A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

[kingjammy24]

This applies to MLB jerseys only.



Rudy.

[Swoboda4]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

Rudy,- Thanks. Can I ask about the set tags themselves? I often see that in the "2000-?" labeling, there are some that are positioned along the bottom of the label and sometimes along the right side. Any significance to that? Is the tagging(including extra length tags) applied at a different time than the main label?
Robert

[kingjammy24]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

Robert,

re: the positioning of the set tag on circa 2000+ Rawlings tags.
I don't know. I would need to compile as many circia 2000+ tags as possible and start to see if there's any chronological pattern in terms of the positioning. I haven't done this. It's possible that the positioning is related to a deliberate Rawlings decision at a specific point in time. It's also possible it's entirely random. I haven't done the research to determine which it is.

re: when the extra flag tags are applied.
To my knowledge they are applied at the factory, by Rawlings. A simple examination of the stitching would suggest the flag tags are technically applied before the main tag as they are actually sewed underneath the main tag. (The only way to sew the flag tags underneath the main tag would be to place them on the jersey first and then sew the main tag on top of them).

Rudy.

[hblakewolf]

Re:Rudy-Rawlings tagging in question...

Rudy:
I have owned several 1989 Schmidt's, and this is the first 1989 (his final season) I have sen with the post 1989 Rawlings tagging. According to your info, this 1989 gamer has the 1990 tagging. I agree with you! How could Schmidt have worn a "1989" jersey with 1990 tagging?

http://vintageauthentics.at.truition.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=66315657&prmenbr=57735959&aunbr=66662367

HHHMMMM.....

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[hblakewolf]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

Rudy-
After closer examination, take a look at the S in Schmidt on the nameplate. The bottom of the S is totally incorrect with the standard letters used by the Phillies. It is not cut correctly!

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[kingjammy24]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

Just so people don't think I concoct those tagging primers while I'm inebriated, see the image below for numerous examples of 1988-89 style Rawlings tags all with a 1989 flag tag. While I admit I could always be wrong with the years, I do put a good amount of work into them and only decide on a year after I've seen an overwhelming amount of evidence.
I have seen less than 5 1990-91 style Rawlings tags with 1989 flag tags. They have always been on superstar jerseys - Schmidt, Griffey, Ripken, etc. The last one was on a Royals Bo Jackson jersey that sold for
over $1800. I've never seen one on a common player. Speaking of which, take a look at the $110 Steve Jeltz 1989 Philles jersey below. It shows the correct 1988-89 era Rawlings tag. Why, in 1989, did Steve Jeltz get an older tag while the Vintage Authentics Mike Schmidt got a new tag? (And why is Jeltz not strip-tagged with a name?)



It would be entirely legit to see a 1990 flag tag on an 1988/89 Rawlings tag. (Old stock gets issued). But it doesn't seem logical to see a 1989 flag tag on a 1990/91 Rawlings tag. While it's possible that my years are wrong and Rawlings introduced that 90/91 style in 1989, the fact is that an overwhelming number of 1989 jerseys I've seen have had 88/89 style tagging. It's hard to imagine that such a large number of jerseys from across the entire Major Leagues are using old stock, while a tiny minority of jerseys are new stock.
And yes, I concur on the "S" in Schmidt. It's crooked. The other thing I noticed was that the Rawlings tag is double-stitched at the bottom. I've never seen that before.

Rudy.

[Robert Sanders]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

Just so people don't think I concoct those tagging primers while I'm inebriated, see the image below for numerous examples of 1988-89 style Rawlings tags all with a 1989 flag tag. While I admit I could always be wrong with the years, I do put a good amount of work into them and only decide on a year after I've seen an overwhelming amount of evidence.
I have seen less than 5 1990-91 style Rawlings tags with 1989 flag tags. They have always been on superstar jerseys - Schmidt, Griffey, Ripken, etc. The last one was on a Royals Bo Jackson jersey that sold for
over $1800. I've never seen one on a common player.

Rudy.

Just to make things a little more interesting, I happen to own a Gary Redus Pirates jersey tagged set 1, 1989 together with what is being called a 1990-1991 Rawlings tag. Is that enough to cause a rethink on when Rawlings changed their tags or should I assume that this common player jersey I own is not legit?

Robert

[kingjammy24]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

hi robert,

given that my collecting niche focuses on jerseys from 1989-1993, i've seen many rawlings jerseys from this years. i have roughly 700 images of mlb gamers from 88-94 in my photo library. honestly, i'd have to say that approx. 98% of the rawlings jerseys in my photo library from 88-91 follow the primer. yours is the first common player i've ever heard of that's combined a 1990/91 tag with an '89 flag tag. it would seem to be the definition of an anomaly. it would be difficult to use your jersey against some 200+ others to re-write things. can you post some pics of your jersey?

the rawlings mismatches on those scoreboard jerseys are interesting. the mismatches don't occur on all of the scoreboard jerseys. the "2 90" canseco jerseys look fine. (in fact, there's one in the current lelands auction and the current VA auction). the bo jackson however is mismatched. it makes me wonder what's responsible for this mismatch. i mean if scoreboard could order strawberries and cansecos with consistant tagging then what went wrong with the bo jacksons and schmidts? one theory is that perhaps scoreboard ordered these on the cusp of the tagging style change. more specifically, the tagging changed in 1990 (from 1989). what if scoreboard ordered these around late 1989/early 1990 when the new rawlings tags were done but the new flag tags hadn't yet been made because it was too far ahead of the 1990 season? unaware that anyone would even notice a change, when rawlings received the scoreboard orders, they took some jerseys that had were manufactured with the new rawlings tags and simply applied the old 1989 flag tags on them. what i'm getting at is that mismatch may simply be a result of the orders being placed at a point where the new 1990 flag tags hadn't yet been made up but rawlings already had the new manufacturer's tags done. if you apply this theory to your redus, then there are 2 possibilities:

1) perhaps it was ordered as a promo jersey in the offseason for a charity or photoshoot and rawlings made it up according to the situation i described above.

2) it's a legit 1990 gamer but simply had an old 1989 flag tag applied at the factory by human error. i've got to think that mistakes happen everywhere and it isn't difficult to imagine that an old 1989 flag tag got mixed in accidentally. what i'm getting at here is that your jersey isn't a 1989, but rather a 1990 with an incorrect 1989 flag tag.

these 2 scenarios seem more likely to me than hundreds of gamers in my photo library being wrong.

rudy.

[G1X]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

I have also posted this under the "1981 Oakland Clete Boyer Jersey" discussion in the Game Used Memorabilia Discussion section http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_f...ad.php?t=15191, but this might be the more appropriate venue.

I am admittedly a football jersey collector and only collect baseball jerseys of a few favorite players, but I thought that the drastically redesigned white "R" Rawlings tag was seen as early as 1996. Below is an example from a well-worn St. Louis Cardinals jersey with the white Rawlings "R" logo tagging.

Any comments or other examples of 1996 Rawlings baseball jerseys sporting the white Rawlings "R" tagging would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

Attached Images

[dcgreg25]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

Ok this may be a stupid question but what is the "T" tag for?

[TNTtoys]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

Ok this may be a stupid question but what is the "T" tag for?

Greg,

The "T" stands for "tapered."

Regards,
Nick

[b.heagy]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

Can anyone help me with the estimated time frame of the following Rawlings tags?

[DantleyHOF]

Re: Rawlings Tagging -

Hi,

This may be off this topic. I have a 2 Rawlings College baseball game used player jersey. I am trying to figure out the year it is from. No Year tags on both. No name on back of each jersey. I think the wash tags may help.

03K Adult WKBDS WPL 3957 CA 21081 MADE IN THE USA.
Rawlings The Mark of a Pro L (Large) tag. R logo circle left sleeve.

03B (2nd jersey) Rawlings logo script in blue left sleeve. One tag front size Adult 44 back wash tags.

I am thinking 03K & 03B is the codes for the year and month. Please help. Thanks B.F.

[mattmueller]

Re: A Primer on Rawlings Tagging - 60's-00's

Just wanted to add to the 1990 style tagging used on some 1989 jerseys discussion above. Below is a photo of a 1989 Jay Aldrich Milwaukee Brewers jersey, which contains the 1990 style tag.

As an update by Rudy in a recent thread indicates, the tag style change appears to occured mid-year so late season callups may likely have the new tagging.

[Birdbats]

1972 Rawlings jersey laundry tag

I'm looking for examples of laundry tags included in 1972 Rawlings jerseys to help me prove or disprove a theory. I recently acquired a group of older Cardinals jerseys and noticed the laundry tag in one was worded differently than any I'd seen before. This particular jersey didn't have a year flag (not unusual on '71-'72 Cardinals jerseys), but it was worn by Ed Crosby, who played for the Cards in '72 but not '71. I think it's possible that 1972 Rawlings jerseys have a unique laundry tag -- and if they do, it would make it possible to differentiate a '71 shirt from a '72 shirt even if they don't have year flags.

Note: The Cardinals wore flannel through the '70 season. 1971 was the first year for knits. Their jerseys had crew necks in 1971-72; by 1973, they switched to a "V" neck. In 1973, Rawlings eliminated the separate laundry tag and included washing instructions on its regular red tag.

Here's a shot of three tags from 1971-72 era Cardinals jerseys. The top one has a laundry tag with "traditional" wording (i.e., used during the late '60s through at least '71) and no year flag. The middle jersey has the "nontraditional" wording and no year flag. The bottom one has both the traditional wording and a '71 year flag.



The "traditional" wording is: "DO NOT DRY CLEAN. Wash in lukewarm water, 100 F, with mild soap. Do not use bleach. Do not use automatic dryer."

The "nontraditional" wording is: WASH IN COLD WATER. Use mild soap. Do not dry clean. Do not use bleach or automatic dryer."

It may be telling that the recommended water temperature was changed from "lukewarm (100 degrees)" to "cold." On 1973 tags, the instructions call for "cold" water. Maybe somebody realized that knits needed to be washed in colder water than flannels, so the laundry instructions that carried over from '70 (flannel) to '71 (knit) needed to be changed.

If you have a Rawlings jersey that can be pinpointed to 1972, I'd appreciate it if you could share photos of the laundry tag. Thanks!