This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/1/2012
After leaving St. Mary’s Industrial school for a season with the Baltimore Orioles, Babe Ruth would soon leave the team and would never find his true baseball identify until joining the New York Yankees in 1920.
The same can be said for baseball legend Reggie Jackson. Just like Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson passed through Baltimore for one short season and soon joined the New York Yankees, where his play had an immediate impact on the franchise and earned him the moniker, Mr. October.
While in Baltimore, after a brief holdout, Reggie played in 134 games, belted 27 HR’s, tallied 91 RBI’s, and even had a stretch where he hit homeruns in 6 consecutive games.
As one of the greatest homerun hitters of all time, Reggie Jackson also completed another monster task while in Baltimore. He hit homeruns off 5 different Hall of Famers while playing for the 1976 Orioles. Fellow HOFers victimized included Catfish Hunter, Nolan Ryan, Gaylord Perry, Dennis Eckersly, and Bert Blyleven.
With much anticipation, Reggie Jackson gave Orioles fans a powerful glimpse of their franchises newest superstar on May 12th, 1976. In typical Reggie fashion, his first homerun with the team was a Grand Slam homerun.
Reggie Jackson is still the “Straw That Stirs the Drink” in modern memorabilia circles. No current player has the financial impact on 1960/70s memorabilia as Jackson. In the past 90 days, MEARS Auctions has set numerous records with the sale of authenticated Reggie Jackson game worn memorabilia. Examples include:
1981 Yankees Home Jersey ($35,800) World’s Record Price
1968 Oakland A’s Gold Rookie Jersey ($47,251) World’s Record Price
Not wanted to disappoint, this ultra rare offering has the ingredients to set yet another industry record. Being a rare one year style, this the key cog to completing the ultimate Reggie Jackson jersey style collection. Home jerseys are the dominant choice for collectors, and 100% originality is a must. This jersey boasts both quintessential ingredients.
During 1976, Jackson played in only 134 games. For the season, the Orioles wore 3 different jersey styles, home white, road gray, Sunday Orange.
With respects to the 1976 Orioles home jersey, the second jersey from the season has been examined by MEARS. Although there is no doubt that example was worn during the 1976 season, the nameplate was removed as it was sent down to the Orioles minor league system after Jackson left the team at the end of the 1976 season, classifying it as missing the name on back.
For game worn jersey collectors, complete and total originality is the key. Graded a MEARS A10, this is the second home jersey worn by Reggie during the 1976 season, and it remains in 100% all original condition.
The MEARS evaluation identified the following:
Style: Issued as the white home button down trimmed with orange and black ribbed material on the sleeves and neck. As standard on Rawlings products, this jersey contains 6 all original 4 hole white pearl buttons. The team name “Orioles” appears in script in orange on black tackle twill. Jackson’s uniform number “9” appears on both the front (4 ½”) and reverse (7 ¼”).
The player’s name, R. Jackson, appears on reverse with orange on black tackle twill. With examination of a magnifying light source, all lettering and numbering is original with no signs of alterations.
Manufacturer (Rawlings): Examination reveals the red “Rawlings” manufacture tag. The style of tag is correct for 1976 Rawlings products and verified by comparing to:
1976 Orioles Earl Weaver
1976 Orioles Jim Palmer
1976 Orioles Reggie Jackson (missing name plate)
These examples verify both the style and correct manufacturer.
Size (42): Measuring 22” at the chest and having a 34” torso measurement, both are consistent with the tagged size of 42. Other examples to verify Jackson at size 42 during the era include:
1974 Size 42
1975 Size 42
1976 Size 42 (Orioles Home #2)
Game Wear: Careful examination reveals heavy game wear evenly distributed throughout the body shell of the jersey. Puckering is visible to the lettering and numbering, with fraying to the edges of the anchor stitching. There is a very, very small stain on the front of the jersey that is not dominant for a point deduction and is only mentioned for the sake of accuracy.
Final Grade MEARS A10: A review of manufacturer, style, lettering, numbering, and review of game use determines this jersey is all original and consistent in size as to what Jackson wore during the era and correct to style when compared to other 1976 Orioles jerseys that have entered the hobby.
Autograph: Reggie Jackson has personally signed the jersey on the front in near mint black marker. The signature was witnessed by MEARS president Troy R. Kinunen as Jackson signed the jersey at the MEARS Grand Opening in April 2010.
For those that know Reggie Jackson, he is the epitome of class and a consummate professional. His career was defined by high standards, and achieving feats that others could not. We all stood back in awe as Mr. October hit yet another 450 ft. homerun blast. He was the straw that stirred the drink. No Reggie Jackson collection is complete without this milestone jersey. Baltimore was an important stop to both the careers of Ruth and Jackson, and this jersey will be an important designation for the finest of advanced Jackson collections.
LOA Troy R. Kinunen / MEARS
(JSA Auction Letter; MEARS LOA)