Un-improvable Cubs road jersey that is close to 40 years old. Striking and vibrant colors seen firsthand in the same manner today as they were by National League fans coast to coast in 1961.
Player Attribution: While no supplemental player identification is affixed to the jersey by name, the offered jersey can be attributed to Al Heist by the #22 on the back as well as the annotation on the strip tag in the collar. Heist played for the Chicago Cubs in 1960 and 1961, wearing # 22 in 1961. Heist is listed as player at 6’, 2”, 185 lbs, and as such I would consider this jersey to appropriate by size 44 (tagged and true size of the jersey) and other aspects to be properly attributed to him.
Construction: The jersey is constructed of professional grade 4oz flannel; sleeve cut is Set-In which also appears to be team/period appropriate. Red/Blue soutache trims the collar and the sleeve openings and this too is team/period appropriate. Lettering and numbering on the jersey is done in blue over red wool blend felt and all are affixed with a zig-zag stitch. The jersey is without a “Cubbie Bear” sleeve patch on the left sleeve and this too is period appropriate through 1961. (PLATE I)
Manufacturer: The manufacturer of this jersey was Wilson and this can be seen by the period appropriate (c1958-1966) manufacturers label sewn in the lower left tail of the jersey. The style of tag, supplemental player identification and supplemental set/year identification are also consistent with a 1960 Chicago Cubs common road jersey manufactured by Wilson in my on-hand reference library. This includes the sizing and font style of the numerals and lettering, and number of buttons (8) as a function of being a manufacturer’s characteristic for Cubs products provided by Wilson.
Use and Wear: The jersey features signs of minimal to light wear. There is mild toning to the Wilson tag and slight thread/stitch breaking in the embroidery in the collar as part of the supplemental information strip tag. This strip tag identifies the jersey as a set 4 offering. As such I would expect to see light wear as this jersey would have been one of four in the available inventory, even if the ordering pattern was staggered.
Opinion: The jersey possess all of the characteristics that I would expect to find in a Wilson Chicago Cubs road jersey ordered for use and wear by Al Heist in 1961. The MEARS grading criteria for pre-1988 jerseys begins with a base grade of 10 and five categories for deductions. I found no reasons to deduct points from this jersey with the minimal or light use and wear. I attribute this to the jersey being part of an available inventory of one of four road jerseys for the year.
As such, the final grade for this 1961 Al Heist Chicago Cubs Road Jersey with Cert #307053 is A 10
Dave Grob
MEARS
Enclosures: PLATES I-II