Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Spring 2021
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/30/2021
Quite scarce and an absolute prize for blue and white jersey collectors, this rarely-seen Toronto Maple Leafs “1931 Heritage” jersey was worn by Felix Potvin in 1996-97, and it hails directly from his personal collection. The “1 of 2” jersey set featured the set 1 jerseys worn at home on November 2, 1996 vs the Detroit Red Wings – with these jerseys later tagged with set patches and sold on the secondary market (they are the only "1931 Heritage" jerseys which we could find that were sold). The second set was worn at the Montreal Forum vs the Montreal Canadiens on February 22, 1997, where Potvin faced 23 shots while wearing the offered jersey in the Leafs 5-1 victory. These second set jerseys were kept by the players – and as such, there was no set tagging added to the second set. A CCM “Goalie Style” label is affixed to the collar along with a size “58” fly tag, with CCM and NHL crests embroidered to the reverse hem. Featuring a vintage-style Leafs team crest with “Toronto Maple Leafs” embroidered, numerous white striping bands grace the body and sleeves, with “29” sewn to the reverse in oversized single white twill. A second matching retail example of the jersey is also included, with these originally available only through the Maple Leafs team store, LeafSport. A signed LOA from Felix Potvin will accompany.
It should be noted that the retail examples of this jersey were ONLY produced in sizes 48 and 52 (the Potvin game-worn jersey is a size 58), and numbered to only 1,931 examples, all of which were uncustomized. Each retail jersey is numbered with an embroidered “Limited Edition” tag sewn inside the collar, with the offered retail jersey size 52 and numbered “448 of 1,931”. The game-worn jersey sports no puck marks, with just a bit of minor spotting over the front, with evidence to the production sticker affixed to the seam tag of the jersey being previously washed. The retail jersey exhibits a few small stains to the team crest.
Addendum; Based on our research the jersey is attributed to have been worn by Potvin in the February 22nd 1997 game with a possibility it was worn in the November 2nd 1996 game. It is unknown if the jersey was worn only in warm-up, a single period or an entire game but it does exhibits a few small stains to the team crest and there is evidence of the jersey being washed. With the retail examples ONLY produced in sizes 48 and 52 (the Potvin game-worn jersey is a size 58) and with the jersey originating from, and kept by, Felix Potvin since then, we are certain it was worn by Potvin on the ice when the Maple Leafs wore these “1931 Heritage” jerseys in either of those two games.
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