Hoyt Wilhelm’s Hall of Fame career began when there were only 16 major league teams and a trip west meant playing in St. Louis or Chicago. By the time he retired in 1972, the game had changed drastically and he was part of the change. Wilhelm set himself apart as one of the few men to log All Star appearances in the three decades. His floating and effective knuckler gave birth to the notion of a pillow size catcher’s mitt when the convention of the day had those mitts getting smaller. Offered for your consideration is one of his a wonderful road flannels from the midpoint of his career. Display appeal is much stronger than the grade might suggest (A6). Rare and attractive style from a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1985.
SIZE: Jersey is tagged as and measures as a size 44 Jersey. The size tagging is on a felt swatch sewn through only one fold of the collar material. This area was inspected with both UV lighting and with a digital microscope to confirm that the collar area was not opened up post manufacturer to accommodate its placement. The size tagging is assessed as being original to the jersey.
The 1960 Street and Smith Yearbook lists Wilhelm as being 6’; 195 lbs. Other period Wilhelm uniforms in the MEARS data base show:
1964; White Sox, Road, MacGregor Size 44
1967; White Sox, Home, Wilson Size 44
The Street & Smith Yearbook for 1964 (6’, 190 lbs)
As such, this jersey is considered to be an appropriate sized uniform for Wilhelm in 1960.
MANUFACTURER: Jersey is identified as a Spalding product by the c 1957-1970 Spalding manufacturer’s tag in the outer front tail. Spalding is a known and confirmed supplier of jerseys to the Orioles at this time. The supplemental tagging for laundry instructions are also period appropriate by both team and manufacturer.
CONSTRUCTION: The jersey is constructed of professional quality flannel and is consistent with other period Spalding professional/major league products in on my on-hand exemplar library. The jersey features a zipper down front and set-in sleeves. The cut of these sleeves appears to be of common or regular length. The jersey features an original “smiling bird” patch on the left sleeve. There is no name on the back of the jersey or signs that one was ever present. This is year and team appropriate.
USE/WEAR: The jersey shows signs of moderate to heavy use and wear. The backing to the felt used for the lettering and numbering has aged and cracked in an appropriate manner. All anchor stitching used in the construction of the body of garment remains strong and intact. The black soutache along the collar and placket remain firmly affixed, and unfrayed and unbroken throughout. The zipper on the jersey has been replaced as have the rear numerals. There is a fabric tear repair on the back of the jersey beneath the upper portion of the numeral “5”
GRADE: Base Grade of 10 with deductions for:
Category II: -1 for replaced zipper.
Category IV: -1.5 for replaced rear numerals. (Full deduction of 3 points would have been made had the numbers on the front not been original to the jersey)
Category V: -1.5 for combination of repair to rear of the jersey (largely obscured by number replacement and for slight tear (10mm) on the “laughing bird” patch.
Final Grade for MEARS CERT # 311644 is A6