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Lot # 942: Spectacular 1922-23 Vancouver Millionaires Hockey Sweater

Category: Hockey

Starting Bid: $1,000.00

Bids: 14 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "2020 Fall Classic",
which ran from 11/11/2020 7:00 PM to
12/11/2020 11:00 PM



Spectacular 1922-23 Vancouver Millionaires Hockey Sweater. Tremendous heavy cardigan style used by hockey clubs and issued to players in the early 1900s, this is a top of the line offering. The history of this sweater is as important as its magnificent craftsmanship as it originated from the Pacific Coast League's Vancouver Millionaires, who captured the PCHA championship for the third straight time in a four-year run. This masterpiece was also displayed at the Kingston Hockey Hall of Fame, where its origin was attributed to legendary PCHA Hall of Fame goalie Hughie Lehman. The remnants of an original label have been fastened to the collar by way of vintage staples, with an inventory label affixed to the backside of the right pocket. Constructed of thick wool dyed in a deep maroon with beige collar, pocket and cuff accents, also featured is a white felt shield crest over the left breast with inserted maroon characters that state “P.C.H.A. 22-23 Champ's,” with a second white V-shaped panel with inserted letters spelling “Vancouver” placed over the right pocket. All six original wooden buttons are also present. Wear, including some tearing, has occurred to the affixed felt identifiers, with the first V of "Vancouver" missing over the pocket, along with part of the R. Light staining along the collar, with the maroon color bleeding onto the beige material along the cuffs. Small repairs to holes over the front and sleeves are also notable, with a few other examples near the PCHA crest that were never addressed. Its rarity completes the picture as this is the only known garment of the Vancouver Millionaires to ever be offered publicly for sale to our knowledge, though another example exists in the collection of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Combining the Hughie Lehman HOF pedigree along with the factors of age, rarity, condition, and appearance, this 1922-23 Vancouver Maroons cardigan would be the centerpiece of ANY collection great or small. The 1922-23 squad would include Frank Boucher, Frank Patrick, Cyclone Taylor (1 game!) and others. Lehman would go on to the NHL after his PCHA days, starring as the first netminder of the fabled Chicago Black Hawks during the club’s inaugural season of 1926-27, with enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.

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