In case you’re thinking of bidding on this jersey, here’s some food for thought.

The seller claims this is a 1948 White Sox road jersey from Hall of Famer Luke Appling. He also claims the jersey was worn in 1947 by Hall of Famer Red Ruffing in his final season. The jersey apparently had number 34 on back and was changed to number 4. Red Ruffing wore number 34 in his final season of 1947. How someone can claim this jersey traveled back in time to 1947 to be worn by another Hall of Famer is beyond me. Keep in mind the jersey is tagged from 1948, but the seller believes it was also worn the previous season by another Hall of Famer.

Another problem with the jersey is the strip tag in the collar. Apparently when the strip tag fell off or was removed, only the number 4 was left visible. How convenient was that? A proper collar strip tag from a 1948 Appling jersey would say ‘Appling 4’. I’m guessing the original strip tag to this jersey had another players name with a number 14 or 24.

Another problem with the jersey is the size. I’ve researched five other Appling jerseys including his coaches jerseys when he was a bit heavier and he never wore a size larger than 44. The offered jersey is a size 46.

The final problem with the jersey is the number 4 on back. The font is clearly different from the correct font from that era and looks hand cut. Also the stitching on the inside of the jersey for the number 4 should not be a bright red but should be an off white color since the stitching is over 60 years old.

Now if you told me Barry Halper once owned this jersey, I’d not be very surprised due to all the elaborate forgeries coming to light. This jersey would fit right into his collection.

And yes, I did contact the seller but he could care less about what I have to say. If you care, you’d be wise to stay away from this one. I could use the Chicago lettering on the front of the jersey to restore one of mine, but that’s about all this jersey is good for.


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