This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 5/21/2006.
Scarce #14 "Brooklyn vs. World" tour jersey circa 1945-1948. Very high quality, professional style shirt was presumably worn by Gil Hodges as a member of the Brooklyn amateur traveling team, which played numerous teams at various stadiums in the mid 1940s. The series itself was sponsored by the Brooklyn Dodgers beginning in 1945, with games usually played at Ebbets Field. The shirt offered here is one of the precious few of these Brooklyn Tour jerseys known to exist and is one of the last shirts of its type to display the word "Brooklyn" on the front, as the Dodgers discontinued the city name usage after 1945. As only scant rosters exist, and as Hodges did not play full time until 1948 (having been signed in 1943, playing one game in the Majors that year and not another until 1947), we cannot rule out that Hodges played on any traveling team, most likely making this his tour jersey. Dodger Joe Pignatano, who also played on the traveling team, recently auctioned off his tour jersey which is the same as this one. In the collar of the jersey is the "Rawlings" manufacturer's tag. Attached to that are two additional manufacturer's tags, one with the jersey size "42" on it and another with washing instructions. Across the front of the jersey is "BROOKLYN" in script in blue felt. On the back of the jersey is the player number "14" in blue felt. The jersey shows game use and appears to have no alterations of any kind.