This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/10/2004.
When making a determination as to who is "The Greatest Athlete of All Time," a fair argument could be made that such an athlete must have excelled in several different sports. Given that criteria, it would be hard to deny that title to Jim Thorpe. In the 1912 Olympic Games in Sweden, Thorpe won Gold Medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon smashing the world record in the decathlon by an incredible 998 points. In 1950, Thorpe was not only named the Greatest Athlete of the first half-century but also the greatest football player of that time span. Thorpe was an All-American at the Carlisle Indian School scoring 198 points in a single season. He later went on to dominate professional football from 1917-29. If Thorpe's accomplishments in track and field and football were not impressive enough, he also had the ability to play baseball on a Major League level. Thorpe patrolled the vast outfield reaches of New York's Polo Grounds running down fly balls for the New York Baseball Giants from 1913-1919. This rare N.Y. Giants road flannel jersey is from the 1918 baseball season. It is from the collection of another legend Barry Halper. In the neck of the jersey is the "Spalding" label next to the name "Thorpe" embroidered in black chain stitching. Across the front of the jersey is the name "Giants" in faded red felt letters. The jersey shows game-use and appears to have no alterations of any kind.