This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/18/2014
This 1957 Kansas City Athletics home jersey was worn by one of the true workhouse pitchers of the era, Ned Garver. Garver’s 14-year career record of 129-157 is an imperfect barometer of his overall talents on the mound, as he spent nearly his entire career with second-division clubs. A better gauge might be his 3.75 lifetime ERA and the fact that in 1951 he won 20 games with a St. Louis Browns club that finished in last place with a record of 52-102. Garver’s first season with Kansas City was 1957, where he appeared in 24 games and finished the year with a record of 6-13 and a 3.84 ERA. The white flannel jersey is lettered “Athletics” across the front and features the No. “31” on the reverse. All letters and numerals are in red on blue felt. The A’s team-logo patch appears on the left sleeve. A “Wilson 42” label is located on the left front tail. Garver’s name, the set number, the year, and the uniform number (“Garver 2-57-31”) are chain-stitched in blue upon a white strip tag that is positioned onto the bottom of the exterior button panel. Garver has signed the jersey in blue Sharpie in the collar. Original and unaltered, the jersey displays heavy wear including a small tear in the right sleeve and a few small, scattered, light stains. Accompanying the jersey is a vintage, blue-sleeved baseball undershirt, manufactured by Tim McAuliffe, that bears the name “Garver” written in black laundry pen on the back of the collar.
The jersey is graded A 9.5 by MEARS.