I've owned a couple of these "replica" jerseys over the years. I had one of the Dodgers, Giants and Mets. Empire made jerseys for semi-pro and little league teams since at least the 50's I believe. Cosby Sporting Goods in Madison Square Garden still used to sell these when I was in high school in the mid-80's, I remember N.Y. Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Phillies and Braves very clearly. They were close to the original design but a little cruder, thicker piping, chunkier script... not like the modern Ebbets Field Flannels which are very professional looking. I can remember these Empire replicas being sold in magazine ads as well circa 1982 and my little league team used old Empire flannel jerseys too. Around 1992 I contacted Empire Sporting Goods to see if they still made custom jersey's but they didn't seem very interested and I got the impression they were slowly going out of business.
Hope that helps a bit...
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