"Oldest College Football Jersey in Existence," From Princeton, Goes Up For Bid

Goldin Auctions is auctioning off what it is calling the “oldest college football jersey in existence.”

A game-worn Princeton football jersey estimated to have been used sometime between 1895-1900 is up for bid on goldinauctions.com, under the heading of “October Legends.”

Goldin Auctions is a collectibles website started by Ken Goldin. They claim to offer “fresh items” that have never been offered to the public before. All items are authenticated by leaders in the collectibles industry, according to the site.

The football jersey was authenticated by Mears, a memorabilia and research service based in Milwaukee.

The jersey is orange and black, with stripes on the sleeves and a “P” woven onto the chest. It has been repaired several times, and there is no number or nametag, as no jerseys back then had those features.

During the time period in question, Princeton’s football team went undefeated three times, including the 1903 season, when they were undefeated and untied at 11-0-0, according to ESPN's College Football Encyclopedia.

The suggested minimum bid is $25,000, and there were no bids late Tuesday afternoon. The jersey will be available for 17 more days, according to a counter on the lower right portion of the screen.

This year's team is 3-1 overall, 1-0 in the Ivy League, and visits Brown Saturday night, 6 p.m., according to goprincetontigers.com.