Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction Spring 2022
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/1/2022
Still displaying his goal scoring ability in his mid-40s, netting 27 points in just 28 games with the USHL’s Traverse City Bays in 1976-77, Dean Prentice began climbing the ranks of the hockey world with a quartet of seasons with Guelph in the OHA in the early-1950s that included a Memorial Cup championship. Making his NHL debut for the New York Rangers in 1952-53, Prentice would star on a line with Larry Popein and HOFer Andy Bathgate, and was 10th overall throughout the league for scoring from 1955-56 through 1961-62 (358 points). Prentice would transition to the Boston Bruins in 1962-63, with later seasons spent with Detroit, Pittsburgh and Minnesota. A five-time All-Star throughout his career, the 2009 book ‘100 Ranger Greats’ ranks Prentice #37 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.
From early in his noteworthy career in New York, we have a Rangers wool sweater worn by Prentice during the mid-1950s. A tag from team supplier and MSG resident Gerry Cosby is affixed to the inside seam, with the vintage garment measuring-out to roughly a size 48. Featuring “Rangers” angled across the chest in individual dual-colour drop-shadow tackle twill, “17” is sewn to the verso in matching material, with the tie string to the collar appearing original (Prentice was the only player to wear #17 for the Rangers during the era). Exhibiting no signs of alteration to either the team letters or reverse number, thorough game-use is visible throughout, with nice wear to the material including over the reverse band that shows an area of minor fraying, with a few extended loose threads to the reverse “1”. Team repairs are abundant, with large clumps of repairs in areas, with examples placed over the front (21), reverse (17), shoulders (3) and sleeves (24, including huge repair clumps over each elbow section, material-backed on the right sleeve). Additionally, the left seam is repaired at the base. There is also some puckering to the reverse numbers. A MeiGray LOA will accompany, and it notes that the repairs are consistent with the repair work done by the Rangers during the era. Additionally, both the lack of sleeve numbers and the address on the Cosby tag confirms the dating of the sweater.
This magnificent Manhattan masterpiece is an ideal representation of the mighty Blueshirts during the golden age of the Original Six era. Please note that this item may be subject to a silent reserve. From the Barry Meisel Collection.
Instrumental to the hobby as one of the founders of the MeiGray Group in 1997, a hobby entity paramount in the authentication of game-worn jerseys and equipment, pioneer collector Barry Meisel enjoyed almost two decades as a successful sports journalist. Beginning with his days interning for the Binghamton Evening Press while a senior in college, Meisel explains how his passion for collecting was fueled, stating “My plan was to get a game-worn jersey for every team I covered once I became a pro hockey writer. I got a Barons, then a Broome Dusters, Binghamton Whalers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers. It was the late '80s. My first career was born. From the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin to the Morristown, NJ, Daily Record, to the New York Daily News”.
In his dozen years with the New York Daily News, Meisel covered the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and New York Giants. He also spent the early-1990s serving as the News’ investigative sports reporter, with additional time as a columnist for The Hockey News (1982-90) and The New York Giants Newsweekly (1990-96), with a few book authored including 'Losing the Edge: The Rise and Fall of the Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers’. Despite building a vast and encompassing grouping of items, Meisel notes, "I have my favorites. The Scotty Press that still sits in my home office. My 1983-84 Detroit Red Wings Ken Holland, the minor-league goalie in Binghamton who became a lifelong friend, and who had a cup of NHL coffee before becoming a Hall of Fame General Manager. And my 1994 Stanley Cup Finals New York Rangers white Craig MacTavish, who was wearing this jersey in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on June 14, 1994. MacT knocked the final faceoff into the corner with 1.6 seconds left on a 54-year Jinx, the night the Rangers allowed the Monster of MSG to one day Die in Peace. This jersey is on display at the Garden, to remind every Blue Seater from old Section 433 that the wait was worth it”.
Classic Auctions in honoured to have been chosen to sell the Barry Meisel personal collection, with dozens of high-quality jerseys offered including an endless supply of important New York Rangers specimens from Marc Staal, Glen Hanlon, Mattieu Schneider (last MSG home game of the millennium) Kelly Hrudey and others, All-Star Game jerseys from Mark Messier, Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan, and inaugural season jerseys for the Quebec Nordiques, Chicago Cougars and Kansas City Scouts. The Meisel collection even boasts a rare single-season New York Golden Blades jersey! Additional gems that will have bidders salivating includes prominent lumber, with game-used sticks from HOF members Jean Ratelle, Billy Smith, Bryan Trottier and Igor Larionov, along with a tremendously rare copy of a 1946-47 New York Rangers media guide that predates the club’s first known Blue Book media guide.
As always, we hope these long-loved treasures find new appreciative collectors, with Meisel stating it best, “It's time for Classic Collectibles and my good friend Marc Juteau to help me find my gamers new homes. Time for others to enjoy the greatest hobby alive."
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