is it common for jerseys tagged one season be used for the next?

[costas]

I saw a Yankees game issued jersey recently, if I recall correctly that had a 1997 Jackie Robinson 50th Anniversary patch with a 1996 year flagging on the jocktag. Another time the 1998 year flagging with the Joe DiMaggio 5 on the left sleeve (1999). Is it common for teams to reuse previous year's jerseys for next seasons? thanks

[kingjammy24]

depends on the team and era. older jerseys were more likely to have been recycled than current jerseys. before teams, players, and mlb figured out how to milk the game-used cash cow, they'd recycle jerseys to save money. nowadays they've realized it's even more profitable to purchase a jersey for $50, have it worn in a couple of games, and resell it for many times over.

the yankees, to my mind, were one of the cheapest teams around and recycled jerseys for several years over. seeing a '96 yankees shirt used in '97 wouldn't be a red flag at all. i once saw a '92 tagged yankees shirt with the '97 jackie robinson patch (from steiner). not hard to do when your style never changes. anyway, some teams recycled, others didn't. many sent their shirts down to their minor league affiliates.

rudy.

[Sincityson]

The Jays in previous years have done this a couple time's I've noticed with some jerseys in the late 80s & early 90s

[costas]

thank you Rudy and Sincityson, good info

does this also explain why jerseys such as the Yankees game used sometimes have the patches/arm bands from the previous season removed and you can see the stitching outlines/residues remains on them still? thanks

[Birdbats]

As I understand it, the very reason for year flags, strip tags and chain stitching that note the year of manufacture is so when jerseys are recycled, the teams can keep track of how old they are. Sometimes, this re-use happens at the major league level. I've seen Cardinals jerseys that were used by the team 2-3 years after they were made. I have another that bounced around the minors and/or spring training at least eight years (worn by Joe Torre in 1971/72, worn by Jim Riggleman during spring training 1980). This doesn't happen as much anymore -- teams seem to sell off their inventories after each season and wear new shirts made for spring training only; their minor league affiliates seldom wear hand-me-downs. But, not long ago, jerseys were tagged because they were intended to be worn again later.

[BULBUS]

I have a Yankees jersey tagged 1973 with an armband removed, which means it was used in 1979 or later.

[costas]

I have a Yankees jersey tagged 1973 with an armband removed, which means it was used in 1979 or later.

what was the description given in your Steiner LOA?

[BULBUS]

what was the description given in your Steiner LOA?

Like many other jerseys I have from Steiner, the LOA does not match the jersey. The LOA says 1973 game used number 6 jersey. The number was changed from 14 to 6 and the jersey shows a lot of use. And with the armband removed, I'm figuring this jersey was used by Roy White in the late 70's.

[costas]

that's kind of shaky when, even with a Steiner LOA, the buyer such as yourself has to try to figure out and/or assume which player(s) the jersey was worn by

[BULBUS]

that's kind of shaky when, even with a Steiner LOA, the buyer such as yourself has to try to figure out and/or assume which player(s) the jersey was worn by

I guess Steiner didn't have the time or the knowledge to research every jersey they obtained from the Yankees. I went to Steiners Yankees cage and picked up several jerseys like the 73 jersey which because of an armband or patch removed, didn't match the year of the jersey. I think I got a couple of gems.