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Found a 70s vintage Rod Laver polo shirt, never worn, original tags
· Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles
Shocking find at the Roser Church Thrift Store on Anna Maria Island in Florida… an original, mint condition, never-worn Rod Laver brand blue collared polo with original tags. Somebody apparently bought it and never wore it and recently donated it to the store. It’s medium but just a little too small for me unfortunately. Don’t know what to do with it, sell on ebay, donate to Newport, RI International Tennis Hall of Fame, or send to Rod himself? It’s an incredible find, probably the only one in the world.
This was the email I sent to Rod Laver about the find. The classy two-time Grand Slam champ (1960, 1969, 11 Grand Slams and 49 ATP titles overall) responded hours later.
“Mark, glad you got the Polo, Shirt, I think if you sent the polo shirt to Donate it to Tennis Hall of Fame would be good, does it have the kangaroo emblem on the shirt, thank you for letting me know,
Your friend Rod Laver.”
The shirt is actually a Rod Laver brand article of clothing. It may be the only one left in the world, and it’s mint condition, never worn a single time. It’s just too special to wear or sell, I will donate it to the Hall of Fame in July.
Update:
Hi Mark,
I hope all is well with you. My name is JT Buzanga and I am the Collections Manager at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I received your contact information from Anne Marie regarding a Rod Laver shirt. We would be very interested in this shirt as we lack a lot of fashion from this era. If you are still interested in donating the shirt, I would be happy to walk you through the process. I look forward to hearing from you!
Update 2:
We present donations quarterly. The Museum Committee, a sub-committee of the Board of Governors, reviews all artifact donations. They decide whether or not an item will be accepted into the permanent collection. If the donation is accepted into the collection, I will provide the paperwork to complete the process. At this point, we would also coordinate shipping. The fourth quarter of 2023 just ended, so I will present this donation in the first quarter of 2024, which ends March 31st. The shirt will most likely be accepted since we do not have a lot of Men’s fashion items from this era and its connection to Rod Laver. I will keep you updated during the entire process. Please don’t hesitate if you have any questions. Thank you again for thinking of us!
Australia · Australian Open · Grand Slam · Hall of Fame · Rod Laver · Roland Garros · US Open · Wimbledon
