Newark Bears Jersey

[yanks4]

Hello... Wondering if anyone has or knows of a picture of a pinstriped jersey with Bears across the front?
This jersey was in the 2007 Leyland's Auction. I would like to see a picture of a player wearing this style to identify the year if possible.... thanks

[yanks4]

Picture

[Al C.risafulli]

Hi Marty:

Here's Walter Johnson, who managed in 1928. It's the "Newark" across the front, which I guess is the road jersey, but maybe it'll help you somehow.


-Al

[bgar3]

Marty, if you haven’t already checked them, there are at least 2 books on the Bears. One by Mayer concerning the 1937 team, and others by Lindthurst, self published but available. They are not expensive. I do not have them or I would check for photos, but they would something to look up.

[jerseygary]

I remember that uniform set when it was at auction, and I wasn't convinced it was for the NEWARK Bears.

I couldn't find any reasonable photo match of the style. Closest was the Walter Johnson photo that is posted above, but it is the road version from 1928. I found a photo taken at the Newark home opener in 1927, which does have "BEARS" across the front, but the trim is thin, like in the Johnson photo and there are diamond patches on the sleeves with an "N" in them.

Plus, more importantly, home jerseys would be white, not grey like the one auctioned off.

Here’s what I know about the history of the Newark Bears jerseys:

Before 1920 the team was called the “SAILORS” and “INDIANS.” I don’t have any firm dated photos showing the 1920-1923 uniforms.

1924-1925 the road jersey had "NEWARK" across the front in a serif typeface, plus the placket around the collar and down the front was a solid color.

1925 they wore plain white pinstripes at home, no lettering.

1926 home jerseys had "NEWARK" across the front in block letters. Don't know what the road version was but I would think they would have had "NEWARK" as well.

The 1929-1930 home uniform had a bear mascot on the front

The 1931 road jerseys have "NEWARK" in a serif typeface and after that they were a Yankees farm team and used plain pinstripes at home and grey with "NEWARK" in block letters from 1932 until they left town after 1949.

In short, Every road uniform I have seen of the Bears show "NEWARK" on the front, not "BEARS." All that being said, there are a few missing gaps which I haven't seen photos of.

Hope this helps a bit.

[buymycards]

This one doesn't have the pinstripes, but it is similar in several ways to the jersey that you pictured. This is Otey Clark, shown in his 1941 Eau Claire Bears uniform.

[btcarfagno]

I've been trying to figure out this Newark jersey that I have without any luck

[jerseygary]

I have the Mayer '37 Bears book as well as the 3-volume Lindthurst set. They just deal with the team when it was a Yankees farm club when the team exclusively wore plain white pinstripes at home and "NEWARK" in block letters on the road, so all the pictures are of no help for pre-1932.

If you are interested in the story of a single season of a great minor league team, get the Mayer book, it's well written, and that 1937 team was rated as one of, if not the best minor league team in history. The Lindthurst books are a valuable reference if you are interested in a season-by-season rundown of Newark Bears history from 1932-1949. Not many refernce books like this about a minor league team out there.

[btcarfagno]

My jersey is actually very close to Newark Peppers but not quite. I bought it thinking that was what it was but it just doesn't quite match up from what I can tell.

[yanks4]

Hey Guys,

Thanks so much for taking the time to research this jersey and provide

such great information. I really appreciate your efforts and interest. I agree I

just can't verify that this was a Newark Bears game used jersey.

But it is nice.

Thanks again, Marty

[Chris-Counts]

Hi Marty, can you show a better photo of the tag in the collar? My first thought is that the sleeves look short for the time period Leland's determined the jersey came from, and I figure getting a close look at the tag will help with an approximate date. That in turn might help identify a team, which may or may not be from Newark or New Jersey. I'm pretty sure every state has bears, and as a result, teams named after them. I recently picked up an old flannel jersey used by the University of Northern Colorado Bears.

[chalupacollects]

Originally Posted by btcarfagno

I've been trying to figure out this Newark jersey that I have without any luck

Could be a team from Newark, Delaware?

[chalupacollects]

Originally Posted by yanks4

Hello... Wondering if anyone has or knows of a picture of a pinstriped jersey with Bears across the front?
This jersey was in the 2007 Leyland's Auction. I would like to see a picture of a player wearing this style to identify the year if possible.... thanks

I remember going to games in 2000-2008 where they also wore pinstripes...

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by chalupacollects

Could be a team from Newark, Delaware?

Or Newark, Ohio

[Chris-Counts]

There's also a Newark in California. That's why it might useful to see the tag. It seems like the farther back you go, the more local the manufacturing of jerseys is.

[yanks4]

I am sorry but this is the best picture I have right now.

Does it help at all?

[Chris-Counts]

What does it say? I still can't read it ...

[Jim65]

I've style matched jerseys in the past looking through old programs. Maybe if someone here has some old Newark or Bears programs, they could help the OP out.

[yanks4]

reads Danenhower’s Sporting Goods / 2731 Pleasant St., Camden, N.J.

[Chris-Counts]

The label certainly suggests it comes from the New Jersey area, although I don't believe it confirms that it is a minor league jersey. I have a c. 1940 very professional-looking "Sacramento Cardinals" jersey that made during the time the Cardinals had a Pacific Coast League team in the California state capitol, but the seller, who is an authority on Sacramento baseball stuff, said it belonged to a local amateur team.

I did learn that the Bears became a Yankees farm club in 1931. Leland's describes it as a 1920s jersey, and mentions the Bears were a Yankees farm club, but omits any closer ties between the jersey and the Yankees.

I mentioned earlier that I believe the jersey was made later than described. Here's a screenshot I took from a Camden historical website that offers some potentially useful information ...

[Chris-Counts]

Here's something from the same source about a football team named the Bears from Camden in 1939. I wouldn't be surprised if the town had a baseball team with the same name ...

[Jim65]

Nice work Chris.

Camden is very close to Philly so that area of Pennsylvania could be a option too.

[Chris-Counts]

That's a great idea Jim. I'll check out some Pennsylvania cities as well. I just tried Trenton, and I came up with a WWII era football team with that name.

[yanks4]

Any new news?