Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Winter 2021
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2021
While veteran hobbyists and longtime collectors will lament the scarcity of quality material that infrequently comes to the contemporary market - especially in comparison to the caliber of items that would routinely surface in years past, paramount specimens and those exemplary items enamored and highly prized by the collecting community can still be unearthed. We at Classic Auctions are absolutely thrilled to do just that, and announce the offering of a tremendously historic and crucially significant NHL uniform, with this Boston Bruins jersey worn by iconic superstar and legendary blueliner Bobby Orr during his Hart Memorial and James Norris-winning season of 1970-71. Adding to the supreme desirability and placing the garment within a stratosphere inhabited by only the absolute finest jerseys in existence, this treasure exhibits heavy wear with numerous team repairs and has been photo-matched - confirming considerable and unquestionable use, with a signed LOA from the icon himself on his personal “Bobby Orr Enterprises” letterhead completing the ultimate hockey offering.
A current Stanley Cup champion at the dawn of the 1970-71 NHL season, Orr would register his best offensive numbers that campaign, scoring a career-high 139 points including 102 assists – the first EVER to top the 100-assist plateau - while posting a staggering plus/minus number of +124 – the highest in history. His scoring prowess and stalwart defending would garner the superstar the James Norris and Hart Memorial Trophies along with his fourth-consecutive selection to the NHL First All-Star Team. A number of NHL milestones were also reached in 1970-71, with Orr recording his 100th regular-season goal, 250th regular-season assist and 350th regular-season point all within the noteworthy and memorable season.
Originally auctioned by a radio station to raise money for charity in the early-1990s (circa 1993), the jersey was acquired by the employees of our consignor to present to him as a gift. After receiving the jersey, our consignor contacted the radio station and was put in touch with Orr to authenticate the jersey, with Bobby providing the signed LOA.
A somewhat tattered Wilson label with heavily faded handwritten “50” sizing is affixed to the collar, with the sizing confirmed by manual measurement. Featuring the iconic spoked-B team crest of the second oldest NHL club completely administered in layered black and gold tackle twill, Orr’s famous “4” is sewn to the sleeves and verso in matching material. The Bruins familiar gold and black striping bands accent the garment, with six-eyelet configuration on tie-neck construction. A single-garter fight strap has also been utilized, and remains intact.
Exhibiting heavy and thorough game-use as mentioned, the jersey has considerable wear to the material throughout, with a few dark marks visible including a stick mark over the right sleeve’s number. There is some minor puckering to the team crest and numbers, with considerable pilling to sections of both the interior and exterior. Desirable team repairs are also present, with examples situated on the front (2), reverse (there is an especially long 6” vertical repair beneath the right shoulder) and sleeves (4, including a large repaired area near the right elbow section), with the base of the collar repaired. There is also red paint transfer on the front band with a heavy board burn on the upper right sleeve, and we should note some rust-coloured staining to the heavily-worn and almost detached fight strap. Lastly, it needs to be mentioned that the lower band has been sewn especially tight throughout its length along the top black striping band, with this seen on other Bruins jerseys from the era.
Two different numeric images serve as the photo-matches, with each providing dating as well as authenticity. The first photo features the image of Orr signing a contract attributed to be from February of 1971 (certificates are visible on the walls within the photo, dated 1970), when his new five-year, million dollar contract was signed, and was later officialized and publicized on August 26, 1971. The image shows; the perfect placement and size of the threads on the right shoulder joining the gold, white and black panels; the fold pattern in the lower portion of the #4 on the right sleeve and the "angled" top right corner of the #4 as well as the small "bump" in the thread on the upper edge of the #4; the massive team repair in the lower sleeve black section going into the lower gold section of the sleeve; the long fold pattern in the #4 on the left sleeve; and the matching fold patterns on the edges and middle area of the team crest. The second photo hails from a Hockey Hall of Fame calendar and pictures Orr using a Victoriaville stick with "Mailhot & Freres Inc, Victoriaville, Que" stamped to the upper shaft. According to research, this particular stamping was last used during the 1970-71 season and was changed to "Victoriaville Hockey Sticks Ltd" in 1971-72. The image shows the perfect placement and size of the threads on the right shoulder joining the gold, white and black panels, and the "angled" top right corner of the #4 on the right sleeve as well as the small "bumps" in the thread on the upper edge of the #4 and its upper left corner area.
An exceptional opportunity for the hobby’s elite and undoubtedly categorized by both historians and the collecting cognoscenti as a colossal treasure of tremendous magnitude, this Boston Bruins jersey worn by the legendary Bobby Orr during his milestone and record-setting season of 1970-71 will ultimately serve as one of the world’s greatest sporting uniforms.
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