This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/29/2012
We are proud to offer one of the finest Fred Biletnikoff jerseys known to the hobby.
Through the last decade, it has been debated as to whether the Oakland Raiders wore Wilson jerseys during the 1960-70 period. Continued research and examination of new examples to the hobby have proven unequivocally that the Raiders were supplied by Wilson during the late 1960s. With the supplier verified, we can now study Raiders game worn jerseys and their rarity as they fit into our collective hobby.
Although a short window, this time frame is important to the history of the Oakland Raiders. According to www.wikidedia.com,
“On the field, the team Davis had assembled and coached steadily improved. With John Rauch as the new head coach, the Raiders won the 1967 AFL Championship, defeating the Houston Oilers 40-7. The win earned the team a trip to Super Bowl II, where they were beaten 33-14 by Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. In 1968 and 1969, the Raiders again won Western Division titles, only to lose the AFL Championship to the eventual Super Bowl winners, the New York Jets (1968) and Kansas City Chiefs (1969). In 1969, John Madden became the team's sixth head coach. In 1970, the AFL-NFL merger took place and the Raiders joined the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the newly merged NFL.”
With the merger of the two leagues and increased TV ratings, the NFL became a force in American entertainment. To collectors, the jerseys from this era are also important as tangible references to the players of this changing time.
With having examined 4 additional jerseys from the time period and having access to the new video footage, which was added to the MEARS permanent database, we were able to conduct trend analysis and conduct photo imagery analysis. What we looked to study to establish manufactures trends were:
1. Manufacture
2. Manufactures tag era
3. Size front numerals
4. Size back numerals
5. Size sleeve numerals
6. Players name font size
7. Visual examination of font and numerals
Manufacture
We examined 4 dureene Oakland Raiders that exhibited the Wilson tag (1962-72 tag version).
MEARS #300713 George Blanda
MEARS #303252 Fred Biletnikoff
MEARS #300167 George Blanda
MEARS #300643 Jim Otto
This established Wilson was a supplier of dureene Oakland Raiders jerseys. We found no Sand Knit produced jerseys with labels from the period of 1967-70. This examined Biletnikoff jersey, MEARS #312273, is consistent with the previously examined Wilson tags and verifies a rookie era Biletnikoff jersey should be supplied by Wilson and contain this version of the tag.
Manufactures tag era & Dating
By studying all of the examples in the MEARS database and by comparing all 4 of the above tags to the MEARS jersey tagging database, it can be determined the tag was the style of tag used in the NFL for the years 1958-70. This established the Wilson supplied jerseys to be worn by the Raiders during the time frame 1960-70.
According to the MEARS database, this exact version of the Wilson tag was used from 1958-66. Starting in 1967, the trademark symbol was added at the end of the name “Wilson”. With Biletnikoff’s career starting in 1965, the intersection of his career (1965-78) and the style dating of the tag design, 1958-66, dates the jersey to 1965-66, the rookie era of Biletnikoff’s career.
Size Front Numerals
Next, we studied the size of the front numerals to see if the 4 examined jerseys exhibited consistency in sizing. Our measurements determined:
MEARS #300713 George Blanda 9” front size, 12” back, 4” sleeve
MEARS #303252 Fred Biletnikoff 9 5/8” front size, 11 ¼” back, 4” sleeve
MEARS #300167 George Blanda 10”, 12” back, 4” sleeve
MEARS #300643 Jim Otto 9 ¼”, 11 ¼’ back, 4” sleeve
The front font numerals varied within a one-inch on the examined examples. We examined these measurements to front numerals of Wilson jerseys of the Bears, 49ers and Pro Bowl manufactured by Wilson from the same time period and found both teams had a similar one inch variance in front font numerals.
This examined Biletnikoff jersey, MEARS #312273, was supplied by Wilson with front numeral 25 (9 ¾”), reverse numeral 25 (11 7/8”), both are well within the accepted range of previously examined Raiders jerseys from the era.
Size Sleeve numerals
For all 4 of the examined 1967-70 Wilson produced Oakland Raiders home jerseys, they all exhibited 4” sleeve numerals. This created consistency of sleeve numerals for the examined time period. This examined Biletnikoff jersey, MEARS #312273, was supplied with 4” sleeve numbers and is consistent with the other examined examples.
Players name font size
The final examination conducted to create trend analysis was an examination of the player’s name. The AFL was an innovator in the application of player’s names to the reverse of jerseys and the trend started with the AFL’s inaugural season of 1960. The NFL did not follow suit until 1970. Measurements showed that for all of the examined examples, 2” serifed lettering was used. Also, on all examples, the name was applied to a nameplate.
This was an important point of distinction, as the small 2” style font can be seen when examining the NFL game footage. This creates a direct contrast to the font size found on two Sand Knit produced jerseys, a circa 1972 Sand Knit Ken Stabler and circa 1972 Sand Knit Fred Biletnikoff home jerseys. Both jerseys can be found with 2 7/8” name font. The large font is noticeably larger and can be seen when examining photographs from the era. It should also be noted that the San Francisco 49ers wore Wilson manufactured jerseys during the 1967-70 time frame with the same 2” name font.
In conclusion, by the existence of the Wilson tag, the 1960-70 era of the Wilson tag, the consistency found in both the sleeve and players name font, it can be determined that the Oakland Raiders did in fact wear Wilson manufactured home jerseys during the 1967-70 period. This examined Biletnikoff jersey, MEARS #312273 has 2” player name font, which is consistent with other examined jerseys.
Game Wear & Condition
Jersey exhibits heavy game wear, consistent with a full or multiple seasons of game use. The entire body shell shows stress to the fabric and abrasions, both obtained from game wear, tackles, and repeated washings and storage. The use has caused the fabric to fade from black to a black/brown color. All lettering and numbering (front, reverse, sleeves) exhibit heavy game wear with abrasions throughout. The left shoulder yoke has a vintage team repair and one small hole. The right shoulder yoke shows 3 vintage team repairs, and one small hole.
The ribbed crew collar shows tons of wear, with stress to the fabric from repeated contact with the shoulder pads. Per Biletnikoff’s instruction, his neck contains a vintage slit, a customization photographically document to Biletnikoff. Overall, a finer example of heavy game wear cannot exist. (R0529)
Final Grade (MEARS A9.5): Jersey receives 10 full points for being consistent with manufacturer, tagging, numbering, lettering, and exhibiting optimal game use. Minus ½ point for cut sleeve and fading to the jersey.
One of the finest Fred Biletnikoff jerseys extant. LOA Troy R. Kinunen / MEARS