Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Winter 2020
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/26/2020
The last active player to have seen action in the 1970s as well as the last active player to have played in the WHA, Mark Messier was drafted 48th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in August of 1979, with 75 games played for the club during his rookie campaign, in 1979-80. With his output climbing to 63 points scored in just 72 games the following season, Messier would secure especially impressive numbers during his third NHL season in 1981-82, averaging better than a-point-a-game while also securing the only 50-goal total of his career. This Edmonton Oilers jersey was worn by the superstar during his third NHL season in 1981-82 - a season that witnessed First All-Star Team selection – with the garment photo-matched to seven different photos from the 1981-82 season including the night Mark scored his 50th goal!
Currently void of any collar labeling and measuring-out to roughly a size 54, there is a Sandow SK logo heat-pressed over the reverse hem. Featuring the classic oil drop team crest with embroidered detailing, Mark’s iconic “11” graces the sleeves and verso in layered, tri-colour tackle twill, with “Messier” over the nameplate in individually affixed letters. A loop-style fight strap has also been utilized, with the "International Year of Disabled Persons 1981" patch on the right shoulder. There is evidence of a former nameplate approximately the same length as the current example, with photos from the 1981-82 season showing the nameplate placed slightly more to the left (an inch or so). The nameplates were removed by the Oilers for pre-season use of the jerseys the following year, so most likely the jersey was also worn in the 1982-83 pre-season. It should also be noted that the original nameplates were sold with the jerseys, but in most cases had been removed, with the plates re-attached by an Edmonton company named RMC. This company handled the cresting and repairs of Oilers jerseys during the period, so it’s very likely that the nameplate currently affixed to the jersey is the original.
Sporting dark marks including washed-out examples over the lower front and sleeves, some light pilling is visible to the outer collar. There are also material-backed team repairs that confirm prolonged use, with seven over the left sleeve and a large example over the right. Regarding the photo-matches, a locker room photo of Messier on the night he scored his 50th goal of the season (March 31st 1982 vs LA Kings in Edmonton) has been matched to the washed-out small black mark to the left of the first "1" on the left sleeve, to the particular shape of the oil drop on the team crest and to the particularities of the puckering of the team crest, specifically in the lower sections of the letters "LE". This is followed by six undated photos from the 1981-82 season, with a pair matched to the two black marks to the left of the number “11” on the left sleeve, while a second pair is matched to the washed-out small black mark to the left of the first “1” on the left sleeve. The fifth image has been matched to the pair of partially washed-out diagonal marks on the lower front hem and to the small black mark on the lower right sleeve just below the team repair, while the sixth and final image has been matched to a washed-out diagonal mark, as well as to a pair of washed-out black marks in the upper white stripe below the middle section of the team crest. Hailing from the Michael Wexler collection, this historically important sweater would fit comfortably in any advanced Edmonton Oilers, Mark Messier or Stanley Cup collection.
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