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Lot # 893: 1950s Cleveland Indians Basketball Warmup Jacket

Category: Baseball Equipment

Starting Bid: $300.00

Bids: 1 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "2024 Summer Classic",
which ran from 6/9/2024 12:00 PM to
6/29/2024 10:00 PM



Displayed is a very rare circa 1950s Cleveland Indians basketball warm-up jacket with a Chief Wahoo logo sewn-on patch. The offering is an item we have never seen before: Most likely worn by a Cleveland Indians' player who was performing on an off-season basketball team composed of Indians' baseball players. It used to be quite common for baseball teams to have some of their players play basketball, as a team, in the off-season in exhibition games. The jacket has a Wilson manufacturer's tag in the neck that shows size 40. The Chief Wahoo Indians' logo is sewn on the left chest. A number 12 is sewn on the right sleeve, in red numerals with white trim. A working zipper runs down the front. The seven metallic buttons on back mean there was a nameplate, not included, that could be affixed to the buttons. The jacket exhibits good use. During the 1950s, four different Indians players wore number 12: Don Mossi, Willie Jones, Lou Brissie, and Ray Murray. Each of the foregoing players was most likely too large to wear a size 40 warm-up, and the number on the jacket may not have matched a player's baseball number. So, it is unclear if a Cleveland Indians player actually wore this warm-up jacket, and because the Indians "basketball players" may have had a very flexible team roster for informal, fun games, it is possible that a number of Indians wore this jacket. There are a few very small stains, and the Chief Wahoo logo shows some slight darkening. Overall, the jacket is in nice condition, and the jacket hearkens back to a time a baseball club's off-season basketball team provided fun for players and fans alike.

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