Spring Premier Auction 2013

Fifteen years as the heart and soul of the most successful and well-known professional football team on the planet. Five NFL titles, two Super Bowls, election to the Football Hall of Fame and a spot on the league's all-time squads marking both the 50th and 75 anniversaries. All of that seems to be embodied in this remarkable game-worn Packers jersey that seems to tell the story of the early years of the 1960's in a Size 50 jersey from one of the great defensive icons of the game. Gazing upon this epic relic from the initial glory years of the Green Bay franchise, the battering that Ray Nitschke's jersey withstood must have been considerable indeed, and one can't help but wonder what the other guy might have looked like. Truly, the historic jersey is a reflection of a different era in the league, with the classic Green jersey heavily repaired by the team in a number of different locations front and back, and the white "66" on the front and back and on both sleeves showing the effects of an enormous pounding. Suffice it to say that all four instances of his number show excessive and/or breathtaking wear, with fraying and unraveling of stitching, some tearing and separation from the jersey itself. Simply put, it looks pretty much like one might have imagined Ray Nitschke's jersey from the early 1960s would look in an era when teams would be loathe to issue new jerseys with each ensuing sign of distress. It is clearly a captivating artifact from one of the defensive giants (lower case) of the era. Comes with a Letter of Authenticity from the Nitschke Family.