What type of Pen to use on a Wool Jersey?

[RobDerhak]

OK, I need help fast guys, leaving for the National tomorrow on a mission...

Simply, I need to know what kind of Marker/pen/paint marker I need to have for an autograph on an antique WOOL JERSEY.

The jersey I am having autographed is something of a family heirloom...in the 50's, the Cardinals stashed a young righty in a small town in Nebraska named Crofton during the Summer while he was still going to school @ Creighton. This was to allow him to continue to develop as a pitcher, while being out of sight from other scouts before he could be signed. The manager of the Crofton Blue Jays was my Grandpa. My father and uncles were bat boys. The team was sponsored by my grandpas hardware store so the back of the Jersey is embroidered with "Rissler Hardware"

The righty grew up to become Bob Gibson.

The Jersey has "Crofton" embroidered across the chest, and I am hoping to get Gibsons signature on it to the lower right front. It is an off-white/cream jersey, so a silver paint pen is probably not a good choice...the embroidery is Blue with a faded red trim.

I will try to post some pictures in a follow up post, but I've struggled with pics on N54...

Anyway, I leave TOMORROW afternoon, so I'm hoping to get some quick feedback from you experts!

[RobDerhak]

Hope these pics work...

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[RobDerhak]

Well crap...pics work, they just happen to be Green Giant sized...thanks Tapatalk

[Bestdj777]

Terrific jersey but nothing to add on the signature front. I agree regarding avoiding silver.

[murphusa]

A regular sharpie in blue is fine. Gibson has a little of a rough edge so don't be surprised if he is a little tough.

You will need to keep jersey material tight to get a good signature, run of to a Michaels and get a nidlepoint oval. This way you can tighten the material so it is easy to sign. Also helps with the placement

[RobDerhak]

Originally Posted by murphusa

A regular sharpie in blue is fine. Gibson has a little of a rough edge so don't be surprised if he is a little tough.

You will need to keep jersey material tight to get a good signature, run of to a Michaels and get a nidlepoint oval. This way you can tighten the material so it is easy to sign. Also helps with the placement

Yeah, Ive met him at shows and book signings before when I was a kid...he has always been a little short.

I'm hoping that him seeing this Jersey will be a positive experience for him...he was invited back to Crofton when the city celebrated it's centennial 25 years ago...he declined, but sent a warmly worded letter saying that he had great memories of his time in Crofton & the people, yadayadayada...but it was small town America in the mid-50s...I'm sure his experiences weren't 100% welcoming.

Great call on the needlepoint oval!

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[ooo-ribay]

I love that jersey! I hope your signing mission turns out to be a good experience.

[irv]

Originally Posted by RobDerhak

Yeah, Ive met him at shows and book signings before when I was a kid...he has always been a little short.

I'm hoping that him seeing this Jersey will be a positive experience for him...he was invited back to Crofton when the city celebrated it's centennial 25 years ago...he declined, but sent a warmly worded letter saying that he had great memories of his time in Crofton & the people, yadayadayada...but it was small town America in the mid-50s...I'm sure his experiences weren't 100% welcoming.

Great call on the needlepoint oval!

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I would think/hope it would it?

Be sure to let us know how it goes.
(An attempt to make your pics smaller/easier to see?)

[perezfan]

Great jersey. Agree... definitely use the needlepoint oval, and have it positioned right where you want Gibson's Sig. A regular blue sharpie is perfect (not a fine tip).

Be sure to post the results here when you return. Eager to see how it turns out.

Best of luck!

[Frank A]

I've always had my jerseys signed with a black laundry marker. It won't run in the material like a magic marker. Just my opinion.

[RobDerhak]

He was an absolute sweetheart!!! I walked up to him and said, "Mr Gibson, I hope I blow your mind with what I ant you to sign," as soon as he saw it he goes...

"Wow, Crofton, Nebraska. You know what is funny, just last night I was writing something about Crofton, Nebraska!"

I told him the lineage of the Jersey and that my family was around him when he was in town...he tossed out a couple of names that he remembered...I called dad with one of the names and he said, "Yeah that was the family he stayed with when he lived in Crofton," so there is no surprise in him remembering them.

Anyway, I never got the oval...looked for one a couple times, never found it...Bob was VERY CAREFUL and asked me to help him keep the fabric taunt.

It was really a great experience.

Huge, ginormous Tapatalk photo coming

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[RobDerhak]

Not too bad!

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[vintagesportscollector]

Rob, that is absolutely fantastic. Beautiful signing. This is one of the better stories I have heard in a long while. Congrats and treasure the jersey.

[ooo-ribay]

So glad it worked out so well for you, Rob!

[ooo-ribay]

P.S. I'm not sure that massive sig would have fit in a needlepoint oval.

[MVSNYC]

Really awesome, congrats.

[baseball tourist]

Looks great! Good story.

[Dewey]

Epic! The story. The jersey. The signature. The photo size.

[Jerry G]

Awesome!!! Congratulations. I am sure with the background story this will become a cherished family heirloom. Well done, Rob.

BTW, the blue ink is perfect!

[Jim65]

Awesome jersey, thanks for sharing.

[bender07]

Great stuff. It looks awesome signed!!


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[Mark70Z]

Love the jersey and the signature turned out great!

[irv]

Originally Posted by RobDerhak

He was an absolute sweetheart!!! I walked up to him and said, "Mr Gibson, I hope I blow your mind with what I ant you to sign," as soon as he saw it he goes...

"Wow, Crofton, Nebraska. You know what is funny, just last night I was writing something about Crofton, Nebraska!"

I told him the lineage of the Jersey and that my family was around him when he was in town...he tossed out a couple of names that he remembered...I called dad with one of the names and he said, "Yeah that was the family he stayed with when he lived in Crofton," so there is no surprise in him remembering them.

Anyway, I never got the oval...looked for one a couple times, never found it...Bob was VERY CAREFUL and asked me to help him keep the fabric taunt.

It was really a great experience.

Huge, ginormous Tapatalk photo coming

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Thanks for the follow up! I was hoping/thinking this is how it would go down, and I glad to read it did!