Fall 2017 - Item detail
1962-1963 Jim Brown Cleveland Browns Home Game-Worn Jersey - MEARS A10
- Sold For:
- $78,000
- Year:
- 1962
- Auction:
- 2017 Fall
- Lot #:
- 19
- Category:
- Boxing/Golf/Other Cards or Memorabilia
Extraordinary Cleveland Browns home jersey worn by legendary Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, circa 1962/1963. Graded A10 by MEARS. This jersey is distinguished both by its incredible wear and the fact that it is complete with its original crotch strap (the straps were often removed when jerseys were later assigned for practice use). As Troy Kinunen of MEARS writes in his accompanying LOA, dated 2/3/14, the garment displays "The finest example of game wear on a Jim Brown jersey I have ever examined."
The jersey, which is made from brown tear-away light-dureen fabric, features the number "32" on the front, reverse, and each sleeve. All numerals are appliquéd in white tackle twill. Located on the end of the crotch strap is a "King O'Shea" label and an adjacent "48" size tag. The jersey is original as issued, with no alterations. Heavy wear is displayed throughout, including a number of small unrepaired tears along the front, back, and sleeves, puckering and staining on the front and reverse numerals, and a number of small fabric pulls. The amount of use evident here is not surprising given its provenance. In an accompanying signed letter from the original owner, Dave Nemeth, he relates how his father obtained the jersey in the early 1960s directly from the truck driver who regularly transported the Cleveland Browns' uniforms from Municipal Stadium to the local laundry company. The one-page typed letter, dated 2/3/14 on MEARS letterhead, reads "I Dave Nemeth, attest to the following: '1962-63 circa Jim Brown Cleveland Browns Game Worn Jersey' The referenced jersey has been in the possession of my family since approximately 1963. My father personally obtained the jersey immediately after the game from the driver of the team's laundry truck. I guarantee the jersey to be 100% authentic as represented."
As MEARS notes in its letter, the dating of this jersey to circa 1962/1963 is based upon the style, tagging, and numeral placement, as well as the remembrance of the consignor as to when his father acquired it. If, as the letter states, this jersey were obtained directly after a Browns game at Municipal stadium in 1963, then it may be the only unadulterated Jim Brown jersey in the hobby today, as we have never seen or heard of another such example. 1963, of course, was one of Brown's finest overall seasons in which he led the league in rushing attempts (291), rushing yards (1,863; career high), rushing touchdowns (12), total yards from scrimmage (2,131; career high), and total touchdowns (15). Those accomplishments later earned him MVP honors at season's end. This is one of probably fewer than ten Jim Brown game-used jerseys and one of the very few complete examples we have ever seen. Given all of its attributes, it would be hard to imagine a finer example.
Babe Ruth, Wilt Chamberlain, Wayne Gretzky. Every sport has its own icon, a larger-than-life figure whose performance on the field of play far surpassed that of any player before him. In football, that player was Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown. Despite the fact that he played only nine seasons (1957-1965), Brown shattered nearly every NFL career and single-season offensive record on the books including rushing yards, total yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and total yards from scrimmage. He also led the NFL in rushing a record eight times and was the first player to rush for over 100 touchdowns. Today, he still holds the career record for yards per carry (5.2) and is the only running back in history to average over 100 yards per game. As impressive as those numbers are, they fail to tell the whole story. Brown possessed an incomparable combination of size, speed, and power. In describing the Hall of Fame back, legendary sportswriter Red Smith once wrote “For mercurial speed, airy nimbleness, and explosive violence in one package of undistilled evil, there is no other like Mr. Brown.” Most of the defensive players from that era probably echoed that sentiment. Perhaps his most extraordinary accomplishment is the fact that in nine full seasons, playing at a position where injuries are common, Brown never missed a game. His postseason honors include nine consecutive Pro Bowl selections, the 1957 Rookie of the Year Award and four NFL Most Valuable Player Awards (1957, 1958, 1963, and 1965). Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 and is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Lacrosse Hall of Fame. In 2002 he received his highest honor when The Sporting News, in compiling a list of the top 100 football players in history, ranked Brown the greatest football player of all time. LOA from Troy Kinunen/MEARS. Reserve $25,000. Estimate $50,000++.
The jersey, which is made from brown tear-away light-dureen fabric, features the number "32" on the front, reverse, and each sleeve. All numerals are appliquéd in white tackle twill. Located on the end of the crotch strap is a "King O'Shea" label and an adjacent "48" size tag. The jersey is original as issued, with no alterations. Heavy wear is displayed throughout, including a number of small unrepaired tears along the front, back, and sleeves, puckering and staining on the front and reverse numerals, and a number of small fabric pulls. The amount of use evident here is not surprising given its provenance. In an accompanying signed letter from the original owner, Dave Nemeth, he relates how his father obtained the jersey in the early 1960s directly from the truck driver who regularly transported the Cleveland Browns' uniforms from Municipal Stadium to the local laundry company. The one-page typed letter, dated 2/3/14 on MEARS letterhead, reads "I Dave Nemeth, attest to the following: '1962-63 circa Jim Brown Cleveland Browns Game Worn Jersey' The referenced jersey has been in the possession of my family since approximately 1963. My father personally obtained the jersey immediately after the game from the driver of the team's laundry truck. I guarantee the jersey to be 100% authentic as represented."
As MEARS notes in its letter, the dating of this jersey to circa 1962/1963 is based upon the style, tagging, and numeral placement, as well as the remembrance of the consignor as to when his father acquired it. If, as the letter states, this jersey were obtained directly after a Browns game at Municipal stadium in 1963, then it may be the only unadulterated Jim Brown jersey in the hobby today, as we have never seen or heard of another such example. 1963, of course, was one of Brown's finest overall seasons in which he led the league in rushing attempts (291), rushing yards (1,863; career high), rushing touchdowns (12), total yards from scrimmage (2,131; career high), and total touchdowns (15). Those accomplishments later earned him MVP honors at season's end. This is one of probably fewer than ten Jim Brown game-used jerseys and one of the very few complete examples we have ever seen. Given all of its attributes, it would be hard to imagine a finer example.
Babe Ruth, Wilt Chamberlain, Wayne Gretzky. Every sport has its own icon, a larger-than-life figure whose performance on the field of play far surpassed that of any player before him. In football, that player was Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown. Despite the fact that he played only nine seasons (1957-1965), Brown shattered nearly every NFL career and single-season offensive record on the books including rushing yards, total yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and total yards from scrimmage. He also led the NFL in rushing a record eight times and was the first player to rush for over 100 touchdowns. Today, he still holds the career record for yards per carry (5.2) and is the only running back in history to average over 100 yards per game. As impressive as those numbers are, they fail to tell the whole story. Brown possessed an incomparable combination of size, speed, and power. In describing the Hall of Fame back, legendary sportswriter Red Smith once wrote “For mercurial speed, airy nimbleness, and explosive violence in one package of undistilled evil, there is no other like Mr. Brown.” Most of the defensive players from that era probably echoed that sentiment. Perhaps his most extraordinary accomplishment is the fact that in nine full seasons, playing at a position where injuries are common, Brown never missed a game. His postseason honors include nine consecutive Pro Bowl selections, the 1957 Rookie of the Year Award and four NFL Most Valuable Player Awards (1957, 1958, 1963, and 1965). Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 and is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Lacrosse Hall of Fame. In 2002 he received his highest honor when The Sporting News, in compiling a list of the top 100 football players in history, ranked Brown the greatest football player of all time. LOA from Troy Kinunen/MEARS. Reserve $25,000. Estimate $50,000++.