He was 39, already at a point where most mortal men of the 1970s had retired or been forced out of the game. Hank Aaron? Just another year of hitting .300 with 40 homers.
It’s remarkable when you consider the pressure that must have been building since it became obvious he’d be able to play long enough to break the record many thought would never fall.
This weekend, a jersey worn by the Hall of Famer during the season in which he’d blast his 700th home run and edge within one of Babe Ruth, is on the auction block.
The Heritage Auctions Consignment of the Week is among the featured attractions in Saturday’s Sports Collectibles auction in Dallas. The current high bid as of late Thursday afternoon was $36,000 but expectations are it could sell for nearly double that by the time the gavel falls.
The Braves received a lot of attention for their new, pullover “feather” style uniforms as Aaron chased Ruth’s record. The road jerseys, with their bright blue hues, were the most striking. The double-knit Aaron jersey is a size 42 and includes the Sand-Knit tags.
The jersey’s history is spelled out in a letter of provenance from a major hobby figure whose collection appears in the “Smithsonian Baseball” book. It states that the jersey derives from the personal collection of the executive director of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame who was closely associated with the Braves franchise. The lot also comes with photos of Aaron in 1973 wearing thejersey, as confirmed by Resolution Photomatching.
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