'Memries' Old United memorabilia

[LoughboroBlade]

It's been 3 years since my uncle passed away, and I'm finally getting round to the difficult task of going through his vast array of United memorabilia.

This has thrown up some of the great classic United kits. My first ever shirt was the lime green 89-91 shirt and there's something quite nice about finding an adult-sized version that I can bring out of retirement, given my own (boxed away for years) is tiny. Likewise the first Premier League home kit. There's also a few shockers in there – the other away lots of the early 90s (yellow, green, white) I remember never liking.

There's also a mix of stuff that I have no idea where it's from. The main reason for posting this is the following shirt – is this just the club's own leisure gear or an actual kit we used to wear? It's torn to pieces at the back, has an old style badge, and is a surprisingly slim fitting shirt that's long in length. Any ideas – Silent Blade?

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I reckon that's one of those generic red and white striped shirts you could get at Suggs. And who the fuck sewed that badge on LB, Rambo?

 

[Silent Blade]

The shirt is definitely either the 1957-58 or 1958-59 season because the white stripe is in the middle. Red stripe middle were on our home kit for from 1959-60 to 1964-65. I think the badge was bought from a shop (possibly Jack Archers) and sewn on the shirt by your uncle (or his mum?)

 

[JohnDenver]

There is so much to like about that shirt.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

The shirt is definitely either the 1957-58 or 1958-59 season because the white stripe is in the middle. Red stripe middle were on our home kit for from 1959-60 to 1964-65. I think the badge was bought from a shop (possibly Jack Archers) and sewn on the shirt by your uncle (or his mum?)

Bit of a mystery – there's also a sewn-on number 9 on the reverse. I think the mid-60s would have been about right for the period he first started following United. Is there an example picture of that era shirt online anywhere? I did have a bit of a look yesterday, but no luck.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I reckon that's one of those generic red and white striped shirts you could get at Suggs. And who the fuck sewed that badge on LB, Rambo?

It's definitely inspired me to create some sort of similar build-your-own United kit. I might just glue the badge on next time with pritstik.

 

[Silent Blade]

1957-58

1958-59

1959-60 (red stripe in middle) and we carried on wearing the same shirt until 1965

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

1957-58

1958-59

1959-60 (red stripe in middle) and we carried on wearing the same shirt until 1965

Hoyland, Russell and Gratton have got middle red stripe shirts in that 58-9 photo

 

[Silent Blade]

Just realised from looking at the 1958-59 squad photo there were some players whose shirt had red stripe in the middle so I googled for Blades v Norwich match in March 1959 and all the players had red stripe in the middle so your uncle's shirt is from the 1957-58 season. I looked at the Complete Records book (1999) on page 338 and there is a good photo of Doc Pace (with Kevin Lewis and Billy Hodgson) on Doc's debut for us on Boxing Day 1957 and all three had white stripe in the middle. I assume for the 1958-59 squad photo that there werent enough new shirts for all players to use in the photo so some wore the previous season's shirt

 

[Silent Blade]

Hoyland, Russell and Gratton have got middle red stripe shirts in that 58-9 photo

Noticed that too, see my explanation above

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Noticed that too, see my explanation above

Shirts didn't have the commercial importance they have today. As long as they turned out in red and white stripes it was fine.

Having said that, your avatar shows the finest United home kit ever made.

 

[Silent Blade]

Shirts didn't have the commercial importance they have today. As long as they turned out in red and white stripes it was fine.

I noticed in some of L**ds videos (look from 3.22 and see Billy Bremner's shirt without collar) that in 1973 ish not all L**ds players wore the same type of shirt

 

[grafikhaus]

My first ever shirt was the lime green 89-91 shirt and there's something quite nice about finding an adult-sized version that I can bring out of retirement, given my own (boxed away for years) is tiny. Likewise the first Premier League home kit.

Shrunk in the wash has it, Loughborough?

There is so much to like about that shirt.

Available on Amazon (round neck) for just £20.

 

[Blade56]

I always use this as a point of reference for historical kits
http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Sheffield_United/Sheffield_United.htm

 

[vorpal blade]

The stripes are in the weave aren't they? none of your printed fabric rubbish.

You can see that the Loughborough shirt is a bit slimmer in the shoulder because the last white stripe in the body is thinner where it meets the armhole than any of the players are wearing which hints at its being aimed at youths. Otherwise I wouldn't have thought necessarily that just because someone has bought a badge and sewn it on a bit inexpertly precluded its being a genuine shirt that had been worn in professional combat.

I'm not as old as some here but when I was a kid (1960s) it was rare to buy a replica kit complete with number on the back - does that look professionally cut and sewn on or are the stitches a bit poor like the badge and does the thread match front and back? any danger of a photo. of the back please?

I know you're not going to sell it for sentimental reasons but you know I have to provide an estimate for the programme - I'd say, in a well attended auction, if you find the right provenance to link it to an old master like Jimmy Hagan we could be talking in the region of a tenner.

Don't try to remove the badge with nail scissors, its patina and people pay top dollar for authentic patination these daze.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Just realised from looking at the 1958-59 squad photo there were some players whose shirt had red stripe in the middle so I googled for Blades v Norwich match in March 1959 and all the players had red stripe in the middle so your uncle's shirt is from the 1957-58 season. I looked at the Complete Records book (1999) on page 338 and there is a good photo of Doc Pace (with Kevin Lewis and Billy Hodgson) on Doc's debut for us on Boxing Day 1957 and all three had white stripe in the middle. I assume for the 1958-59 squad photo that there werent enough new shirts for all players to use in the photo so some wore the previous season's shirt

Yer mean The Blades were being tight?

 

[Silent Blade]

I always use this as a point of reference for historical kits
http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Sheffield_United/Sheffield_United.htm

As I have said many times in here, there are a few errors

 

[vorpal blade]

In response to Silent's question about Leeds shirts, I think I read that the players were given the choice of floppy or round collar, (probably on that historic kits website)?

In the 1970s and 80s when collars were made quite wide and rigid a few of the more sartorially aware players would tuck them in and under - as we all know, football kits, generally speaking lag 20 years behind the avant garde.

 

[vorpal blade]

correction, the stripes are separate strips of red and white cloth stitched together, very neatly and very neat.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

The stripes are in the weave aren't they? none of your printed fabric rubbish.

You can see that the Loughborough shirt is a bit slimmer in the shoulder because the last white stripe in the body is thinner where it meets the armhole than any of the players are wearing which hints at its being aimed at youths. Otherwise I wouldn't have thought necessarily that just because someone has bought a badge and sewn it on a bit inexpertly precluded its being a genuine shirt that had been worn in professional combat.

I'm not as old as some here but when I was a kid (1960s) it was rare to buy a replica kit complete with number on the back - does that look professionally cut and sewn on or are the stitches a bit poor like the badge and does the thread match front and back? any danger of a photo. of the back please?

I know you're not going to sell it for sentimental reasons but you know I have to provide an estimate for the programme - I'd say, in a well attended auction, if you find the right provenance to link it to an old master like Jimmy Hagan we could be talking in the region of a tenner.

Don't try to remove the badge with nail scissors, its patina and people pay top dollar for authentic patination these daze.

The reverse number doesn't have the Rambo-style fitting, so I assume when he got the shirt it was already on. The other possibility is that he bought this in the 80s off someone.

Sadly it's in a bit of a state – there's a gaping hole above the number where it's been ripped.

 

[vorpal blade]

Ha ha, looks like it was pinched from an old school football shirt to me, otherwise the 'black' numeral would have been sewn directly onto the striped shirt without the need for the white margin. Also, its easy to look at old photos to check if the team had numbers like this or whether they had a patch beneath the number etc.

Sorry, on Fake or Fortune we often have to disappoint hopeful owners of clobber like this, thank you for your interest in this programme but the Catalogue Raisonné must reject this item as a fraud and we are not interested in putting an episode together around it.

Nice one though!
Fiona Bruce xxx

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Ha ha, looks like it was pinched from an old school football shirt to me, otherwise the 'black' numeral would have been sewn directly onto the striped shirt without the need for the white margin. Also, its easy to look at old photos to check if the team had numbers like this or whether they had a patch beneath the number etc.

Sorry, on Fake or Fortune we often have to disappoint hopeful owners of clobber like this, thank you for your interest in this programme but the Catalogue Raisonné must reject this item as a fraud and we are not interested in putting an episode together around it.

Nice one though!
Fiona Bruce xxx

One moment it's a potential treasure, the next it's useless tat. We're even fickle about memorabilia on here!