Featured here is a 1976 Reggie Jackson Orioles game worn orange alternate jersey from his one-year stint in Baltimore, signed by the Hall of Fame slugger below the letters on the front. Knowing that free agency was coming and realizing he would not be able to keep his star rightfielder, Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley traded Jackson, minor leaguer Bill Van Bommell and Ken Holtzman on April 2, 1976 to the Orioles for Don Baylor, Mike Torrez, and Paul Mitchell. Jackson had a solid .277, 27 HR, 91 RBI and 28 SB campaign during his brief layover on the Chesapeake before joining the Yankees in 1977. This orange pullover style is difficult to find in the hobby, and here we have one donned by the best O's player wearing it in '76.
A Wilson tag (Size 44) appears in the rear of the V-neck collar with a "76 Set 1" sewn strip tag on the left front tail. Orange knit shirt has the cursive "Orioles" in black-on-white tackle twill on the front with Reggie's No. "9" front and back in the same format. An arched "JACKSON" in black letters is sewn directly across the back. The neck and sleeves are trimmed in black and white. Jersey exhibits evident wear, albeit light to moderate, with some pilling and fraying. A letter from an executive at ReggieJackson.com (Jackson's memorabilia company) provides details on an apparent number change:
"In the lone year Reggie played for the Baltimore Orioles (1976) many of his jerseys were taken by other sources. This jersey here was an original #34 jersey, size 44 (Reggie's size at the time), then later changed to #9 once Reggie needed a jersey immediately for a game."
Sourced from a reliable Orioles collector. Includes LOA and COA from ReggieJackson.com regarding the jersey's game use and autograph. Autograph is also pre-certified by PSA/DNA.