Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Winter 2020
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/26/2020
The Indianapolis Racers of the WHA were Wayne Gretzky’s first professional team. The Racers joined the rebel league as a 1974-75 expansion team and folded 25 games into their fifth season, the WHA’s swan song in 1978-79. This Racers game-worn No. 5 jersey was worn in 1977-78 by defenseman Bryon Baltimore, whose surnamed letters are spelled out in sewn-on twill that is a darker blue than the blue of the double twill blue and red numbers on the back and both sleeves. A frayed remnant of the Rawlings tagging remains attached on the upper right side of the collar. To note are orange rust-like stains on the right side of the front and back and blue stains on the upper front from the tie-neck collar lace.
Game wear includes black marks on the team crest and on the back of the left sleeve, and a few more fainted marks on the front of the sleeve below a small unrepaired hole. There is a small hole on the left shoulder. A fight strap loop remains inside the back of the jersey. The Racers crest on the front features a blue twill skate with red and blue twill tails trailing from the rear of its blade, and “Racers” spelled out in black twill, all sewn on a white-and-black double twill crest. There are two areas of spots where the staining has worn through and left the durene fabric sheer, one on the right breast, the other on the right front. There is a bit of the same orange staining on the back of the right elbow, and a few reddish-brown spots stain low on the sleeve at and near the cuff.
Baltimore became the first Yukon-born player in NHL history when he played two games for Edmonton in 1979-80. He had eight points in 22 games with Indianapolis in 1977-78 before he was traded to Cincinnati in December. He returned to play two games for Indianapolis the following season. Baltimore had 90 points (18 goals, 72 assists) in 331 regular season games during five seasons in the WHA with Chicago, Denver, the Ottawa Civics, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.
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