors.

We must not forget that "pro" does not necessarily mean "NFL". There were many professional football leagues in the 60s. The Continental League, Eastern League and the Canadian League.

I wish I had bid more than $128. Doing the research alone, would have been worth it.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/1963/dsc0185yz.jpg