MELBOURNE, Australia, Aug. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- When people come face-to-face with a celebrity, they've been known to exclaim, "You look taller on TV!" One of the surprising revelations in a forthcoming auction by Mossgreen of Sir Donald Bradman's 1936-37 Australian Test blazer, is that the greatest cricketer to every grace the sporting field was only 170cm tall and weighed a mere 65kg.
In the 'old money' that's a tad under 5'7" (similar to Tom Cruise and the 'Little Master', Sachin Tendulkar).
Despite his diminutive size, Bradman changed the face of cricket. In fact, the only size that mattered was the scoreboard, and a rare slip in his final Test robbed him of the perfect average. Instead, he ended his career with an average of 99.94 runs from 52 Tests.
Former Australian Test captain, Ricky Ponting, understood very well how influential Bradman was. Writing in 2008, he said of Bradman's career average: "It has become such a symbolic number in Australia that the ABC, itself so synonymous with cricket for generations, adopted it as...the corporation's postal address - PO Box 9994 in your capital city."
This blazer is also significant as it was worn by Bradman during his first series as Australian captain, a position he was to hold until his retirement in 1948. His captaincy had the status of 'prime minister', and he was feted by political leaders and the heads of industry and the media, all of whom deferred to him particularly when Australia went into battle against the English.
The blazer was made by Farmers, a famous Sydney department store that opened its doors in 1839 and which outfitted many Australian cricket teams well into the 20th century. The blazer is made of green wool with the Australian Coat-of-Arms & "1936-37" embroidered on the pocket. 'D.G. Bradman' is endorsed on the Farmer's Sydney label.
The blazer was donated by Bradman to the Lord's Taverners in 1974, for a charity auction. This is the first time the blazer has been offered for public auction.
"Unlike many other items of Bradman memorabilia, this blazer was tailored exclusively for him," says Max Williamson, a sporting and historical memorabilia specialist with Mossgreen.
"As a first-time captain of a team that was as important to the political fortunes of Australia as it was to its sporting identity, this blazer came to represent more than an item of clothing. It was seen by many as a symbol of Australia's independence."
Lot 187 has a pre-sale estimate of $70,000-$90,000. (NB: Image available at http://www.mossgreen.com.au/images/lot/1465/146500_2.jpg )
The lot will be offered at auction by Mossgreen in Melbourne on Monday, 7 September at 10.00am.
ABOUT MOSSGREEN
Founded in 2004, Mossgreen is Australia's first combined Auction House and Art Gallery. Recent expansion has seen Mossgreen Auctions become Australia's leading multi-department auction house and in 2014 Mossgreen's auction sales totalled over AUD $30 million. Mossgreen now offers expertise and auctions in Fine Australian & International Art, Australian Indigenous Art, Asian Art, Jewellery, Luxury Accessories, European Decorative Arts, Stamps & Coins, Sporting Memorabilia and Collectors' Cars & Automobilia. Mossgreen Gallery represents over twenty-five emerging and established artists including Charles Blackman and Michael Johnson, Yvonne Audette and Deborah Halpern and Kate Bergin, who Mossgreen has exhibited and promoted since the beginning of her career.
Mossgreen Tearooms are open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and high tea.
Mossgreen is based in Melbourne, with representatives in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Hobart and London. The Mossgreen Board of Directors are Jack Gringlas, Charles Leski and Paul Sumner.
Mossgreen offers online bidding via 'Mossgreen live(TM)'. Visit www.mossgreen.com.au for more details.
Mossgreen Auctions: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm
Mossgreen Gallery: Monday-Friday 10am-5.30pm & Saturday-Sunday 10am-5pm
Mossgreen Tearooms: Monday-Sunday 8am-5pm
926-930 High Street, Armadale VIC 3143
t. +61 (0) 3 9508 8888 e. mail@mossgreen.com.au
www.mossgreen.com.au
Images available:
http://www.mossgreen.com.au/images/lot/1465/146500_2.jpg
http://medianet.com.au/releases/release-details?id=835919
Issued by:
Max Williamson
Head of Sporting Memorabilia
t. +61 (0) 3 9508 8888
max.williamson@mossgreen.com.au
Nicole Kenning
Marketing & Communications Manager
t. +61 (0) 39508 8888 / m. +61 (0) 424 186 377
nicole.kenning@mossgreen.com.au
