1974 Jim Rice Boston Red Sox Signed Game-Used Road Jersey - First Major League Season! MEARS A10

Sold For:

$3,819

Year:

1974

Auction:

2011 Spring

Lot #:

1384

Category:

Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Boston Red Sox road jersey worn by Hall of Fame outfielder Jim Rice in 1974, his first season in the Major Leagues. Graded a perfect A10 by MEARS. This is the earliest Jim Rice Boston Red Sox jersey one could hope to obtain and it has the added appeal of having been signed and dated by Rice in black marker (grading "9") on the right breast, just above the team lettering. Its provenance is equally significant. This jersey was a gift directly from Jim Rice. Rice personally presented this jersey to our consignor, a prominent Baltimore sportscaster, and it has been in his collection since that time. The gray knit road jersey is lettered "Boston" on the front and features the number "14" on the reverse. All letters and numerals are appliquéd in red on blue tackle twill. Located on the interior front tail are a "McAulliffe" label, a "1974" year tag, a "44" size tag, and a laundry tag. The jersey, which is completely original, is unaltered and displays moderate-to-heavy use. Jim Rice was drafted by the Red Sox in the first round (#15) of the 1971 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft and his rise through the club's farm system was meteoric. Rice started the 1974 season with the Pawtucket Red Sox, the club's AAA farm club, where he batted .337 with 25 home runs and 93 RBI in 117 games before being called up to the Majors on August 19th. Seeing limited action, mostly as a designated hitter, Rice appeared in twenty-four games and finished the season with a .269 average, 1 home run, and 13 RBI. Although overshadowed in 1975 by fellow rookie sensation Fred Lynn, Rice quickly blossomed into the most feared slugger of his era. Rice led the league in home runs with 39 in 1977 and in 1978 he enjoyed his finest all-around season by batting .315 with league-leading totals in home runs (46), RBI (139), triples (15), hits (213), and slugging percentage (.600). Those numbers were more than enough to earn him the MVP Award at season's end. Rice lead the league in home runs on three separate occasions and finished his sixteen-year career with 382 home runs, 1,451 RBI, and a .298 average. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010. Graded A10 by MEARS. This is one of only five Jim Rice jerseys listed in the MEARS census. This is both a rare and historically significant Hall of Famer jersey, with outstanding provenance, dating from Jim Rice's first Major League season. LOAs from Troy Kinunen/MEARS and James Spence/JSA. Reserve $1,000. Estimate (open). SOLD FOR $3,819