Baseball, one of America's oldest and best loved sports, and certainly one of the most establish in the 1940s. As war loomed and the number of men in the armed services grew, the number of military baseball team also grew. A way to pass the time, keep fit, encourage a little rivalry between the services, and with an influx of league players into the military, the 1940s really were a golden time for military baseball.
Despite the popularity of the sport and number of teams, the number of original pre-war and WW2 baseball jerseys that are named to service units is extremely small, and these rare pieces are very much sought after. There is an excellent blog just on this subject that can read read here.
This particular jersey is likely dated to the mid-to-late 40s and from the US Naval Hospital in Philadelphia. She's made of rich wool flannel, with dark navy trimming, wonderfully chain-stitched lettering across the front and a Serval zip closure. There is a tag included for manufacturer Dodge Davis, who from my research also manufactured shirts for some big league teams of the day.
Condition
Excellent vintage condition, used but extremely good. No damage, but a little light colouring on the back right hand side - this is very likely to come out with a good wash.
Size
- Tagged a size 42, but fits big as was the style at the time
- Pit to pit 25"
- Shoulder shoulder 21"
- Collar to hem 28"