Tony Armas Jersey eBay item number: 321866209565

[Bhawk2]

Any ideas about this A's jersey on Ebay? I don't think it's a Tony Armas jersey and I doubt it was worn by an Oakland player in the major leagues. It's a size 40; Armas wore size 44 in every jersey I've seen. It has McAuliffe tagging with a 1981 year tag, but I think the gold jerseys of that style were made by Rawlings in 1981. The tags are split between the collar and tail, like some Red Sox jerseys but no Oakland jersey I've seen. Finally, there is no NOB but the seller mentions possible outline of a nameplate. The As put the names directly on the McAuliffe jerseys, although at some point they went to nameplates.

I pointed this out to the seller and he posted it, so at least the information is in the listing. I do wonder if the jersey may have been used by one of the A's minor league teams that year. I haven't been able to find a picture of any of those teams that matches the jersey, but there were A's teams in Medford, West Haven and Medford. It'd still be worth buying if the source could be identified.

[RJB44]

This is most likely a "public purchase" from McAuliffe. You are correct, the A's did use Rawlings for their gold jerseys in 1981. I'm not sure about the other minor league teams, but West Haven (AA) did use recycled jerseys from Oakland. There have been a few of these "1981" McAuliffe, including Billy Martin jerseys, which have popped up over the years. I believe these were also public purchase direct from McAuliffe. You’re also correct on the Armas size, definitely not a 40. There is a forum on GUU specifically about McAuliffe jerseys. There is a lot of good information there, including on the A's jerseys.