As the Mariners game against the Toronto Blue Jays played in the background last Saturday, a customer at Throwbacks Northwest grabbed a prized item — a vintage starter jacket — but stopped short of purchasing it.
“ ‘If they win, I will buy the jacket,’ ” owner Rio Estolas recalled the customer saying. So the shopper held on to the piece as the Mariners made their comeback against the Blue Jays.
The Mariners prevailed after a seven-run deficit and the customer bought the jacket, an item that typically sells for about $150 to $250. And they weren’t the only person in line. Within 30 minutes of the win that advanced the Mariners to the ALDS, the Capitol Hill store sold about $1,000 worth of merchandise — all from the baseball rack that’s normally the thinnest of any in the shop.
“Mariners used to be one of the items that would sit longer than any other sport locally,” Estolas said this week. “It’s cool to see this as the No. 1 thing now that has been moving. We’re trying to chase down as much Mariners stuff as possible.”
Mariners fans — the long-suffering Seattle natives and the bandwagon supporters alike — have flocked to resell shops and online storefronts in droves the past few weeks as the team plays in their first postseason in 21 years. Sellers attribute the interest to a combination of nostalgia, fashion trends and timing: The Mariners’ last successful run was two decades ago, so any items from that time are considered vintage now.
“A lot of people shop here because they’re into fashion,” Estolas said. “Now people want a piece of history.”
It’s also about the hunt for apparel and collectibles. It’s easier to buy a Julio Rodriguez T-shirt from the Mariners team store than to get your hands on an authentic Ken Griffey Jr. road jersey from 1995 (currently up for bid on eBay for $189.99) or a 1980 official program and souvenir magazine (on sale at Goodwill for $10).
Google searches for “Mariners vintage” peaked on Oct. 5, when the Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers to finish their regular season, according to Google Trends, which tracks searches.
Court Potter, who owns the online store Vintage Sports Gear, sold several hats and jerseys over the past week, and a Seattle bar owner bought seven old-school shirts from him for a raffle on Saturday. A 2001 “Let’s Mojo” crew neck sweatshirt and a “Mariners row” shirt featuring 1997 sluggers Griffey, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez and Alex Rodriguez are sold out, but a 1995 Western Division champions shirt is still available, for $39.99.
“People realize they can just be a little different, and the older stuff is way better manufactured and made,” said Potter, who lives in Bellingham but used to sell items on a Ballard corner.
Nate Alexander, 37, began collecting baseball cards when he was 8 or 9, but hadn’t done so for nearly 30 years. But he started buying Topps Now trading cards again, for reasons he couldn’t explain, except to commemorate the wins.
“Just a magical season,” said Alexander, a Mariners fan who lives in San Diego and had just returned from Houston, where he went to Game 2 against the Astros.
During warmups, outfielder Jarred Kelenic threw him a baseball.
“So now I have a postseason memento,” Alexander said.