Royals powder blue 70's/80's

[sportsnbikes]

I am always looking to get better at this hobby. Tell me what you all think of this jersey. I am not sure how many store type jerseys were sold back in the 70's but here is what I am seeing. The KANSAS CITY seems to arch more than many of the pictures I've seen. But, the WASHINGTON on the back does go onto the back arm as I have also seen in at least one picture. However, the font, primarily the W isn't the same between the auction and Donruss card I attached. Maybe the Royals changed the font? Also, the white on the sleeve seems to be bigger in the picture. Again, this could be explained by a change in style. There just aren't that many pictures of UL out there. Also, there is an absence of a year tag as I have seen on several of the 70's jerseys.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181381235783&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_11945wt_1124

I have attached a picure of the back font and also a picture of the front. Both pictures also show the larger white area of the sleeve band. So maybe the sleeve changed with the font and this could be a 70's jersey whereas the picture I see with the different font on the back, the larger white sleeve band and higher arching KANSAS CITY could be a newer style.

What do you all think??

PS If I am rambling it's because I am in the middle of a double overnight shift.

[TNTtoys]

I think you have multiple things going on here, and will address each individually --

The Royals had the powder blue v-neck pull-overs that read "KANSAS CITY" across the front for 10 years (1973-1982). Wilson manufactured all of them. The Wilson tag is 1978-1985. Washington played for the Royals from 1978 to 1984. Hence the jersey can be from 78, 79, 80, 81 or 82.

The name on back is probably the least of your concerns because these jerseys were stripped and recycled, and the name that is currently on the backs of them (at present) is the result of restoration (which in many cases is done incorrectly -- wrong font, no arch, etc.).

The sleeve endings appear to have been thin at times and thick at other times. You'd probably want to consult a Royals collector to better understand the running changes with this style (note the subsequent jersey with the collar trim and button down also had the thin/thick sleeve ending variations). I have narrowed down the possibility to 5 years, and it is possible that the sleeve thickness changed at one point during those 5 years.

The team logo on the front is a little puzzling to me, as it appears to be a slightly different font. Not sure if I'm seeing this correctly.

For starters, I would ask the seller about any visible markings on the back between the letters to show that the jersey was restored. If a different font was used, you should likely see what was underneath at one time. If it is a legitimate 78-82 gamer, it probably was stripped, recycled and restored.

[TNTtoys]

The Royals had the powder blue v-neck pull-overs that read "KANSAS CITY" across the front for 10 years (1973-1982). Wilson manufactured all of them. The Wilson tag is 1978-1985. Washington played for the Royals from 1978 to 1984. Hence the jersey can be from 78, 79, 80, 81 or 82.

Note that this statement is made under the assumption that this is a true game used UL Washington jersey. All bets are off if it isn't -- in fact the seller doesn't seem sure about what it actually is.

Could it be an extra that was customized later? And if so, could it be from 1973-1977? Could it be someone else's jersey that was re-lettered and re-numbered? Is it a retail authentic jersey? Anything is possible here...

And last but not least, the ebay jersey is missing a year tag which one would expect to be present.

[sportsnbikes]

Yes the first thing I noticed was the lack of a year tag. Hopefully others will chime in.

[sox83cubs84]

The absence of a year tag and the slightly off KNSAS CITY font would make me think twice, as well.

Dave Miedema

[sportsnbikes]

I did ask the seller about a year tag or any evidence one had ever existed and they said that they can see no evidence of where a tag had been in the normal place. I'm out like a scout on this one. It's a shame too. This jersey is my favorite Royals jersey of all time. This is what they wore when I first started paying attention to them back in 77/78 or right around there.

[flaco1801]

I have one from 79 that was sent to Jacksonville...