Hello again.
I recently received a Montreal Alouettes jersey with the Biletnikoff name on the back that shows some game usage. I was going to post it to eBay, but as I was checking dates and the like on the Web I ran into this older link from Lelands:
http://www.lelands.com/bid.aspx?lot=2035&auction=212
I would have been great had the jersey I received been a home version, but I have the same type of white jersey shown in the auction photos.
Is anyone out there familiar enough with the CFL to say if they may have made up more than one of these for Fred's final season as a pro player?
Naturally, I am hoping they may have, but there are some "funny" things about the one I have in my hands. First, there are no tags. The shirt looks shorter than the one in the Lelands photo, as if it were cut off. (Which would explain the missing tags.) However, there is a chain stich around the bottom, so if someone took a pair of scissors to them, they also took the time to sew things up. The fabric is not folded up as a hem in any way -- there just the stitching at the bottom. The sleeves have the same treatment, though they look to be the same length as in the Lelands photo.
Another odd thing is that even though the numbers are screened on, it appears that the ones on the shoulders were changed from 52 to 25. The ghostly outline of the other number are visible. The main numbers on the chest and back don't show anything like this.
The NOB is sewn on a plate, which is sewn on the jersey. This isn't odd, but it appears that the plate was sewn on without the jersey being stretched taunt, leaving a wrinkle in the shirt under the plate.
Finally, the patches on the sleeves are sewn on, and the design and letters are sort of a raised fuzzy material. (Sorry, not sure of the tekkie term for this stuff.)
As for game use, there are some light stains on the front of the jersey, but nothing like the trashed one Lelands had. The shoulder numbers show more wear than the chest and back numbers. The neck and arms are not sliced. No evidence of the stick-em mentioned by Lelands.
I'll attach some pictures for comparison to the Leland's photos.
Is it possible the team decided Fred's jersey was looking too bad near the end of the season and made up this one to replace the one that ended up at Lelands? Or, is it more likely that the guy who wants to sell this one was duped into believing it is something it is not.
Many thanks,
Zeb Fowler @ Sports Warehouse Inc.
