1966 Cubs jersey help

[JElwell]

Hope it's OK for a newbie to ask for help, but I'm very curious about this jersey I just picked up, which appears to be 1966 Chicago Cubs #18 (Glenn Beckert). It is heavily worn, a bit shrunk, rather soiled and has lots of loose stitching. Definitely not newly made. Here are pics - comments below ...



On the one hand it matches this '66 jersey http://jun08.hugginsandscott.com/cgi...?itemid=101112

On the other hand it does not match this '66 jersey, also a Beckert, both in tagging and a size http://www.legendaryauctions.com/Lot...entoryid=36207

Speaking of size, at 6'1"-190 I wonder if Beckert would wear a Size 40.

Could this be a salesman's sample perhaps? Any information or insight from the group would be much appreciated.

[Scott Garner]

Even though there are other people on the board that are better versed on game used jerseys, I will tell you that a player that is 6' 1" and 190 would not wear a size 40 jersey for what it's worth. Size 42-44 would be more likely.

Perhaps others can weigh in with their thoughts.

[baseball tourist]

While I can't comment on the style of jersey relative to the Cubs on-field unis for the the year I in question, I would agree that a size 40 would be a tad small for the player's stated physical stature. What bothers me as well is the whiteness of both the hem size tagging and collar strip tag compared with the overall colouring on the flannel. They look to be newer/replaced?

[JElwell]

Chris - the contrast isn't as stark in person - and some of it can be attributed to the dark background and dim light I shot in, which 'darkens' the jersey but not the patches. Plus, the jersey material is thinner than the tagging and probably more prone to age yellowing.

The size 40 issue is definitely a mystery - I'm 8" shorter and 55 lbs lighter than Beckert was and I wear a 40!

Thanks for the notes and hope to hear more.

[JElwell]

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[whitehse]

That tagging just doesnt look right. Yosh Kowano was the equipment guy for decades and one thing he didnt do was vary from a routine and I know for a fact the tagging in Cubs jerseys that I have seen did not look like this.

Usually Cubs jersey tags contained the uniform number, followed by the size, set number (each player received two road sets and two home sets each year) and finally the year such as 66 so the tag would look like

18-40-2-66

Something about this jersey just doesn't look right to me but I am far from an expert on such matters. I worked for the team for 7 years and saw how Yosh tagged the jerseys in the during the 80's and others told me he has been pretty consistent but I will leave the experts to chime in.

[JElwell]

Thanks all your help, guys - really appreciate it. I've dug around some more and here's what I've found.

Re tagging -- Andrew might very well be right. But this one here would make two 66 Cubs jerseys similarly tagged erroneously: http://jun08.hugginsandscott.com/cgi...?itemid=101112

Maybe Kowano switched to the new tagging system after 66?

This Banks jersey from 69 indeed has the tagging Andrew remembers:
http://sports.mearsonlineauctions.co...entoryid=64692

Speaking of Banks, I note that he wore a size 40 jersey and was almost as big as Glenn Beckert (6'1") so it's plausible that Beckert wore a 40 also.

Finally, Beckert's 67 Dexter Press card seems like it might be a photomatch. The pinstripes seem to align the same at the shoulders, neck and with the buttons.

But maybe I'm just looking through rose-colored glasses. Any additional input is much appreciated.

[perezfan]

Jersey may well be authentic, but I don't think it's a photo-match. If you look at how the pinstripes align at the shoulder areas, the two are slightly offset to opposite sides.

On yours, the front stripes meet just slightly to the right of the stripes at the adjoining shoulder seam. On the pictured jersey, they align slightly to the left.

Very close, but not quite a match. Jersey may still be authentic and original... it looks good to me

[slidekellyslide]

Maybe it's a late 1960s Tacoma Cubs jersey?

[JElwell]

Perez - you are right -- the shoulders don't match -- excellent catch.
Dan - I like your Tacoma theory.

[jerseygary]

Even if it was a Tacoma Cubs jersey the chances are it started out with the big club a season or two before the minor league affiliate got it.

[whitehse]

Originally Posted by jerseygary

Even if it was a Tacoma Cubs jersey the chances are it started out with the big club a season or two before the minor league affiliate got it.

You are correct. I know when I was with the team as late as 1986 they were still shipping the big league uniforms to the minors to be used on the farm.