Spring Premium LIVE Auction April 30th and Catalog Auction May 7th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/30/2016
More than just the greatest pure hitter in baseball history (an argument he most often wins), Ted Williams stands as a legendary iconic figure and great American hero (both as a ballplayer and WWII fighter pilot) whose complex and multi-faceted personality continues to be source of fascination generation after generation.
As the last man to hit .400 in a season and the player with the 7th highest lifetime batting average (everyone in front of him played in earlier eras) Williams’ feats and accomplishments as a hitter are multitude; six AL batting titles, two Triple Crown awards, 521 home runs and 1,839 RBI, he would have compiled more if not for serving in the military for three years in the prime of his career.
Williams has to be included in any discussion concerning the greatest player of all-time. With a Mears grading of A9, this fantastic gray flannel Boston Red Sox road jersey was worn by Williams during the 1955 season may very well be the finest available Williams jersey known to exist and be offered at auction. Williams’ familiar number “9” is prominently appliqued in navy felt on the jerseys’ back with “Boston” running across the front. A "Tim McAuliffe" manufacturer’s label is sewn onto the left front tail above navy chain-stitching reading "55" (the year), "46" (the size), "2 ins" (the extra length) and Williams uniform number "9" with a tag containing wash instructions: “Wash in Lukewarm Water With Mild Soap—Dry Slowly At Room Temperature” on the reverse side. A black armband originally affixed to the left sleeve (in honor of first baseman Harry Agganis, who died on June 27th of that year) has been removed. Both sides of this classic period wool flannel jersey, with ventilated sleeves, reveal moderate wear with what appear to be sweat and perhaps tobacco stains evenly distributed.
The accompanying pair of pants were issued to Johnny Schmitz in 1956 containing his uniform number “21” year “56” waist band “36” and inseam “30” in chain stitching along the waistband on opposite sides of "Tim McAuliffe" manufacturer’s label. A pair of red, white and blue striped Boston Red Sox socks is also included with no identifying tags or markings as well as a vintage black belt.
The entire uniform was originally purchased at a charity auction by Allen Wheeler (a philanthropist and a major contributor to the Jimmy Fund), immediately made a gift of the jersey to Richard Berry a non-collector, who was one of the volunteers working at the auction more than 50 years ago, who wrote the accompanying letter of provenance.
This impeccable jersey with an extremely strong chain of provenance was previously sold at the Ted Williams auction for $126,500 and remains in its original condition and comes with Mears LOA and official authentication worksheet and jersey style photo-match from Getty Images #50347366 and Corbis Images #U12895531NP.