October pickups

[JoeDfan]

Awesome bat!

Staying with the Boggs theme, here is my latest pickup.

While I usually stick with bats, this one intrigued me.

It looks like an '83 Boggs game worn jersey, but MEARS noted that the tags were incorrect for the year. So they offered it as a style jersey only. I always wanted a Boggs jersey on the wall, so I went for it.

But you know me, I am always researching to see if there is more to the story (if you don't know that, feel free to read my Mickey Mantle jersey shenanigans thread, which might just be right!).

However, to me, it looks like an older shell, like maybe '80 or '81. The second top button is low, so I know it is pre-'84, but is it a really a fantasy piece? The "T" in "BOSTON" also crosses the center stitch, so I think that might be a clue.

I found quite a few examples of Sox gamers from the same time period with the same tagging type. Basically, they look like they were recycled from previous years or something, but some have impeccable provenance (two were graded A10).

I also found an auction that referenced Yaz having a bunch of his away jerseys stolen in '83, and the team had to scramble to find him more.

I am no seamstress, but there do not appear to be any alterations to the numbers, buttons, etc. Under the black light, you can see that the jersey has dirt spattering all over it.

Anyway, I have something to keep me occupied for a while, and who knows? Maybe someday I can prove it is more than just a faker.