Looking Better!

The Packers were underdogs in Washington last night, but came out victorious. And, incidentally, looking pretty good. Except for a few niggling details.

Aaron Rodgers scrambles with the ball under pressure from Washington Redskins defensive end Chris Baker (92) during the first half of an NFL wild card playoff football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

This photo perfectly encapsulates the three things I hate about the Packers' current uniforms.

I hate those silly Captain patches. Utterly pointless, cluttering up a classic uniform. Fortunately, the Packers only drag them out for the playoffs, but that's when they should be wearing their best uniforms, not adding extra geegaws.

I hate the contrasting compression shirts. Matching the jersey color would clean up the look tremendously, especially with the home greens.

And I hate the cheap-looking silkscreened sleeve stripes. Nike manages to weave proper stripes right into the fabric of the Steelers' jerseys, why do we get stuck with the low-rent alternative?

As a bonus, I also hate the striping pattern on the road jerseys, a bastardized form of the classic Braisher stripes that just doesn't work when you break the basic rules and put white directly next to gold.

Washington looked pretty good, too, at least they dressed pretty well. In recent years they've gone back to their Lombardi-era pants and socks, giving them a classic-Packers feel.

Washington Redskins linebacker Preston Smith (94) celebrates after a safety on the Green Bay Packers offense with teammates during an NFL wild card playoff football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. (Perry Knotts/NFL)

It was a treat to see the Packers regain their momentum, and the spirit of Lombardi must have been looking down with a smile.

Green Bay Packers running back James Starks (44) carries the ball into the end zone for a touchdown as Washington Redskins cornerback Will Blackmon (41) watches during the second half of an NFL wild card playoff football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Even an ugly win, or a win in their ugliest uniforms, is a beautiful thing.

Now it's on to Arizona, where they'll face a team with a somewhat less-classic æsthetic sense.

Green Bay Packers tight end Richard Rodgers (82) celebrates with quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) after wide receiver Davante Adams caught a touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally)

Ha Ha!

News out of Radio City Music Hall: with the twenty-first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers selected Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, safety out of Alabama.

Clinton-Dix made a minor splash a couple weeks ago when he posted a photo of himself wearing a Packers t-shirt. Looks as though Ted Thompson liked the look on him.

The newest Packer is shown here holding a jersey bearing a proud number one. This is traditionally held up by the team's first draft pick every season. Even if NFL rules allowed a safety to wear it in a game, it would be unlikely; the number has only been worn by one Packer player: the immortal Curly Lambeau himself. Readers with sharp memories might remember that it has been issued in training camp, though.

Clinton-Dix will instead wear #21, and that jersey is already available from the Packers Pro Shop.

Note also the price point - looks like the Pro Shop has finally raised its prices to match Nike's new minimum price points.

ESPN: "Nike Raises NFL Jersey Prices"

Darren Rovell of ESPN is reporting that Nike has raised the price of its replica NFL jerseys.

Nike raises NFL jersey prices
By Darren Rovell | ESPN.com
Updated: April 8, 2014, 11:02 PM ET

The cost of being an NFL fan just got more expensive.

Nike, which makes the official league uniform, has decided to raise prices on two of the three types of jerseys it sells. Nike did not announce the increase in price, but retailers, including the official league online store, started charging more on April 1.

The Game jersey, which is the cheapest replica, will still cost $100. But the price of the Limited jersey, which has embroidered twill numbers and letters in place of the silicon printing on the Game jersey, has jumped from $135 to $150. The Elite jersey, which is the closest to what the players wear on the field and boasts being water repellent and has a tighter, tailored fit to the body, went up nearly 20 percent to $295, up from $250.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said that Nike and the retailers, not the league, determine the prices. But sources told ESPN.com that it was Nike executives alone who made the decision, implementing the new prices as the minimum prices retailers could sell the different style of jerseys for.

Nike spokesman Brian Strong said that the brand offers three tiers of the jerseys to serve a variety of consumers, but would not specify reasons as to why the price changed occurred.

"When you have a monopoly, you can charge whatever you want," said Matt Powell, analyst for SportsOneSource, a sports marketing retail tracking firm.

Nike is entering its third year of a five-year deal of being the official uniform of the league. In 2012, when Nike took over from Reebok, which had the official jersey deal for a decade, prices on the cheapest adult replica rose from $85 to $100, though Nike promoted that the materials it used were different.

Partly because of the rise in cost over the years, the temptation for fans to knowingly buy counterfeit jerseys for a fraction of the price has increased.

"If I'm a counterfeiter, with the prices going up, I now have more wiggle room," Powell said.

While Nike has been successful in charging premium prices for their products, Powell said he was surprised at the huge increase for the Elite jersey. Nike is protected by the fact, Powell said, that his company's data shows that more than 75 percent of the jerseys that are sold are the Game jerseys, which aren't going up in price.

His first sentence is nonsense, of course. It doesn't cost any more to actually be a fan, only to dress like a player. No matter how often we conflate the two.

I am interested, though, in the data suggesting 75% of all replica jerseys sold are the "Game", or cheapest, versions. I wonder how that translates to the Packers' sales? Most teams wear a jersey with the same basic construction as the "Game" jerseys, but the Packers chose to retain their old construction, making the "Game" jerseys look very unlike the ones our boys in green and gold actually wear.

The Packers Pro Shop doesn't even stock the intermediate "Limited" jerseys, just the $99.95 "Game" jerseys with printed silicon numbers and the more expensive Elite jerseys.

Speaking of which, the Packers Pro Shop still lists those Elite jerseys at last year's price of $249.95.

But if you buy them from the NFL's online shop, you'll pay the extra fifty bucks:

Auction Gold from Heritage

Heritage Auctions has a fantastic auction ending this weekend, inclding some amazing Packers artifacts.

First and foremost is this incredibly rare, game-worn 1940s helmet, worn by Packer Hall of Famer Charley Brock.

From the second era of Glory Days, this flag flew over Lambeau Field in the 1960s:

The 1962 Packer squad is widely regarded as one of the best teams in sports history, let alone the NFL. This ball was signed by the entire squad:

Turning to sideline gear, Mary Jane Sorgel occupies a unique place in Packer history. During the Vince Lombardi era, she was the Lumberjack Band's majorette and romantically involved with team founder and former coach Curly Lambeau. This is the outfit she wore as the "Golden Girl" in those days:

There's something from every era in Green Bay's glorious gridiron history. I love this 1989-90 Tony Mandarich game-worn jersey, one of the last before the NFL added its logo to the collar:

I'm also partial to this 1980s helmet worn by Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud. Single-bar facemask cool! It's signed by Stenerud and others such as Bart Starr, Paul Hornung and Ray Nitschke.

This lot of ticket and two buttons from the first Super Bowl at the LA Coliseum show us that the nickname "Super Bowl" was applied to the game from the start, even if it didn't become official for a couple years:

They also have programs from many championship games - the 1962 World Championship against the Giants in Yankee Stadium, 1965 World Championship Game against Cleveland at Lambeau Field, the 1966 NFL Championship in Dallas and the Ice Bowl, as well as Super Bowls I and II.

This just scratches the surface of Heritage's amazing offerings - check out the whole assortment here. Bid early, bid often!

Auction Gold - Brett Favre's 2001 Thanksgiving Throwback Jersey

Heritage Auctions comes through again.

This time they bring us this amazing throwback jersey from 2001, worn by Brett Favre in that season's "Thanksgiving Classic" game, and in the process give us a closer look at the details of on-field jerseys from that era.

2001 Brett Favre Thanksgiving Day Game Worn Green Bay Packers Jersey

Heritage Auctions

Throwback style worn as Favre claimed the coveted "Galloping Gobbler" Award

2001 Brett Favre Thanksgiving Day Game Worn Green Bay Packers Jersey. A late sixteen-point advantage for the Packers in this nationally televised contest threatened to heighten America's turkey stupor, but the winless Detroit Lions staged a noble fourth quarter rally, ultimately falling just a two-point conversion short of pulling even with Green Bay to finalize the scoring at 29-27. This first victory in five years for the Pack saw their future Hall of Fame quarterback doing most of the heavy lifting, completing eighteen of twenty-six for 252 yards and two touchdowns. "Hallelujah," Favre responded to reporters' questions about his team's narrow escape from disaster. "What else do you want me to say?"

Heritage Auctions

Within minutes of the final whistle, the Gunslinger was feasting on a turkey leg along with his teammate Ahman Green, who caught one touchdown pass and rushed for another to earn joint ownership of the Galloping Gobbler Award with his QB. Presented is the jersey worn by Favre throughout the nail-biting contest and turkey-biting aftermath, a "throwback" to the simple style worn by the 1939 NFL Championship team. The 2001 Thanksgiving contest would begin a four-year tradition of Turkey Day throwbacks, though the drama of this first edition establishes it as the most memorable of the series.

While several Favre 2001 throwbacks have surfaced in the collecting world, it's important to note that this is the one and only gamer, distinguished by several key Favre traits absent in the pretenders. Notably, this model boasts a deeper "double cut" of the spandex sides that the replicas do not, as well as a swatch embroidered with a number "1" at interior seam, an indicator of primary gamer status. Finally, two small areas of gold stitching, serving no purpose other than identification, appear at interior rear shoulder and tail, key attributes of a genuine Favre.

Heritage Auctions

Game wear is evident (including a nice hit mark on the green tackle twill of the rear numeral), though laundering has removed the most visible signs. our consignor confirms that marks evident on the jersey as Favre exited the field at the half remained as he reappeared for the third quarter, assuring that only one jersey was used that Thanksgiving day. Interior collar holds proper "01-52" year/size swatch.

Heritage Auctions

For those calculating investment potential, Favre is one of the best bets out there. His 2015 Hall of Fame induction is an ironclad lock, and the love lost during his uncomfortable departure from the Pack is steadily rebounding. He'll be getting standing ovations at Lambeau before you know it, assuring this is a commodity on the rise. Letter of provenance from Guy Hankel. LOA from Heritage Auctions. DVD of the game also included.

Guy Hankel is the most reliable authority on game-worn Packers jerseys of the last several decades. And this is a marvelous one.

The style is a throwback to 1939, when the Packers adopted a white alternate jersey.

The gold interior stitching is a new detail. The Packers sold "authentic" versions of this jersey, made by Berlin and with all the appropriate tagging, leading to the rush of jerseys on the collectible market mentioned in the description. This gold stitching separates the true authentic from the retail version.

What a game that was. I watched all sixty minutes on the edge of my couch.

And what an amazing piece of Packers history.

I'm insanely jealous of whomever gets to add this to their Packers collection.

Your Newest Packers, available now.

The 2013 NFL Draft has just wrapped up at Rockefeller Center, but you can already buy jerseys of your newest heroes.

They don't waste any time, do they?

Auction Gold - 1965-67 Don Chandler Game Worn Jersey

This amazing Glory Days-era jersey is currently up for auction at Heritage.

1965-67 Don Chandler Game Worn Green Bay Packers Jersey. The famed punter who was named to the NFL's 1960's All-Decade Team, and a Pro Bowler in 1967, Don Chandler will forever be remembered for kicking the controversial fourth-quarter "Phantom" field goal that tied the game at 10-10 in the Green Bay Packers' exciting victory over the Baltimore Colts in a 1965 Western Conference playoff contest.

The exemplary green and gold Durene jersey perfectly represents that classic Lombardi-era style of the 1960's. Graded a perfect A10 by the experts at MEARS, it displays the all-important "Sand Knit [size] 46" tag in the tail, while its original "[size] 46" tag remains in the collar. Use is extremely heavy, while it has more than 20 team repairs in the fabric, suggesting that it was also used by a different Packers player during practice. Sure to be the centerpiece of any high-end Packers collection, this is unquestionably one of the most impressive vintage football pieces in our May catalog auction. LOA from MEARS, A10. Guide Value or Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000.

It's truly amazing. This particular style is from the height of the Vince Lombardi era, a classic jersey that defined a team. By 1965, the Packers had finally settled on the block numbers the team still uses today (after first trying several variations).

They're not kidding about the team repairs - this jersey has been through the ringer. The work is so fine that you may miss it at first glance, but even a cursory examination reveals heavy stitching, especially on the numbers.

Amazing how much abuse these jerseys took, and the lengths the team went to in order to keep them on the field.

Image credit: Heritage Auctions

Auction Gold - Early 1960s Paul Hornung Jersey

This early 1960s Paul Hornung jersey was recently sold by Grey Flannel Auctions. It provides an excellent look at Packers jerseys of the period, who made them and how they were worn.

Early 1960s Paul Hornung Green Bay Packers Game-Used & Autographed Home Jersey (JSA)(Photomatch)(20+ Team Repairs)(Pristine Provenance)

Paul Hornung is one of three players to have won the Heisman Trophy, been selected as first overall National Football League draft picks, and been inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the 1960's All-Decade team and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. On the left front tail of this green durene shirt is the "RED FOX" manufacturer's tag with jersey size "46". Above is a wash instructions label. Inside the rear collar is a flag tag with size "46". Player number "5" appears on the front, back and on both sleeves in white tackle twill. Hornung has signed the front in silver marker adding the inscription "5" rating a 7. The jersey is properly tagged, was presented to us as game-used and in our opinion, shows outstanding use with numerous large team repairs. Accompanied by a letter of provenance which states, in part, "In the 1960's, my father worked the sidelines as a member of the chain crew in the Orange Bowl. One day he brought me home Paul Hornung's actual game worn jersey which had been given to him by Packers equipment manager Gerald "Dad" Braisher...the jersey has been in my possession ever since". Further accompanied by a LOA from JSA as well as a photo of Hornung signing the shirt.

Outstanding.

"Red Fox Manufacturing Co." is a new one for me. Don't think I've heard of them before, but it gives us another piece in our timeline of uniform suppliers.

Here's a close-up of one of the shoulder numbers. The "5" is distinctive, with its angles along the top of the loop. I call this a "slashed-5", and it will be important when we're trying to narrow down the date of the jersey.

The repairs are remarkable. It was common in those days to keep repairing a jersey until it was ready to fall apart. In those days, before a fresh jersey at halftime, players would wear the same battered uniform again and again, even for years at a time.

Finally, Grey Flannel has a photo of Hornung wearing this jersey in a game, matching the team repairs and game markings to establish provenance.

Maybe we can narrow down the timeframe a little by looking at pictures of our own.

This team photo from 1960 indicates that the Packers were still using a sans-serif block style in that season (there's the Golden Boy in the back row, far right or next to the far right in all these photos).

1960

1961 seems to have seen the introduction of the serifed, slashed-5 numbers. Again, not everyone is wearing them, as some players carried jerseys over from season to season (look at Max McGee to Hornung's left). Still, there are enough examples here that we can say with some certainty that this was the new number style for '61.

1961

We can't see Hornung in these 1962 photos, but again his teammates are wearing the slashed-5s.

1962

Hornung found himself embroiled in a gambling scandal, and on April 17, 1963, he was suspended indefinitely by Commissioner Pete Rozelle for betting on NFL games. The suspension turned out to be little less "indefinite", and the Gloden Boy missed only one season before being reinstated in 1964. By that time, the Packers had changed uniform manufacturers, resulting in a small number change to the "hooked 5s" they wear today.

1964

That makes 1961 through 1963 the likely range of years this jersey was worn. Given the propensity for hanging on to old laundry, I think it'll be tough to narrow down any farther without more information.

But when did the consignor acquire it? Maybe the Orange Bowl connection can help tell us. The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, sometimes known as the "Playoff Bowl" or "Runner-Up Bowl", was played in Miami between the runners-up in each conference. The Packers played twice during this period, after the 1963 and 1964 seasons.

I'm not aware of the Packers playing any other games in Miami during this period, so it seems likely that the jersey would have been given to the consignor after one of those games.

It seems strange that even a frugal team like the Packers would keep an old jersey around for a player who was suspended indefinitely. Possibly "Dad" Braisher gave it to a member of the chain crew following the game on January 5, 1964.

This beauty sold for $44,428 including buyer's premiums. It will undoubtedly be an important part of somebody's collection.