1975 KC Royals jersey on E-Bay

[kcrhino]

I haven't quite reached the "detective" stage that many on this board have, so I'm seeking out some expert advice on a 1975 Royals jersey now on E-Bay. It's listed as #51, but the seller clearly indicates that it has had a number change. I'm dying to grab this jersey, even if it is a common, but how much would this be worth bidding on? There was no #51 for the Royals in 1975, so I'm assuming somebody changed the number and wore it in his softball league or something.
Any opinions?
Thanks
Dennis
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=019

[perlman9]

It could be that or sometimes I believe teams recycled the jersey for spring training so could have been worn in 1976 spring training by a #51. Not sure if there is a way to find out who was on their 76 spring training roster. I am not great at matching up fonts on the numbers, but if looks authentic could have been recycled for spring training??

[ironmanfan]

I certainly realize as I type this that there is all but about 30 minutes left in this auction and by the time anyone reads this, it will be over, but I checked my old Street & Smith Baseball Annuals from 1974 thru 1978 and found not one player on the 40 man roster (nor coach) that wore # 51. It would have been interesting if the seller could tell what the original # was (all he stated was there was a change; not that it was impossible to decipher).

[AWA85]

Not sure if you ended up winning the jersey or not, but a side note. That seller is a class act. He has done some amazing things in helping me further my collection.

[ironmanfan]

He does have some amazing things..I picked up a '94 Chris Sabo Orioles GU batting helmet from him about a week ago

[AWA85]

I purchased a LaRue game used 9/11 helmet from him and numerous bats. Great seller, and by the way I think I was watching the helmet you picked up but laid off.

[MooseDog]

I realize the auction is over but I can tell you that the year tag is proper for the era.

As to the number change, it is certainly possible that the number was changed for spring training. Back in the day teams would reuse their spring training jerseys for many years sometimes, depending on the cheapness of management.

[r_to_the_2nd@yahoo.com]

Ironmanfan - do you still have the Chris Sabo Helmet? Would love to see it!