A SCHOOL volunteer was given a 1942 Red Sox jersey by grateful parents, and her grandchildren have just discovered it’s worth $200,000.
Jeff explained that his wife’s grandmother volunteered at a school and became friends with a sports reporter who was the father of one of the students.
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The reporter knew that Thelma, the grandmother, was a big fan of superstar Ted Williams, who played for the Red Sox and regularly set game records.
One day at work, he asked Williams for a shirt to give to Thelma and apparently handed her the one on his back.
Antiques Roadshow appraiser Leila Dunbar corroborated this story and said it was an authentic game-worn jersey.
To understand his value, it is important to understand William’s legacy.
read more about valuable items
“He really changed the Red Sox. If you look at the Red Sox after they sold Babe Ruth in 1920, the Yankees’ fortunes went up, unfortunately the Red Sox’s went the other way,” she said in a clip from Antiques Roadshow at the YouTube.
After Williams was signed by the Pacific Coast League in 1939, the team began to skyrocket in popularity and wealth.
His baseball career was interrupted from 1943 to 1945, when he served in World War II. He returned to baseball and went off again for the Korean War from 1952 to 1953.
Williams made a final return after his service and played until 1960.
In 1942, he won the Triple Crown, which occurs when a hitter leads the league in batting average, homeruns and RBIs with an impressive 36 homeruns.
It’s from the same year that Thelma’s shirt came from, according to a patch on the sleeve that was only used for one season.
Everything on the shirt, including the tag and name sewn onto the back, looked original and unchanged, but there was one thing that had been changed.
“As you can see, it seems to fit me in terms of length,” Leila said.
“It’s definitely been altered. It must be about this length,” she said, lowering her hands about six inches below the edge of the shirt.
“But it’s still a 1942 game-worn Ted Williams, so from what we can see there are no red flags – jerseys from one of the greatest hitters of all time.”
It was also one of the earliest known shirts owned by Ted Wiliams, who estimated the value at at least $200,000 and $250,000.
If it didn’t have the changes, it would probably be in the $400,000 to $600,000 range.
Leila suggested taking out insurance for at least US$500,000.
“Damn, that’s great,” Jeff said, surprised by the value.
“I don’t know where that piece went, but if we can find it, we’ll put it back,” he joked about the missing length.
BIG SLAM
Baseball souvenirs of all types can be extremely valuable.
On another episode of Roadshow, a woman said she found her great-great-grandfather’s baseball card collection and was wondering how much it was worth.
His great-great-grandparents owned a boarding house in 1871, which was used by many players of the Boston Red Stockings – today’s Boston Red Sox.
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“They were some of the first to get paid to play baseball,” she said during the episode.
Many of them appeared on the cards she brought, which were hidden inside an old desk she inherited from her grandparents.
The collection consisted of 10 of the earliest known photographic baseball cards from 1871.
“Seeing them all in a group like that… We’ve never seen these cards before,” said one appraiser.
“None of the experts associated with the Roadshow have ever seen them all in one place like this.
“You’re talking about the precursor to the National and American leagues.”
Along with the cards were handwritten letters from the players addressed to the woman’s grandparents.
The appraisers were surprised, especially since the woman assumed the cards were only worth between $5,000 and $10,000.
In fact, the lot was valued at at least $1 million.
“It’s the biggest file I’ve ever had on the roadshow,” said the appraiser.
“I must say you hit a grand slam today.”
An Antiques Roadshow guest brought in a family heirloom that ended up being worth $15,000.
Also, why was a glass bird sculpture that someone bought for $40 actually worth $9,000.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
