One of the best of his generation, or any other, Roberto Clemente amassed 3,000 career hits before his life was tragically cut short in a plane crash while on a mission of mercy in 1972. This Pittsburgh Pirates cap was worn by the speedy outfielder and is dated from the earlier years of his career. While it is not definitive that it is from 1960 because hats do not have year tags, it is right in that time frame. Black with a yellow embroidered "P," it shows heavy use, with sweat stains on the dome and brim, plenty of dirt stains on the brim and the dome-lining in the brim is cracked but the fabric is not torn. A Rawlings tag is sewn on leather band inside, the leather band shows heavy use with cracking and chipping. Inside the interior, written on the mesh portion, is Clemente's number "21" in faded red marker. There is no size indicator inside as it shows lots of use and has probably been worn out, but based on measurements it is a 6 7/8 which is correct for Clemente. A perfect representation of a Clemente game used cap from the man who won 12 Gold Gloves, a pair of World Series, and was an All-Star 15 times in his storied career.

Addendum: Lot does not include MEARS LOA as suggested in the catalog title. The cap is 100% authentic and 100% guaranteed to pass MEARS authentication.