1974 Hank Aaron Game Worn Atlanta Braves Jersey--Photo Matched to the Last Day of His Braves Service!...

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Aaron battles Sadaharu Oh in Japan the day before his trade to the Brewers...

1974 Hank Aaron Game Worn Atlanta Braves Jersey--Photo Matched to the Last Day of His Braves Service!

UPDATE: This lot is accompanied by a photo match LOA from PSA.

Forty years after Babe Ruth captivated the baseball-loving nation of Japan, the legendary slugger who had recently deposed the Bambino as Home Run King traveled to the Land of the Rising Sun to match long ball slugging skills against Sadaharu Oh, who was six seasons away from completing his Nippon League tally of 868. The date was November 1, 1974 (November 2, 1974 in Japan) and the field of battle was Korakuen Stadium, the home of the Yomiuri Giants which Oh served as manager and leading offensive threat. Over fifty thousand fans packed the grandstands.

It was agreed that each man would get twenty swings, alternating between each after five to create four "innings." Oh pulled out to an early lead in the first stanza but Aaron evened the score at six after two innings. The third inning saw Aaron take the lead, 9 to 7, and Oh pulled even with two in the final frame, giving Aaron the chance to "walk it off" with his next fence-clearer. After a short fly and a ground ball, Aaron struck the longest homer of the day at 429 feet to claim the 10-9 victory.

This jersey has been definitively photo matched to that showdown with Oh in Tokyo on what would prove to be the final day of Hank Aaron's two decades wearing the uniform of the Braves, as November 2nd delivered news reports that Aaron had been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers to end his career in the city where it had begun as Babe Ruth and Willie Mays had done before him.

The monumental, sweaty wear of the jersey played a leading role in the photo matching process, the sweat and laundering-induced crinkling of the tackle twill identifiers indicative of considerable action during Aaron's record-breaking 1974 regular season. The home white format is one of the most beloved of the knit era, immortalized by the ubiquity of Aaron's 715th home run video and photography, although the marvelous design stands tall even without that historic context.

"Braves 44" is applied in patriotic red, white and blue tackle twill on jersey chest, with those long-retired digits appearing again in larger format on verso. The feather design at each sleeve is pure couture brilliance. Interior collar is tagged, "Wilson [size] 42" above an embroidered swatch reporting "74 42." All tags and tackle twill are marvelously soft from use. Small spots of silver paint appear at each edge of the v-neck collar, and we have not tried to remove it, but it may well be possible to do so.

Certainly any condition quibbles are buried beneath the enormity of the significance of the piece, demonstrating heavy wear from Hank Aaron's record-setting season, with ironclad attribution as the very last worn as an active member of the Braves franchise. Few gamers from the post-flannel era could compete with this one for supremacy. Photo match LOA from PSA. LOA from Heritage Auctions.