Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, best known for his elusive knuckleball pitch, spent the majority of his career with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. During the 1976 season, Niekro sported a solid 17-11 record with a 3.29 ERA as he tossed 10 complete games and pitched 270 2/3 innings. Presented here is one of the jerseys worn by Niekro during the 1976 season. This two-toned pullover jersey has a gray torso and blue sleeves and features “Braves” in cursive script, along with Niekro’s number “35” sewn on the front in blue and white tackle twill with red border stitching. The “Braves” word mark was added after this jersey was recycled for minor league use as “Atlanta” remnants can be seen under a light table. The Wilson size 44 tag and gray team swatch with “76 44” embroidered in blue are sewn on the inside back collar. The back of the jersey has Niekro’s “35” sewn on in the same blue and white tackle twill with red border stitching, which is the correct style worn by the Braves in 1976 with no name on the back. The blue sleeves have white knit ends and an ornate feather patch sewn on in red, white and blue tackle twill on the left sleeve. The right sleeve is blank, but remnants of the 1976 National League Centennial patch is present. Niekro has signed this jersey in black marker on the bottom center front and inscribed “1976 – Game Used H.O.F. -97”. This jersey displays heavy game use and comes with a LOA from Sports Investors Authentication (210306F1) for the game use and a LOA from Beckett Authentication for Niekro’s signature and inscription.

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