This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/8/2018
Dating from the tail end of Hank Aaron's road to immortality, this Atlanta Braves road jersey was worn during the period that saw him approach and surpass Babe Ruth to become baseball's All-Time Home Run King.
The blue-and-white, size 42 knit jersey, which shows substantial wear, dates to the 1973 season, his eighth and final campaign in which he recorded forty or more homers. The jersey features "Braves" lettered across the front and features the number "44" on the left breast and reverse. All letters and numerals are appliquéd in white-on-red-tackle twill. The Braves blue, red and white "feather" emblem adorns each sleeve. The size and year ("42-73") are chain-stitched in red upon a blue strip tag located in the collar. Positioned directly above the strip tag is a sewn-in "Sand-Knit Size 42" label. The Sand-Knit exclusive team label is stitched on the lower front tail. Original and unaltered, the jersey displays excellent wear throughout from the softening of the labels to the puckering of the tackle twill identifiers.
The jersey purportedly derives from the personal collection of the executive director of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame who is well known to have close associations with the Braves. Most significantly, included in the lot are photos of Aaron in 1973 wearing this jersey, as confirmed by Resolution Photomatching.