[Editor’s Note: Today we have another Auction Action piece from our own Mike Engle. Enjoy! — PH]
Classic Auctions has an auction currently running, set to end on June 24, 2025. Let’s take a peek at some Uni Watch noteworthy items!
- Hockey Hall of Fame player Adam Oates consigned some of his personal artifacts to this auction. If you go to that link, you’ll see all of those lots, and then you can get more photos and info about each of them. In no particular order, some of my favorites would be a 9/11 memorial patched jersey from the 2001-02 season, a 1996-97 Boston Bruins jersey, a 1993 ASG jersey from Montreal, and his 1000th game “silver stick,” which is a traditional gift for that milestone.
- Similarly, former New York Ranger, Los Angeles King, and 1984 bronze medalist with Team Sweden Tomas Sandström consigned many of his jerseys, as well as a handful of sticks used by famous teammates of his, such as Wayne Gretzky, Teemu Selänne, and Steve Yzerman. See them all here.
- Lot 38 is a game used Boston Bruins jersey worn by Number Four, Bobby Orr. From the 1968-69 hockey season (his second of eight consecutive Norris Trophy winning seasons, for the NHL’s best defenseman by popular vote), the jersey is photo matched to the cover of the February 3, 1969 edition of Sports Illustrated magazine. More photos and info here.
- Lot 41 is a game used New York Rangers jersey worn by Brian Leetch. This one is from the 1989-90 season, which is the first season during which he played in the midseason NHL All-Star Game. The jersey is photo matched to this Getty image, thanks to a distinctive mark on the S in Rangers, and two perfect little marks at the left dorsal lateral bottom of the shirt tail–see here. The Getty image is undated, but Classic figured it out…so on your honor and without cheating, let’s play Guess the Game from this image! We’ll make sure to reveal the answer in a comment. More photos and info here, but please don’t spoil the answer!
- Lot 42 is a game used Toronto Maple Leafs jersey worn by Wendel Clark. Worn in the 1986-87 season, it features a memorial patch for King Clancy, which is on most people’s short list for “most memorable or distinctive memorial patch.” Mine too! More photos and info here.
- Lot 44 is a game used Edmonton Oilers jersey worn by Mark Messier. This one is from the 1981-82 season, which is his first ASG season, and also from his 50-goal season–a career high. It also features a patch commemorating the International Year of Disabled Persons, as proclaimed by the United Nations. There’s something jarringly endearing about how in the NOB, the E’s in Messier look like a different font from the rest of the letters. More photos and info here.
- Lot 45 is a stunning two-for-one deal: a game used Pittsburgh Penguins jersey worn by Jaromir Jagr. This jersey was first worn in 1996-97 (one Art Ross Trophy winning season, a statistical award for most points), and then the jersey was recycled for 1997-98, which was another Art Ross Trophy winning season, with a new captain’s C to boot! Jagr won the Art Ross five times: the 1994-95 season, and then four in a row from 1997 to 2001. This crazy jersey was a true 90’s beauty…take this template, but use the skating penguin instead of Robo-Pigeon…man, that could have been a fantastic Reverse Retro jersey! More photos and info here.
- Speaking of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Lot 89 is a Stanley Cup Final game worn jersey, used by Phil Kessel. “Patched” jerseys already command premium pricing, and if this were from earlier in the 2016-17 season, it would be “double-patched,” with the 100th anniversary of the NHL and the 50th anniversary of the team. Add the SCF patch where the Penguins won the championship, triple-patched jerseys don’t get much better than this one! More photos and info here.
- A literal work of art, Lot 329 is a game used goalie mask used by Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, throughout the 2016-17 season and including the franchise’s only trip to the Stanley Cup Final…against Phil Kessel and the above Pittsburgh Penguins. More photos and info here.
- Remember when Reebok first redesigned the hockey jerseys? They introduced weird shirt tails that look like they should be tucked in…even though most hockey players do not do that. For a few years, the New York Rangers straightened out those tails, but they eventually gave up because that horse left the barn. Anyway, Lot 333 is a photo matched Henrik Lundqvist game used jersey, from when the Rangers cuffed up the hems. More photos and info here.
- Full disclosure about Lot 336. The soon-to-be former owner is a friend of mine, and I helped him prepare this 2019-20 Carey Price game worn jersey for auction. The Montreal Canadiens are notoriously imperfect with their Letters of Authenticity. If a Habs LOA identifies dates that a jersey was worn, “Trust But Verify” in the best case scenario, or completely ignore the dates and do your own homework in the worst case scenario. Once Price started carrying three game used jerseys at once (so that he could always have a fresh change at each intermission), the team’s accuracy went down the tubes. As I (and now you) can see, the photo match dates don’t line up with the LOA at all, but it’s definitely still a game worn jersey! More photos and info here.
- Lot 723 is actually something I own…this isn’t mine, but I have one in my collection too. Not every puck has date-specific graphics, but for the Montreal Canadiens’ 100th anniversary game dated December 4, 2009, the team went all out to mark the occasion. More photos and info here.
- Lot 724 is the puck of Nicklas Lidström’s last goal of his second-to-last season, namely the 2010-11 season. At the risk of burying the lede on this collectible, this is a worthy capstone of Lidström’s seventh (and final) Norris Trophy winning season. More photos and info here.
The rest of the lots can be found here. Once again, this auction ends on June 24, 2025. As always, good luck bidding, or enjoy watching other people spend their money!
Maybe it’s just common knowledge that has evaded me, but…
Is there a difference between “game worn” and — as phrased above — “game used” (“game used jersey worn”?
Thanks
No not really…I guess if you can colloquially wear it (like a jersey or a helmet) then you can use that word, but if you can’t really wear it (like a stick or a puck or even a piece of goal net or a vial of melted rink ice) then you’d just use the word “used.” Game used, game worn…that’s pretty much the same stuff. If it’s game worn, you can certainly call it game used too. If I say “game used jersey, worn on [dates],” that’s just me not liking to use the same word twice in one sentence if I can help it.
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As a hockey collector, the hobbyists agree, the line in the sand is “time in the box score.” If you sat on the bench and didn’t get in the game, it’s not game worn. Bench worn (commonly used to talk about the backup goalie’s jersey) or game issued, but not game worn or game used. But if you get even one second of time on the ice, everything you’re wearing is game used.
Mathieu Joseph wore a Lightning jersey in February 2020, that’s a game worn jersey. Mathieu Joseph wore that same exact Lightning jersey in pandemic bubble warmups but he played zero games in the playoffs. The jersey is still game worn thanks to the February game, but it’s playoff issued.
Anthony Stolarz and Nick Cousins each got precisely one game in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. That one jersey (whether it’s home red or white away, don’t recall) is worn, the other one is issued.
Calvin Pickard didn’t touch SCF ice for Edmonton. It was all Stuart Skinner. Pickard’s jerseys are bench worn or game issued, but you cannot say game worn or game used.
Other sports have different conventions. Hope this helps!
Some fascinating stuff. I’m kind of sad there’s nothing from the Red Wings or Blues in the Adam Oates lot, but seeing the early 90s Bruins jersey and the late 90s version together just makes me think how much better the 1974-95 unis were. The 1995-2007 version was just a bit too busy. Of course, I’ll take the ferocious “Cocaine Bear” over the rather docile-looking “Pooh Bear” any day!
Seeing a Baltimore Clippers jersey that was quite possibly used by the short-lived WHA Baltimore Blades is a pretty cool thing there.
Though this lot in particular fascinates me: link
Three team-signed Kings pennants, and two Tomas Sandstrom jerseys that, while not game-worn, are pro weight, one of which being a 1991-92 Kings jersey with the NHL 75th and Kings 25th anniversary patches.
Then there’s the last few items being meet-and-greet expereinces, the final one being with Darius Kasparitis: link
Of course, I can only think of the legend of a sign at a Rangers game when he was with the Islanders: “Kasparitis can be cured in our lifetime”!
Love that King Clancy patch!
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GTG for the Brian Leetch photo: February 7, 1990. The Rangers used three different goalies for their three games against the Oilers that year, this was the one John Vanbiesbrouck played.