Very popular and attractive style from an original member of the Atlanta Braves. While the jersey saw extended organizational use, evident by the presence of the MLB 100th Anniversary patch, it is rare to find a jersey like this with no changes to the issued numbers. Ideal for a Braves fan or style collector.
Player Attribution and Dating: The jersey is attributed to Woody Woodward by both the presence of his name embroidered on a flannel swatch in the collar (sewn only through the first fold of material) as well as the original number #14 on both the front and the back. Woodward played for the Atlanta Braves from 1966 through June of 1968 when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. During his time with the Braves, Woodward wore #14. The Wilson manufacturer’s tag is the style found in Wilson products from c 1967-1973 so the tagging is considered to be team and period appropriate. The jersey is tagged as and measures to a size 40 and this is assessed as being appropriate for Woodward’s 6’, 2”, 180 lbs frame. The cut and sizing of the jersey is consistent with a 1967 Minnesota Twins Wilson home jersey (size 40). While I have no issues attributing the jersey to Woody Woodward, the jersey was most likely worn by a player (s) other than him as well based on the presence of an original 1969 MLB 100th Anniversary Patch and the very faded four letter player name written on the Woodward swatch in the collar.
Construction: The jersey is constructed of a professional grade 4 oz flannel; sleeve cut is Raglan. The collar and button line features navy blue soutache. The clear four-hole buttons are consistent with other period Wilson products in my on-hand reference library (1966 Braves, home; 1967 Orioles home). The numeric font style is also period and team appropriate and confirmed by period images. (PLATE I-II). The Screaming Brave patch on the left shoulder is period appropriate and is an original representation that is also original to the jersey. The same can be said for the 100th Anniversary patch on the right shoulder. It is not unusual to find uniforms from this period having been retained and modified for extended organizational wear. The 1967 Twins home jersey mentioned above also features a 100th Anniversary on the right sleeve as well. The 1969 Braves Spring Training roster (Street & Smith Yearbook) shows thirty-nine numbered roster players that had to be outfitted. As with any spring training requirement, the number of uniforms necessary will exceed the number required for the regular season major league roster.
Use and Wear: The jersey features signs of heavy wear as should be expected for a uniform retained and utilized in inventory over a period of at least the portions of three seasons. There are a couple of small fabric tears to the anchor stitching and red twill fabric of the letter “B” in Braves. The same thing can be found on places of the numeral “4” on the back of the jersey as well. The inside of the underarm gussets show signs of fabric bleed from a black or navy blue undergarment, this is also something I would have expected to find.
Opinion: This jersey possess all of the characteristics that I would expect to find in a Wilson product provided for use and wear by Woody Woodward of the Atlanta Braves in 1967. Additionally, it appears typical and consistent with a product that was retained for extended organizational use. The MEARS grading criteria for pre-1988 jerseys begins with a base grade of 10 and five categories for deductions. I found these reasons to deduct points from this jersey:
Category 3: -3 For use by more than one player and or more than one season.
Category 5: -.1 Fabric wear/anchoring stitching on the “B”.
As such the final grade for this 1967 Woody Woodward Atlanta Braves Home Jersey is a A6. At the time of my evaluation, there was no MEARS hologram or hang tag affixed to this jersey.
Dave Grob
MEARS
Enclosures: PLATES I-II