Rare 1936 United States Olympic baseball uniform (jersey, pants, socks) worn by pitcher Charlie Simons. This is the first 1936 Olympic baseball uniform/jersey we have ever offered and just the second such example we have ever seen. It also comes with the direct provenance of having been consigned directly by a member of the Simons family, in whose sole possession it has remained these past eighty-eight years. Baseball was featured as a demonstration sport at the 1936 Olympics. The United States was scheduled to play a team from Japan, but when Japan backed out of the games, the Unites States fielded two teams for the exhibition. The two United States baseball teams were named, respectively, the "World Champions" and the "U. S. Olympics," but all the participants wore the same uniforms (only the color of each team's hats and socks were different: blue and red). Baseball had been played at the Olympics three times prior: in 1904, 1912, and 1924, each time as a single exhibition game. To the best of our knowledge, no Olympic baseball uniform/jersey from any of those three prior events has ever surfaced, making the offered garment the earliest Olympic example.

The white flannel jersey features the letters "U" and "S," respectively, on the left and right breasts, each in blue and red chenille. The number "9" appears on the reverse in blue felt. A United States Olympic "shield" patch adorns the  left sleeve. A Wilson label is located in the collar. Maroon piping decorates each sleeve, the collar, and the button panel. The matching white pants feature maroon piping down the side of each leg. A badly faded Wilson label appears on the interior button fly. Both the jersey and pants are original as issued and display moderate wear. Both display light soiling, but the pants display areas of heavy discoloration on the reverse that might be attributed more to its method of storage over the year as opposed to actual game wear. Accompanied by the original red stirrup socks, each of which features two navy stripes. Together with a photocopy of a photographic montage picturing Simmons in his 1936 Olympic uniform, a team photo of the 1936 Olympic baseball team, and a panoramic image of the game. 

The 1936 Olympic baseball game was played on August 12th in front of over 90,000 spectators at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. The game, which was limited to seven innings, was a spirited affair. After the "U. S. Olympics" tied the game 5-5 with a run in the top of the seventh inning, Les McNeese gave the "World Champions" the win with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame. Charlie Simons, who played for the University of Pennsylvania, was one of eleven college players recruited to play on the 1936 Olympic baseball teams. Simons was a member of the "U. S. Olympics" club, but he did not make an appearance in the game, as the club's other pitcher, Fred Heringer, went the distance in the loss.