Powderhorns of the 399th

 

The long sleeves, sun collar and the odd buttons make this 399th Infantry road baseball uniform quite unusual, yet a welcomed addition to my collection.

Showing the athletic felt lettering and the wide soutache surrounding the collar and placket.

Listed at auction in May of 2016, I was happy to have insignificant competition in bidding for this uniform of the 399th Infantry Regiment that was used during World War II. The jersey and trousers are of a heavier wool flannel with unusually large, brown plastic, two-hole buttons. Also unique (as compared to other examples of military baseball uniforms) are the blank tags in both garments of this set. They were generically made to have the design and sizing information added to them (both are lacking any details) subsequent to their printing. The jersey also has a low profile sun-collar (similar to the WWII Marines jerseys).  Additional details regarding this uniform set and the team’s unit history are available: Powderhorn Baseball: Seeking on-the-Diamond Photos of the 399th.

 

Uniform Features:

Jersey:

• Buttons: The buttons are brown-colored plastic, convex, two-hole.
• Material: The base material is road gray wool-flannel.
• Soutache: A double, wide line of red rayon material that encircles the collar and down the placket. The single line soutache is on the sleeve cuffs.
• Lettering: Heavy red athletic felt block letters spelling out the team name.
• Numerals: Heavy red athletic felt digit “9” is centered on the back..
• Sleeves: Six inches, non-gusseted.
• Tag: A blank manufacturer’s information tag (with style and size) is sewn sewn inside and below the back of the collar.

The unique (odd) brown, two-hole convex buttons are reminiscent of the vegetable-based plastic material used to make WWI uniform buttons.

The red athletic felt numeral on the jersey’s back is beginning to pull away from the base fabric.

Trousers:

• Buttons: White-colored plastic, concave, four-hole.
• Material: The base material is road gray wool-flannel with blue pinstripes.
• Soutache:  A single, heavy line of red rayon material vertical stripe running from the top of the waistband down the outer seams of the trousers.
• Tags: A blank manufacturer’s information tag (with style and size) is sewn inside and below the back of the waistband.

Additional photos:

Other than being in need of dry-cleaning (if for no other reason than to remove the wrinkles), the overall condition of this baseball uniform is good (eBay image).

I doubt that a thorough cleaning will remove any of the stains. At least it will look better when displayed after dry-cleaning (eBay image).

Showing the red wool flannel lettering, the rayon soutache (trim) and the convex, two-hole buttons. It is very possible that this uniform was manufactured by MacGregor-Goldsmith (eBay image).

Evidence of game-use. The presence of staining in the collar and on the font of the jersey serve as clear indication that this uniform saw a lot of action. The faded and generic tag offers no indication of the manufacturer or when the uniform was made (eBay image).

Showing a close-up of the convex two-hole buttons (which “could” indicate that this jersey was made by MacGregor-Goldsmith) and the soutache that encircles them (eBay image).

Two of my vintage military jerseys have numbers on the backs. The #9 is constructed from the same red wool flannel as the unit designation on the jersey’s front. The twin red rayon soutaches encircle the back of the collar (eBay image).

The sleeve length is six inches which indicates that the jersey was made in the 1940s. Prior to this era, sleeves were typically longer. By the 1950s, players were opting for even shorter lengths. This jersey’s red soutache also encircles the cuff of the sleeve (eBay image).

The two large belt loops and the red rayon soutaches are visible on the 399th trousers (eBay image).

The trousers have a four-button fly. One thing to note is these buttons are a conventional concave, four-hole design (rather than the larger, two-hole concave buttons on the jersey’s front). The top button is larger than the three descending ones (eBay image).

The tag in the trousers is generic and lacks anything that would indicate the manufacturer or a means of precise dating (eBay image).

The uniform’s trousers have broad belt loops (the large single loop is visible across the center of the back) and a single on the right (eBay image).

The elastic in the leg cuffs is in good condition. Other than some game-use-staining, the uniform is in decent condition (eBay image).

*This uniform group is presently a part of VetCollector’s collection.

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