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1911 Washington Senators Jersey Presented by Walter Perry Johnson to Guy "Cotton" Johnson
This is undoubtedly one of the finest jerseys we have brought to the baseball collecting spectrum. The dead-ball era beauty was given by Walter Johnson to teammate Guy “Cotton” Johnson during spring training for the Washington Senators, just before the 1911 season. The jersey has been with the family of Cotton Johnson until this day. This upcoming year marks this jersey’s centennial. The youthful veteran Walter Perry Johnson was 24 years old when he took the younger pitcher, Guy “Cotton” Johnson under his wing in that glorious spring of 1911. They became fast friends. “The Big Train” so impressed Cotton that he would go on to name his son, Walter Guy Johnson, in honor of the man who in one spring left this indelible mark on him through the rest of his life and on ’til this day. There were obviously no uniform numbers at the time, and there was never a name stitched anywhere on the jersey. The jersey comes with an LOA from both Cotton’s son Walter Guy Johnson and his grandson, Michael Johnson, attesting to this. Also included in this lot is a newspaper article with a photo of Walter Guy Johnson displaying the jersey at his Specialty Company office. It is from the Illinois newspaper, the Vandalia Leader-Union, dated Wednesday, May 6, 1992. It reads, “He even gave ‘Cotton’ one of his uniform shirts which has been preserved to this day by his namesake, Walter Sr." The lot also includes a 1920's semi-pro wool uniform worn by Cotton Johnson around the same time, when he played for the Herrin Merchants of southern Illinois. This special jersey is included in this lot for both historical reference and further provenance. This spectacular 1911 Washington Senators jersey is the only one known to exist. In rich white flannel, it has aged to a beautiful eggshell color. The front sports a buttoned half placket with the all-important Washington “W” in blue felt on the breast, now a lovingly muted indigo. Minor defects include small holes in the back tails, a tiny tear in the back of the collar, the requisite torn-adapted sleeves, minor foxing, but is in otherwise excellent condition. This sumptuous flannel is a breath of fresh air through a window in time when pitchers were men and pitchers named Walter Johnson were supermen.
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