$3,000 Well Spent

[jdr3]

I'm sorry, I should have added these facts on my first post. Attached is a photo matched jersey Brown used in 1972. Note the shortened length. This jersery measures to a size 46. It makes no sense that Brown, who was under 6' and under 200 pounds would wear a size 50.

[allstarsplus]

Jim - Interesting pick up on the size differential. If you are interested in talking to Larry Brown's memorabilia agent to discuss this, let me know.

Larry's agent was my college roommate so he will be happy to discuss with you. His name is Pete Wright and you can email me if you want his phone #.

Personally, I don't know whether the jersey is legit or not, but with someone spending almost $3,000 in a BuyItNow, you have to wonder if they did any research and what research B/E did.

It goes to show you the popularity of vintage Redskins jerseys.

Andrew
GameUsed@Nationals.net

A picture of Larry w/ Pete Wright signing for me.

[G1X]

I would like to add some comments to this thread about the jersey in question and collecting jerseys in general (especially older jerseys).

First, I would like to say that Jim is perhaps the most well-versed authority on 'Skins jerseys from the late 1960s through the 1970s. When he speaks, it is wise to listen closely.

Having said that, it can be a risky notion to assume that just because there is one photo-matched jersey of a player wearing a particular size automatically means that this is the size that the player always wore. This is especially true of a player such as Larry Brown who played with Washington from 1969 to 1976. That is a long time to be with one team and means that he wore quite a number of jerseys during that time.

It is not unusal to see players wearing various sizes over their career, and in some cases even in a short period of time. I stated in a previous thread of observing Barry Sanders' game-worn jerseys ranging from size 42 all the way up to size 46 when I visited the Lions locker room to make a bulk buy from the team in 1999. The Sanders' jerseys were all from a short time frame in the mid-1990s. In that same thread, I cited examples of other size oddities involving particular players (jerseys from the same season) in other bulk buys that I had made over the years.

I agree that it would seem odd for Larry Brown to be wearing a size 50 at first glance. However, experience tells me that this might not be so odd. For example, as a collector of World Football League jerseys, I observed that Alfred Jenkins, a mere 5'10" and 155 pounds, wore a size 50 Russell jersey for the Birmingham Americans in 1974. Slim Gerard Williams at 6'1" and 185 was wearing a size 48 as was The Matador, dimunitive QB George Mira who was generously listed at 5'11" and 195 (no way!). What makes this more interesting is that the Russell jerseys of that era were slightly "baggier" than Sand Knit jerseys of that era (more of a result of the Russell mesh material being more silky than the stiffer Sand Knit mesh fabric).

Then there is always the matter of the jersey size being mis-tagged. Anyone who has made bulk buys from teams has discovered that this happens on rare occasions. When sorting through hundreds of jerseys in a purchase, it gets to the point where one can guess the size without even looking at the tag. A jersey that is mis-tagged with regards to the size sticks out like a sore thumb.

Needless to say, there can be many, many factors that can come into play in observing game-used items such as this Larry Brown jersey. If I were the Buyer, I would want to know the nuances of the Sand Knit tagging (thread color, coloring on the medallion, etc.), the nature of the shoulder material (one layer of mesh or two), style of number font, closeup inspection of the lettering on the plate, and all the other many factors that come into play (observing game wear, researching photos and game film, etc., etc., etc.) when investigating a jersey and trying to determine both the authenticity and age.

At this point, it is probably best to wait for the Buyer to actually receive the jersey in hand and inspect it carefully before drawing any further conclusions.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

[Hockystik]

Very well said Mark.

Mark