Questions re: 1977 Met jersey on ebay

[PGHMetfan]

Hi,

I am a frequent reader of GameUsedForum (first time poster) and I know that there is a wealth of Mets' uniform knowledge on this site. My questions are related to a 1977 Mets jersey of Pat Zachry currently up for auction on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=001

1. The jersey has outlines of the Centennial patch and the black arm band from 1976. These were removed for 1977 when the jersey was reused. No player wore #40 for the Mets in 1976. Why would the outline of the patch and armband remain if there was no #40 used during 1976? Does anyone know if the Mets maintained a stock of ready uniforms (in 1976) that went unused only to be recycled in 1977? Are there any other potential explanations?

2. Pat Zachry was long and lean (6'5" and about 180 lbs.). Typically, I would expect his jerseys to have extra length. If this is the case is it possible that the extra length was not noted in the tagging?

Thanks in advance for any insights.

[TNTtoys]

Hello first time poster... I hope this is useful to you...

I think your summation that this is a 1976 recycled for 1977 is dead on accurate. Outlines from the removal of the patches which were only found on 1976 jerseys are the dead give-away.

I also think you did good homework regarding roster numbers. Based on the fact that the coloring of the numbers on front and back of the jersey do not match the Mets logo, I figure that these are after-market customizations. Possibly the jersey was a 1976 team issued blank that was never used in 1976; however kept around and made up for a new player in 1977 - Pat Zachry. This recycling is common, especially if the jerseys are not set to change from year to year. Here' a quick comparison between the 1976 roads and 1977 roads...

Color - same
Team logo - same
Manufacturer - same
Placement of tagging - same

The only notable differences are:
1. Patches on 76 but not on 77 (which clearly were removed)
2. Chain stitching on 77 but not on 76 (which is not there, as expected)
3. To answer your last question "is it possible that the extra length was not noted in the tagging?"
Yes. Goodman Mets jerseys from 1976 DID NOT contain any flag tags (the 1977s did). This would be accurate to what you see on the Zachry jersey.

Regards,
Nick

[PGHMetfan]

Nick,

Thanks for the response--it was helpful.

Brian