This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 2/7/2014.
John Franklin “Home Run” Baker was a three-time World Series Champion and was the home run champ of the American League for four consecutive seasons from 1911-1914. In what we now refer to as the dead-ball era, Baker had six seasons with a .300+ batting average and was the two-time AL RBI Champion. In 1919, Baked led the majors with 141 games played and his ten home runs ranked second only to Babe Ruth’s 29 in the AL. Baker was a .307 lifetime hitter and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. This grey flannel jersey is sourced from a collection where it has remained for the last 35 years. Sewn in the rear collar fold of the jersey is the “A.G. Spalding Bros” manufacturers tag. Adjacent is the player ID “Baker”, chain-stitched in script-style lettering which has faded to a yellow-gold color. Across the front is “NEW YORK” in blue felt lettering. No player number is present on the back of the jersey which is correct as the Yankees did not add uniform numbers until 1929. The jersey features a sun collar which was a common theme of shirts from this era as well as the original three-quarter length sleeves. Of special note is the unique placement of the "Y" in "NEW YORK" which is horizontally centered on the button placket. This location has created the necessity of bisecting the lower stick of the "Y" so that the third button actually cuts through the blue felt. This jersey is 100% original and in fantastic condition; it is the earliest known jersey of a Yankee Hall of Famer and the only known example of a Frank “Home Run” Baker jersey. The jersey is accompanied by a photomatch of Baker at Griffith Stadium, home of the Washington Senators, as well as a LOA from Dave Grob grading the shirt A9.5. The jersey is properly tagged, was presented to us as game-used and in our opinion, shows tremendous use. A true piece of American and baseball history.
To view the detailed high resolution image of the photo-match please click here.