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Game Worn MLB Jersey Guide (1970-2012): Sixth Edition

Game Worn MLB Jersey Guide (1970-2012): Sixth Edition
New launch sale! Enter promo code EarlyBird10 at checkout to get $10 off the sixth edition of the guide. Hurry, this sale won’t last forever!

So What’s In It?

The new and updated Sixth Edition for 2012 is now shipping! This is more than just an update. Besides adding all year specific content up through the 2012 season, the following changes and improvements are found inside:

  • Complete detail on flannel jerseys (1970-1972) added to this edition
  • A newly complete compilation of every Turn Back the Clock game in MLB from the first one in 1990 through May, 2012. Hundreds of dates, teams and uniforms, hundreds of new facts and photos. We think we got them all—look and see!
  • All-Star Game and Home Run Derby Batting Jerseys for both American League and National League teams since their first use in 1997 and through 2012.

Click to view a sample chapter.

Click to View Sample Chapter

 

 

Also included:

  • Foreword by Paul Lukas, Uni Watch @ESPN.com
  • Special expanded chapters on identifying counterfeit authentic jerseys- of both the game worn and non-game worn variety. Be better prepared to avoid great deals that turn out to be not such great deals in the end.
  • A 40-Question Exam of game-worn knowledge is included for the reader to test his or her skill on being able to identify counterfeit game worn jerseys; answers included. How many clues can you spot in this penalty-free test of skill?
  • Complete charts for team Cool Base jersey on-field use by each team for each year 2006-2012. As MLB makes the gradual shift to Cool Base game jerseys, it is important for collectors to know which years each team used Knit or Cool Base game jerseys, and which teams may have used both styles in a given year. This information is not available anywhere else.
  • Updated with dozens of new prototypes, more facts on team issued jerseys, newly discovered photos, more Turn Back the Clock and oddball jerseys.
  • Reader Q&A section has been added with answers to my most commonly asked questions.
  • Individual team chapters are available for purchase for collectors interested in one team only.

To Upgrade from Previous Editions

If you have an older edition of the MLB Game Worn Jerseys of the Double Knit Era (or its predecessor title which was “An Illustrated Guide to major League Baseball Jersey Styles and Lettering: the Double Knit Era Collectors’ Reference”) you are probably eligible for a reduced-cost upgrade to the new version. Send a note to wfhenderson@yahoo.com with the subject “Upgrade Request.” Include your full name and the email and mailing addresses that you would have used when ordering a previous edition. We will check your eligibility and get back to you promptly.

Want to get your jerseys lettered?

Recommended Lettering Shops

Chapter Summary

  • Chapter 1: Covers the basics of the hobby, explaining significant milestones in the marketing of game worn and non-game worn Authentics from 1970 to 2012, gives an overview of lettering sewing styles and methods, coverage of Jackie Robinson Day chronology and events.
  • Chapter 2: MLB and League Commemorative Patches: A complete photo guide to all the patches worn in All-Star Game and post-season play, as well as special commemorative patches worn by multiple teams in every year.
  • Chapter 3: Manufacturer Tagging: The tags sewn by the manufacturer into the jersey offer a wealth of clues to the knowledgeable searcher. Tiny year-to-year changes in tagging that would be unnoticed by nearly anyone else are cataloged here. This information can help pinpoint the year of manufacture of a jersey, and help determine if it can possibly be game worn for the player it is claimed to belong to.
  • Chapter 4: Complete charts for team Cool Base jersey on-field use by each team for each year 2006-2012. As MLB makes the gradual shift to Cool Base game jerseys, it is important for collectors to know which years each team used Knit or Cool Base game jerseys, and which teams may have used both styles in a given year.
  • Chapter 5: Counterfeit Authentics: An explosion of counterfeit merchandise has hit from foreign shores, making every garment at nearly every outlet suspect. Learn what to look for to avoid being taken by a bargain that might be too good to be true.
  • Chapter 6: “Is it Game Worn?” A thoughtful analysis to help collectors determine whether jerseys advertised as Game Worn or Team Issued actually are.
  • Chapters 7 through 37: 31 Team Chapters (click here for a sample) Each team chapter ranges from 25 to 65 pages and contains the following:
    • Year by Year Summaries- A comprehensive table broken down by year, showing the specific styles of jerseys used by the team, information on player number style, player name on Back presence and style, team patches and commemorative patches and armbands used in each year, as well as the specific team-sourced manufacturer or each year’s on-field jerseys.
    • Individual pages for each style of jersey used in this near-four decade period, including home, road, alternate and batting jersey styles.
    • Individual pages for every Turn Back the Clock game jersey for every game and every team listed by date of on-field use.
    • Many prototypes, oddball and special events jerseys for each team (like special jerseys worn on St. Patrick’s day, a those worn for a team’s Hispanic Heritage Day) or for on-field jerseys that have significant differences from normal, either intended by the team or not (aka: screw ups!).
    • A chronological listing and pictures of all commemorative patches used by the team, which sleeve each was sewn upon, and what date each appeared for use.
  • Chapter 38: All-Star Game and Home Run Derby Batting Jerseys. Pictures and specs for every year since these were introduced in 1997.
  • Chapter 39: Overview of Team Player Name/Number Fonts: provided as a sample of the different fonts and variations in player name and number lettering over this period, as a guide to determine if collector jerseys are original and properly lettered.
  • Chapter 40: Reader Questions and Answers: A selection of questions I am frequently asked and their answers. Examples are, “What’s the best way to judge the value of a jersey in my collection? Should I get insurance? Who can I get to letter my jerseys?”
  • Chapter 41: Game Worn Exam: 40 test questions challenge you to examine jerseys and determine if you think they are real or counterfeit, with a chance to explain why. Great to test the skill of anyone from novice to expert. Answers are provided and scoring is optional. Click here to see a sample from the exam.
  • Chapter 42: Bibliography and Research Summary: Explains how this reference guide was researched, and how each type of research was used, including baseball cards, news photos, collector contributions acknowledgements, web research and team publications.
"The detail is unmatched. When Majestic, the company that makes MLB's on-field apparel, was creating throwback jerseys last year for a Padres-Astros game, they contacted Henderson for help."
-Devin Clancy, USA Today Sports Weekly

About this Guide

I have been collecting game worn uniforms for almost thirty years, with the casual goal of finding “one of every style” for every team since the Double Knit Era began back at the start of the 1970s. Over the years I amassed a huge quantity of photographs and notes to myself that I kept in a dog-eared notebook and flexible files in my drawers. When going to shows or seeing items advertised for sale, I’d check my files to see if what was being offered looked authentic. If I didn’t buy it, I’d often take pictures anyway, just to have for the future. Since I started collecting in 1979, I have amassed a collection of about 650 authentic jerseys—about half of them game worn.

The hobby has changed incredibly in recent years. Now, with the Internet available to everyone, dealers and private collectors are buying and selling MLB memorabilia in ways that would have been unimaginable to us in the mid-1990’s. Back then, you had to “know somebody” to find a game worn uniform. Today, buying one is just a mouse click away on eBay.

The problem is, not all of these jerseys being sold are truly authentic. Some are outright fabrications, being sold by people trying to separate enthusiasts from their hard earned money. Others are being sold by dealers who may have no real idea that an item they are offering for sale is not authentic, as they may have bought it themselves believing in its authenticity.

People often ask me “How can I tell if it is authentic?” It’s often a difficult question to answer, because sometimes it is impossible to be completely sure. But relying on my hundreds of pages of notes there are many clues that can tell a collector if an item he is about to buy is NOT authentic. A convincing “Letter of Authenticity” can also be fabricated, by anyone with a devious mind and a dollar to spend at Kinko's.

I compiled the first edition of this massive guide after many fellow collectors asked me for copies of my notes and research. The “first edition” of this guide was made for friends. Now, in this Sixth Edition, I have again nearly completely rewritten the entire book, researching and collecting thousands more period photographs and comparing them to items in private collections and offered for sale through dealers and private individuals.

I am a member of SABR- the Society for American Baseball Research. I compiled this guide as a service of sorts for other collectors. This work was never intended for wide distribution, and was not commissioned or licensed by Major League Baseball.