1970 Tommie Aaron Atlanta Braves Game-Used Home Jersey - Signed by Hank Aaron

Sold For:

$940

Year:

1970

Auction:

2008 Spring

Lot #:

1392

Category:

Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Atlanta Braves home jersey worn by Tommie Aaron, younger brother of Hank Aaron, in 1970, his penultimate season with the Braves. Graded 9.5 by MEARS. The white pinstripe flannel jersey is lettered "Braves" across the front and features the number "18" on the reverse. All letters and numerals are appliquéd in navy tackle twill. An Atlanta Braves "Screaming Indian" patch appears on the left sleeve. Aaron's name, the year, and the set number ("T Aaron 1970 Set 1") are chain-stitched in black upon a white strip tag in the collar. A "Wilson 42" label is located on the left front tail. Hank Aaron has signed the jersey in black marker (grading "8/9") on the right breast. The original "Screaming Indian" patch on the left sleeve was removed and subsequently replaced with another authentic patch. Aside from that minor alteration, the jersey is completely original and displays moderate wear, including some light soiling. Tommie Aaron was the younger brother of Hank Aaron and the two played together with the Braves, intermittently, for a total of seven seasons (between the years 1962 through 1971). Tommie, whose ability was obviously not on par with that of his brother, only played regularly during his 1962 rookie season. In 1970 he appeared in 44 games and finished the season with 2 home runs, 7 RBI and a .206 batting average. Today, Tommie is best remembered as being the second half of an answer to a famous baseball trivia question: What two brothers combined to hit the most home runs in baseball history? The answer: Hank and Tommie Aaron (Hank hit 755, Tommie 13). After retiring in 1971, Tommie remained with the Braves organization, both as a minor league manager and Major League coach, but he died of leukemia in 1984 at the age of forty-five. Graded A9.5 by MEARS (10 point base grade, with a half point deducted for the removal of the original team patch). This is the only Tommie Aaron jersey listed in the MEARS population report. This jersey has been consigned to this auction directly from the personal collection/inventory of world-renowned bat and jersey authenticators David Bushing and/or Troy Kinunen. LOAs from Dave Bushing & Troy Kinunen/MEARS and James Spence/JSA. Reserve $500. Estimate $1,000/$1,500. SOLD FOR $940.00