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Mid-1920's Herb Pennock Game Worn New York Yankees Jersey....
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Sold on Aug 24, 2024 for:
$11,400.00
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Description
The man who clinched the Yanks' first World Championship!
Mid-1920's Herb Pennock Game Worn New York Yankees Jersey.
His complete game victory in Game Six of the 1923 World Series
clinched the first World Championship in New York Yankees franchise
history, and he'd supply 162 of his 241 regular season pitching
victories to the pinstriped cause during his eleven seasons in the
Bronx. Cool and methodical on the mound, with unshakeable
confidence, Pennock earned the nickname, "The Knight of Kennett
Square" for his noble demeanor and Pennsylvania hometown
respectively.This is just the second Pennock jersey that Heritage has had the privilege to offer in our two decades of service to the sports collectibles community, and the earlier of that rare pair. Our experts have arrived at the mid-1920's as the era from which the garment derived, that attribution the result of the cadet collar that fell from favor in the late 1920's and the button holes at the sleeve cuffs (for sleeve extensions, which aren't present here) which were likewise abandoned by the later years of the decade.
Surely there are readers who will point out that the Yankees didn't wear numbers on their jerseys until 1929, and that is an accurate statement, but we're confident that this is a later addition, and for wear subsequent to Pennock, who never sported the "21" that currently resides on jersey verso. The heavy wear and endless launderings have left us unable to determine if the "New York" across the chest is original, and the top of the letter "Y" is mysteriously caught inside the stitching of the button hole, which we'd say is more likely to be a reinforcement of that stitching than an indication that the letter was there when the button hole was stitched for the first time. The "Spalding" square label and "H. Pennock" embroidered directly into the jersey at interior collar are perfectly consistent with period Yankees exemplars.
Heavy game wear is evident, but we must again point out that some degree of this is attributable to secondary wear, while most of the scattering of fabric holes of various size are more likely the result of moth damage. Holes (some as large as a quarter) and rust staining in the shoulder area are probably inflicted by rusty hangers. Separation at the seams of rear numerals but be mentioned, but the digits are still securely in place. Bottom button is missing.
While the relic has suffered some wounds over the course of its century of existence, we believe our catalog imagery should convey that the overall aesthetics of the jersey remain quite strong, and the supreme rarity places such concerns into their proper context.
This jersey was consigned to this Platinum Night auction by the family of William "Chip" Helmick, a star pitcher from Carmichaels, Pennsylvania who once struck out Honus Wagner four times in a barnstorming game and even signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox but (for reasons lost to history) never ended up appearing in a Major League contest. The Babe Ruth cap and Joe McCarthy pants in this auction likewise belonged to Helmick, but his association with the Yankees franchise is likewise unclear today. We will include in this lot a letter of provenance from Hemlick's family member who consigned the material to this auction. Letter of provenance from family of Chip Hemlick. LOA from Heritage Auctions.
Auction Info
2024 August 23 - 25 Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction #50072 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
August, 2024
23rd-25th
Friday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 6
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,014
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.
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