This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/6/2021
Born March 31, 1928, the Canadian born Gordon “Gordie” Howe played 26 seasons (1946-1980) in the NHL and six seasons with the World Hockey Association, earning the name, “Mr. Hockey.” Considered by many to be the greatest hockey player of all time, a Gordie Howe shirt is the pinnacle of any advanced collection. A twenty-three time NHL All-Star, Howe held many of the sport's scoring records until they were broken in the 1990s by Wayne Gretzky. Howe continues to hold NHL records for most games and seasons played.
Debuting for the Detroit Red Wings in 1946, Howe led the league in scoring in 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954. Howe led the Detroit Red Wings to four World Championships and six Hart Trophies as the league’s most valuable player. Topping off his resume, he won six Art Ross trophies as the league’s leading scorer. He was inducted into the hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.
Of the four major sports, baseball, football, basketball, and hockey, Gordie Howe would rank among the top 5 players of all time and certainly the key to any premier hockey collection.
MEARS conducted a thorough review of the shirt. Here is the report of our evaluation and final grading:
Dating: Based on comparison of the jersey to available images, MEARS dates the shirt to the 1965-69 era. Although the front crest and jersey overall design is consistent with the team’s 1964 style, analysis revealed larger “9” sleeve numerals. The accompany images show the similarities of the shirt during the 1965-69 era. For the 1970 season, images show Howe with an “A” on the front of his jersey. Gordie Howe was an All Star for each of the seasons during the era of this shirts issue.
Style: The shirt is the white durene body shell, straight tail, with a modified raglan sleeve. The sleeves are red with built in elbow padding pockets. “9” appears on each sleeve with white single tackle twill. The crew neck is red with elastic ribbing. A single red stripe is found near the bottom of the shirt. The “Winged Wheel Crest” Detroit Red Wings logo is a mixture of a red sheened material with white embroidering. Howe’s “9” appears on the reverse in single red tackle twill. All physical design features have been verified as being correct to have been worn by Howe during the 1965-69 era and the shirt is supported by period images.
Manufacturer (Olympic): Supplied by the Olympic Sporting Goods Company of Detroit, this company is verified as the correct supplier of 1965-69 Detroit Red Wings shirts. Other examples that have entered the hobby include:
Frank Mahovlich
Gordie Howe (Lelands)
Gordie Howe
Therefore, the style of the Olympic tag and the manufacture has been verified as being correct for Detroit Red Wing shirts during the 1965-69 era.
Size 48: Research confirmed that size 48 was correct for Gordie Howe during the 1965-69 era.
Supplemental Tagging (The General): Found on the inside tail is “The General” black tag with gold letting. The style of tag and its issuance has been verified as being correct for circa 1965-69 Gordie Howe jerseys.
Game Wear: The shirt was shown to a team of hobby experts and the consensus was the shirt contained light wear. The durene body shell shows multiples signs of light piling, light abrasions to the fabric, and light staining to both the front and reverse of the shirt. The shirt remains in excellent condition and was gifted to our consignor before undergoing any type of team repair.
Provenance: Our consignor is a resident of Michigan and lives within a close proximity to Detroit. During 2015, this shirt was obtained by our consignor directly from the estate of its original owner. Although no corresponding paper work survived, the executors of the estate related the story how the owner simply wrote to the Red Wings during approximately 1968 or 1969 and ask for a shirt. This shirt represented the response. The story was also supported by several other 1968-69 uniforms from other major league sports that could be specifically dated to the 1968-69 window. Additionally, the shirt bears a period vintage "Gordie Howe" signature, which, to the best of our knowledge, was signed during the 1968-69 window when gifted to the original recipient.
Final Grade (MEARS A6): When examining and comparing the jersey to the 5 categories of evaluation per the MEARS Official Worksheet, MEARS determined the following: Due to light wear, the shirt has been graded an A6 (minus 4 points for light wear)
As professional sports royalty, this lot offer one fortunate bidder the rare opportunity to add a crown jersey to their collection. LOA Troy R. Kinunen / MEARS
(79G0061)
LOA Troy Kinunen / MEARS
(JSA Auction Letter)