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Found Rare Matching Providence Reds Gamer from mid-1960s


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I was not planning to get involved in Classic Auctions' latest extravaganza (Feb. 25) until I saw in their catalog a rare Providence Reds gamer, circa mid-1960s, that I'd been tracking for a few years.

The red durene No. 10 was a perfect match to a white wool No. 10 Reds game that I picked up from a Rochester, NY, surgeon a couple of years ago.

I first spotted the red jersey in April, 2010, at the Grey Flannel Auction. It was incorrectly labeled as being worn by Alton White from the late 1960s - early 1970s. White, who I saw play with the expansion Columbus Checkers of the International Hockey League (1966-67), did wear No. 10 during his Reds' career (1968-72), but he never wore this jersey style.

A search of team pictures on the Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society's Web site reveals the team wore these jerseys for just two seasons, but discontinued wearing this style the season White joined the team.

Old game programs indicate these jerseys were worn by Len Ronson in 1964-65 and Doug Senior in 1965-66.

What I found most interesting was the white wool was made by WA Henry, Inc. of Providence, RI, and the red durene came from Stall & Dean of Boston. Both are size 48, although it appears somebody left the red in the dryer too long for it has shrunk and is slightly smaller than the white.

I got a LOA from Classic Auctions with the red jersey, but I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the white wool, which has some black stick marks on the front, a small tear on the bottom front, but overall it is in excellent condition considering it's age.

The size and font of the twill numbers on the back and right shoulder, the twill letters, REDS, across the front (and all of the strips) are exactly the same size on both. The exception is the embroidered team patch on the left shoulder, which is about a quarter-inch wider on the white jersey.

The two Reds jerseys now gives me four AHL gamers from the mid-1960s. The other two are the No. 9 durene worn by AHL Hall of Famer Fred Glover of the Cleveland Barons and the No. 3 wool worn by Quebec Aces defensemen Noel Price and Bugsy Watson.

Both the Aces jersey, which came from the collection of Joe Crozier, a former Quebec player and coach of Rochester Americans, and the Glover jersey have numerous team repairs. Both, show their age and perhaps that's a testament to the style of play by the guys who wore them, Watson and Glover. Both, were hardnosed agitators and neither would have won a popularity contest amongst their AHL peers.

Still looking, however, for my AHL Holy Grails, the blue wool road jersey worn by the Pittsburgh Hornets in 1961-63 and the red wool Hornets jersey worn from 1961-64.

The No. 24 blue wool, worn by AHL journeyman Gene Ubriaco, was up for grabs by Frozen Pond about a year ago, but I didn't learn about the sale until the day after the auction ended. I've never seen the red wool on the open market. But, I'll remain patient and keep looking -- for both.

Providence%20Red%20-%20Pittsburgh%20Horn

Providence%20Red%20-%20Pittsburgh%20Horn

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Providence%20Red%20-%20Pittsburgh%20Horn

Providence%20Red%20-%20Pittsburgh%20Horn

Hornets61-62home.jpg

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Edited by LouMarcon
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Awesome Lou! It's the chase that really gets you going. :)

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Jimm: For whatever reason, I can't send you a message. Give me an e-mail address. I've wanted to discuss the Merv Dubchak jersey which was for sale on ebay last month.

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Lou, your posts are always enjoyable to read. Thoughtful and focused on the chase... Fun stuff. Glad you picked up the new addition.

I second this...it's never just "look at what I got" like my posts always seem to be.

And, of course, always fun to look at rare stuff, and yours never disappoint.

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