This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/8/2018
Hank Aaron played 23 years as an outfielder for the Milwaukee (later Atlanta) Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, during which time he broke many of baseball's most distinguished records, including being crowned baseball’s all-time Home Run King, a crown he wore nobly for more than two decades. Sheer ability, consistency and resilience were the earmarks of Hank Aaron's prolific career. For 20 consecutive seasons he totaled more than 20 home runs; 15 times topping the 30 homer mark, and eight times he walloped 40 or more home runs. As Aaron biographer Lonnie Wheeler wrote, "(Hank) Aaron's excellence was not expelled in blinding bursts of energy, but rather played out, patiently and inexorably, over a whole generation."
Presented here is Aaron’s 1969 Atlanta Braves game worn home jersey. "Braves" spans the chest in navy tackle twill script, with the iconic and now retired number "44," appearing on verso. An embroidered tag inside the collar reads, "H Aaron 1969 - Set 3," and a "Wilson [size] 40" label appears on the front tail. The screaming Indian head patch adorns the left sleeve. Moderate game wear is evident throughout. The experts at Resolution Photomatching have matched the garment to an image captured during a 1969 NLCS game in Atlanta against the Miracle Mets. While the exact game is undetermined, Aaron homered in each of the two home games of that series, victimizing Tom Seaver in Game One and Jerry Koosman in Game Two. All of the basic elements of the jersey are original, however MEARS has graded the jersey A7 due to the absence of the original MLB Centennial sleeve patch and a stain at the bottom center of the button path, likely the result of dye bleed from Aaron's undergarments. The jersey presents far better than its technical grade and its status as the only Aaron jersey definitively linked to a postseason home run is beyond reproach. LOA from MEARS (A7).