Incredibly rare Jerry Rice 1988 Pro Bowl jeresey exhibiting light overall use. The Wilson size 44 jersey has "NATIONAL" and "80" vinyl numbers and letters heat transferred on the front and "RICE 80" on the back. The Wilson size 44 tag is sewn into the lower left front tail. Back in 1988 there was only one jersey made for the players which makes this particular Rice jersey so rare and difficult to acquire. Accompanied by a detailed letter of provenance from the original owner of the jersey dated April 3rd, 1998. He worked on the equipment staff for the NFC team in 1988. He mentions that players would give their jerseys away as tips to members of the staff as a thanks for all they did for them during that week of the Pro Bowl. Some players would just leave the jerseys behind because they didn't think anything of it or that they may have value. It is important to note that the 1988 jerseys were not produced in quantity as they are today. Very rare, early career Jerry Rice Pro Bowl jersey from only his 4th year in the NFL. He would go on to play 17 more years after this Pro Bowl. Here is an article showing the year-by-year migration of Pro Bowl jerseys dating back to 1971.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1802967-nfl-pro-bowl-uniforms-through-the-years
The jerseys were very similar from 1971-1994. They didn't start adding patches to the top shoulders until 1989 while 1988 was the ONLY season in which the jerseys had numbers on the top shoulders. This directly ties this jersey to the 1988 season and, along with the letter of provenance, makes this a highly coveted Jerry Rice jersey.