Early 1920's Chicago Cubs Game Worn Jersey, MEARS A8....

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Vintage newspaper attributes jersey to Johnny Evers!

Early 1920's Chicago Cubs Game Worn Jersey, MEARS A8. Did Babe Ruth really call his "Shot?" Did Shoeless Joe really participate in the Black Sox scandal? Our National Pastime is thick with unsolvable mystery, and we add to that long list with this offering, a road grey flannel from the earliest years of baseball's Live Ball Era.

While the included letter of examination from leading uniform experts MEARS offers steadfast assurance of authenticity, direct attribution to any specific player in the absence of both a legible identifier or a jersey number (which the Cubs first wore in 1932) remains impossible. We can report, however, that the garment appears in a 1973 newspaper photograph (included) in which former Cubs teammates Ernie Banks and Phil Regan pose together with the shirt. The caption below reads, in part, "Grand Valley baseball coach Phil Regan and Cubs' great Ernie Banks display blouse worn by second baseman Johnny Evers (of the fabled Tinkers to Evers to Chance combo)..." We stress that the MEARS letter does not claim the jersey was worn by Evers, nor does it rule him out as the original owner.

The bold, understated style supplies only a navy felt "Cubs" across the chest and a navy collar to diverge from unadorned road grey, with a four-button front, one of which is replaced, accounting for a half-point MEARS deduction. Custom-shortened sleeves and a missing laundry tag result in a half and full point reduction respectively, resulting in the A8 grade as listed.

Otherwise, the jersey survives the bulk of a passed century magnificently, certainly one of the finest of such advanced vintage we've encountered. Original and proper period "Wilson" label appears at interior collar. It's a treasure for any serious Cubs fan, and its potential original ownership by Johnny Evers, as manager or coach of the team he helped steer to its last World Championship glory to date, only amplifies that great appeal. LOA from MEARS, A8. LOA from Heritage Auctions.