1800's Sweater on SCP last night

[CarltonHendricks]

I would think $1253.00 is about par for that sweater…Good looking for sure but you couldn’t get much more generic.…A.C. as the only inscription seems a little odd…Athletic Clubs all had names so why isn’t the club’s name on the sweater…If the club name was on it that would add a lot…The black and white colors certainly aren’t inspiring….not like maroon or navy….The positive is the weave has a great old look…

The number one aspect going for it is the turtle neck. It’s not written in stone but my general observation is turtle necks seem to have been used earlier rather than later…based on the team photos I’ve seen. For instance if you look at the Yale football team photos you’ll notice the earlier teams from the 1880’s wore them…then they start to disappear around the 90’s if I recall…later you start seeing crew necks and v-necks….which leads me to believe this sweater may date earlier than most sports sweaters you see…I’m reminded of a very cool New York University sweater I saw at the May 2011 Brimfield Antiques Fair..Not as early as this A.C. Turtleneck but had it going on for looks…and was only $375.00…You can read the play by play of how I lost out on it in a story I did on the fair in the third paragraph of this link


Vintage sweater found at May Brimfield Antiques Fair

Although this A.C. sweater isn’t inscribed with the team name the neck tag inside is marked A.N. Stimms or Stimmer or something with Maryland underneath…so at least we know where it’s from. I’m reminded of a huge wooden sign I saw, again at the May 2011 Brimfield fair…It was a very “different” sign that apparently was from the same Maryland/Virginia region as this sweater, from the years 1900-1901…A mister “Wistar M. Heald” is indicated as “Pres. Ath. Assocn.”…so we know the team was made up from an Athletic Club like this sweater was…but no A.N. Stimms or Stimmer is listed…more on the sign in this link


c1900 Unusual Athletic Club football team sign