This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/10/2001.
With his grace and dignity, Joe DiMaggio was the definition of baseball insouciance during his Hall of Fame career. While most athletes have to pay dues to attain that lofty status, Joe D seemingly had it from day one, when he came to take over centerfield for the Bronx Bombers in April 1936. He wore this vintage Yankee warm-up jacket during that rookie season. This jacket is a rare treasure for any collector, it captures the cool style and confident bravado (some longtime Yankee haters might say arrogance) he embodied while pounding his way to a .325 average with 29 home runs and 125 RBIs that season. He also set AL records with 132 runs and 15 triples, as the Bombers won the championship as they would in DiMaggio's first 4 seasons. Watching the Bombers line up in these navy blue jackets with the foreboding "NY" logo crisply sewn on the left chest had many a team beaten before they even stepped on the field. The button-down wool jacket, like DiMaggio in centerfield, is both understated and awe-inspiring, its blue area set against a grey collar and grey sleeves. "Spalding" and "Joe DiMaggio" are stitched on the front inside right tail. The collar shows some wear and five buttons are missing, but this hardly detracts from the eye appeal or historical value of the jacket, which comes with a note of authenticity from DiMaggio written to collector Barry Halper, reading "To Barry -- This is my first warm up jacket that I wore in 1936 -- Joe DiMaggio." Also included is a photo of DiMaggio wearing either this or a similar jacket in 1937.