19673

1998 Mark McGwire Game Worn Cardinals Uniform

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop / Sports - Game Used Memorabilia Start Price:1,600.00 USD Estimated At:6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
1998 Mark McGwire Game Worn Cardinals Uniform
<B>1998 Mark McGwire Game Worn Uniform.</B></I> To those who believe that Big Mac's accomplishments in 1998 were somehow diminished by those of Bonds in 2001, we must respectfully disagree. Though McGwire's record was still in diapers when it was felled by Barry, the latter never captured the imagination of the baseball world the way the Sosa - McGwire chase of '98 did. Just like the Babe "saved" baseball after the Black Sox scandal with his thunderous bat, so did the Cardinals slugger after the sport took a big hit from the 1994 strike. It was McGwire who chipped through the hard shell of cynicism that was left behind by the cancelled season and let us look upon the game again with new eyes. While a handful of jerseys from that special season have found their way to the auction block, it's particularly rare to find a shirt with the matching pants, as we have here. The combination offers a greatly heightened opportunity for display, and we would expect that the winning bidder would be shopping for a mannequin as soon as the hammer falls. The shirt offers the most attractive of all baseball logos, with the chenille birds and bat rising above the classically scripted "Cardinals" on the chest. "McGwire 25" is sewn in red and navy tackle twill on verso. Just above the custom-shortened inner tail is the proper "Rawlings" label with "52" and "Set 1 1998" flap tags affixed. An Upper Deck authenticated inscription, complete with holographic sticker and paperwork, appears on lower chest, reading, "A True Gamer, 70 HR's, 1998, Mark McGwire" in 10/10 black sharpie. The matching pants offer the same "Rawlings" label beside a machine embroidered swatch that reads, "McGwire 25 36-39 37 98." Both pieces show wear that makes us wonder, how many trips around the bases did they take? After all, with McGwire hitting a home run in almost every other game, there is virtually no chance that this uniform could be a long ball virgin. Don't worry too much if you miss out on this one though -- you can always peer at one just like it through plexiglass in Cooperstown. <I>LOA from Lou Lampson. LOA from Upper Deck.</B></I> <BR><BR><B>Important notice:</B> Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tie eBay live bids. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 22.5% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid. This lot is being auctioned in conjunction with a live floor auction by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers, and all other information should be considered preliminary. Lot:19673 <BR><BR><B>Winning Notification and Billing:</B> After the FINAL session in this auction is complete, Heritage will send e-mail and snail mail invoices. This process normally takes several days. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers, and all other information should be considered preliminary. <BR><BR>This auction will be conducted on a live auction floor and over the Internet through eBay Live. If you choose to place an absentee bid, please take a moment to <font color='#0000ff'><u><a href='http://pages.ebay.com/liveauctions/help/before/laabsentee.html'>learn how eBay Live absentee bidding works</a></u></font><font color='#000000'>