Marines Baseball: The Many. The Pricey.

The late summer of 2018 has been quite a boon for baseball militaria collectors with a spate of listings for Marines baseball jerseys flooding the market. In a typical year, one might see four to five Marine Corps baseball jerseys listed at auction and attaining reasonable selling prices (upwards of $100) when the right buyer comes along. In a decade of watching sales and searching for military baseball jerseys, it is readily apparent that the Marines were the preeminent provider of (beautiful) baseball uniforms for their teams.

Aside from the Marines’ dominance of the vintage baseball uniform market in the preceding 10 year-span, the market took an unprecedented turn during the last three weeks with a massive wave of jerseys hitting the proverbial baseball collector market beaches. It didn’t occur to me until today (when I decided to document the barrage with this article) as I began to consider adding one of the new varieties to the Chevrons and Diamonds Archive of Military Baseball Uniforms that I took notice of the several listings that I needed search through.  As I write this article, there are five active listings of USMC baseball jerseys dating from World War II to the mid-1950s. In addition to the five listings, another listing closed less than a week ago that featured the aforementioned new Marines jersey variation; a post-Korean War white wool flannel jersey that is trimmed in navy blue.

If you have read any of my articles regarding my jersey collection or that covered the first baseball military piece that I acquired, you should have a fairly decent understanding of what are, according to my research, the most commonly available military baseball uniform. My informed and educated opinion is that these uniforms have to be have been produced in considerable numbers to have survived seven-plus decades in such great numbers. Perhaps another factor that could have contributed to the Marines jerseys availability is that leadership allowed the USMC ball players keep their uniforms while the other service branches required them to be returned to the command.

Perhaps one of the most common military jerseys, this WWII jersey features the standard color-matched button on the letter “I.” Seller: abramsantiques

The two auction listings (above and below this paragraph) show how each seller is competing for buyers who haven’t done their homework in terms of pricing trends for these 1943-44 (road gray) wool flannel jerseys. These WWII jerseys are somewhat easy to discern from the other USMC baseball jerseys due to the telltale features (see: 1943-44 Road Gray Marines Jersey); the easiest to spot is the color matched button centered over the “I” in the M A R I N E S athletic lettering on the chest. In the listing above, the jersey has featured a buy-it-now price of $299.99 with a willingness to entertain best offers (though I suspect offers submitted in the jersey’s realistic value-range would be automatically rejected).  The second of the pair is undercutting the previous listing by trimming $45 off the price yet still seeking to overcharge his potential buyers by more than $150.00. Though both jerseys seem to be in good condition, the first one seems to be the better choice of two these but mine (which included the matching trousers), which was far less expensive, would still be my best option.

Two WWII Marines road gray wool flannel jerseys for sale simultaneously by two seperate sellers? Proving that there is an abundance of this jersey type, the price should reflect the saturated market. Seller: hubnret

The stamp markings read: “Property of MWSG-27 Spec. Serv.” This jersey was most-lkely used by personnel from the Marine Wing Support Group 27 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina and was issued by the War Department’s Special Services group (source: eBay image).

For the second time in a decade of searching a lightweight cotton duck (canvas material) Marines baseball jersey – red with gold lettering and trim – has surfaced. I found my jersey about six years ago (see: 1944-1945 Marines Jersey – Red Cotton) and last year, I was able to locate the matching ball cap. Priced at $150-100 lower than the two gray wool jerseys, this red cotton version from WWII is still overpriced. Due to it being a bit more scarce than its gray counterparts, one could theorize that it should garner more collector interest and thus, a higher price. What sets this jersey apart from my example is the presence of a stamped marking from the command where the jersey was used.

This is just the second cotton duck Marines jersey to surface in a decade and priced about $70 too high, this would be a great piece to for any baseball militaria collector. Seller: sportsnut5

The last two jersey items that were listed in the past few weeks originate from the mid to late 1950s. The first of the two is one that has probably tripped up a few sellers and buyers due to its similarities shared with the road gray WWII versions. However, a closer look reveals that the colors of the fabric and trim are about all that are common between the two. The seller of this particular jersey was one of those who did not discern the differences and originally listed it as a World War II-era flannel (despite having a real one to compare this one against – see above) prompting me to reach out to the seller in an effort to correct the misidentification. As with the seller’s WWII jersey, this one is overpriced by $180-200 as it is fairly common.

This seller has two Marines jerseys for sale at the same time and both of them are considerably overpriced. Buyers should expect to pay $50-75 for this flannel. Seller: abramsantiques

The second of the 1950s-era jerseys is the one that I wished I was able to obtain due to its uniqueness. White wool flannel with navy blue rayon trim, the pattern of the jersey differs slightly from the road gray jersey (above) of the same era. Both jerseys of this era have shorter sleeve length, wide rayon soutache surrounding the sleeves, collar and on the placket. Similar to my 1943-44 white Marines jersey, M A R I N E S is spelled out in blue athletic felt (aligned to avoid the button holes, eliminating the color-matched button) blocked letters that are slightly larger and wider than the WWII jerseys.

One of the most interesting jerseys to come to market in the last year, this 1950s white (with blue trim) was worth overpaying to the auction winner (it sold for double its value). Seller: burski

Not to be outdone within the realm of ridiculously overpriced vintage jerseys and saving the “best” for last, this 1943-44 road gray Marines jersey is the chart-topper of the lot being sold online. The seller was adept at including a descent sampling of photographs that reveal the heavy game-use wear as indicated by the stains and roughed-up material. The garment is in tact and lacks damage (no moth holes or tears) but paying close attention to the soutache and the athletic lettering, one can see that this particular uniform top is not worth overpaying to acquire, especially considering the other two examples listed earlier in this article. Keep in mind that this particular jersey is of the “Vintage RARE” variety (so rare that the actual size tag varies from the auction listing title) making this jersey THE one to pursue. A reasonable valuation of this item is more realistic in the $40-50 price range however, I can imagine that this seller will find a buyer who is not willing to perform due diligence before clicking the Buy It Now button.

What makes this jersey and its $450 buy-it-now price tag a worthy and manageable investment is the wonderful eBay payment plan (only $41 for 12 months which includes a $42 fee!) and the seller might even fly out and hand-deliver it to your door for that exorbitant shipping charge! Seller: ngamus4

Six jerseys being sold within an online auction isn’t an earth shattering occurrence (there are thousands for sale at any given time), however this gathering of vintage baseball militaria is a first. Two of these jerseys will be added to the our Archive of Military Baseball Uniforms to ensure that they are documented in greater detail (than in this article) and to provide collectors with a point of reference for future research and due diligence. Seeing a such a gathering of vintage jerseys in contrast to the availability of their professional game worn counterparts reminds me of the Marine Corps’ long-standing marketing slogan, “The Few. The Proud. ” In comparison to the availability of vintage game worn baseball uniforms from the other service branches, the Marines are experiencing a massive show of force.