Helping a good lady....Red Sox sweater info...

[Leon]

So I got a registration from a lady that has a sweater she bought at an estate sale. She is registered but asked for a little help in posting some pictures so here we go. I personally know very little about sweaters but this one looks really nice...

[Leon]

I posted this on the front page too but some folks might not venture over there.....any and all help on what this is will be appreciated..

[perezfan]

Estate Sale.... WOW.

Wish I could get that lucky. This appears to be the real deal from the early 1900s, and is worth whatever the market dictates (keeping in mind that the sky's the limit). On the very rare occasion that these surface, they're typically plagued with moth holes, snags, color bleeding, fading, missing buttons, repairs, etc. This one looks incredibly pristine.

A Holy Grail item for Red Sox and/or early Equipment collectors... Many congrats to her on this incredibly stunning rare and find!

[Bosox Blair]

This might help, though the Legendary sweater has Wright & Ditson tags, rather than Spalding (of course, the companies were related from the mid-1890s on):

http://www.legendaryauctions.com/Lot...entoryid=76970

Cheers,
Blair

[GrayGhost]

OMG. if thats real. its AMAZING

[BigJJ]

1920s Wright and Ditson Red Sox Sweater

http://www.lelands.com/Auction/Aucti...ed-Sox-Sweater

While similar, not the same exact year/style. wish I could see in person, color of this one appears brighter, and more red, than the other two, which is interesting.

[BigJJ]

Grand Opening of Yankee Stadium, April 18, 1923

http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-ph...hawkey?popup=1

Pitcher Howard Ehmke in a sweater

[yanks12025]

To me it's looks way to new.. Say it is from the 1920's, it's 90 years old and doesn't show any age what so ever. The other 2 that sold in auction at least showed age.

[perezfan]

We tend to be a cynical group... perhaps all of the fraud, greed, and criminals in the hobby have made us this way. Understood...

But just to play Devil's Advocate....

If this was a repro, wouldn't others have turned up?
The time and expense (and skill) involved to recreate this piece would be tremendous
If it was made for fraudulent purposes, wouldn't the crooks artificially age it (just to make it look older/authentic?)
Why would they leave it so pristine, if intending to deceive? Most reproductions are never sold/auctioned without creating the illusion of age.
The woman who approached Leon seems sincere. Why would she go through the charade of an ebay auction, just to cancel it later?
Why would she terminate the auction, to get it authenticated (if she knew it was fake?)
She says she acquired it in an estate sale. If the original seller was the fraudulent one, why would they sell it in that venue?

They aren't exactly going to maximize their investment, selling it to some unknowing lady at an estate sale!

Just some food for thought... Eager to hear others' views as well

[yanks12025]

Looks like it's in the next heritage auction.


http://sports.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleN...&lotIdNo=17002

[packs]

Traced all the way back to opening day at Yankee Stadium in 1923. Perhaps there was a note in the pocket with directions to the stadium.

[jbsports33]

Interesting find, but I would question the buttons as well - but can see why there was interest due to the label (1920s), you would have to really look at this in person - but if all checks out, this would be a great item!

It's just one of those items that needs to be checked by the next owner, you take a chance in this hobby and I am sure more info can be found out about it when it's in the right hands.

Jimmy

[Runscott]

I think that looking at the tag/letter/button stitching and mothing on the 'RED SOX' letters, under high magnification, would give you your answer as to whether or not this is the real deal.

Sewing on authentic era buttons would be no big deal, and matching them with authentic Red Sox sweaters wouldn't tell you much, since at least two other companies appear to have made sweaters for the Red Sox. The thread that attaches the buttons would tell you more.

[prewarsports]

I owned Dick Hoblitzells 1910 era Reds sweater and all the buttoms were different as they would rip off and then he (or his wife) would find random buttons and sew them on. In my case the sweater had TONS of wear and use so it made sense that the buttons would be replacements, and this sweater looks like it was never used.