Craig Biggio Photomatched Jersey? Opinions Please!

[AstrosCollector]

Hey Guys! I was hoping to get some opinions on this Craig Biggio gamer. I picked this jersey up shortly after Biggio logged his 3,000th hit. The jersey is from 2002 and shows amazing use! It is absolutely is pounded! The jersey has loose stitching everywhere, fraying, piling, puckering and stains! Signs of dirt stains all over the front and pinetar stains on the right shoulder.

The jersey was obtained from a former Astros bat boy who said he got the jersey directly from Craig following the 2002 season. I found a couple photos of Biggio during the '02 season and wanted to see what everyone thought of a photomatch:

The pinstripes seem to touch the lettering and numbering on the jersey in the same spots. The pinstripes on the shoulders seem to match up as well. Notice how there is a pinstripe that touches all of the buttons as well. There also seems to be a pinstripe "missing" where the jersey is buttoned up. The flap from one side of the jersey covers up the pinstripe that is directly under the "t".


http://www.iconsportsmedia.com/previews/Baseball/Misc%20Baseball/7500096_Astros_v_Cubs.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z217/astroscollector/biggio007.jpg



You can also see the loose threads on the back of the neck in both pictures as well as the picture above.


http://www.iconsportsmedia.com/previews/Baseball/Misc%20Baseball/7500098_Astros_v_Cubs.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z217/astroscollector/biggio008.jpg



I would appreciate everyone's thoughts! Thanks!

Andy

[eGameUsed]

Andy,

Looks dead on to me! I saw this one on eBay right after the hits. Nice pick-up!

Thanks,

[bigtruck260]

Incredible. Looks accurate to my eyes.

[dcrules01]

Wow look at his helmet....Awesome pickup he was a true gamer totally old school...

[gameused]

Andy,

Nice Biggio jersey photo match!

Now this is what I call game worn/used, loose stitches, fraying, piling, puckering and stains.

I see a lot of so called game worn jerseys on the market that look like they were never worn or just came pressed from the dry cleaners!

Think about it, if you were a MLB player and you had a home game and lets say you have 3 home jerseys in your locker to choose from, I would grab the same worn down comfortable jersey everytime and leave the other two on the rack.

Sorry I got off the subject........Congrats on a fine example of a game worn/used jersey, from one heck of a player that I will miss seeing on baseball diamond.

Bobby

[island_style]

Andy,

Congrats on a great addition! Nice photo-matched jersey of a certain Hall of Famer!

Instead of my usual "Kind Regards" closing, I'll sign off with...

Very jealous,

Ron.

Rsamiano@aol.com

[AstrosCollector]

Thank you to everyone who has shared their opinion!

I have always wanted a Biggio jersey, but as you know, you don't see that many on the market. When you do, they look as Bobby mentioned, like they just came back pressed from the dry cleaners! I decided that I would hold out until I could find one that I was able to photomatch so I knew it was 100% authentic.

When I received the jersey, I was absolutely amazed at the use. It's hard to try to capture it in the pictures, with the flash and everything, but it is hammered. I can try to capture more use, if anyone is interested. Biggio was a tough player and the jersey shows it! I wish I was able to find more photos from the 2002 season of Biggio, so I could try to see just how long he wore the jersey for. By the use alone, I am sure he wore it for a good amount of the season.

It will be very sad and weird on Opening Day when neither Bagwell or Biggio are on the field for the Astros. Both were true gamers and future Hall of Famers.

Thanks again Ron and Bobby!

Andy

[skinner16]

Andy, I know Craig and he says he has his jersey from that year. Don't want to rain on your parade but don't want you to get ripped off.

[hblakewolf]

Andy, I know Craig and he says he has his jersey from that year. Don't want to rain on your parade but don't want you to get ripped off.

Skinner-
Quite possibly Biggio indeed does have one of his home jersey he wore from the 2002 season, however, he did wear more than one home jersey, correct? I doubt he has everyhome set worn during 2002. Furthermore, I highly doubt that two jerseys were made that match the photo EXACTLY. Possibly you can ask Biggio to email you a photo of his jersey, allowing us to compare it to the jersey in question and also try to photo match it.

Andy, based on the exact photo match, it appears you have one of the best Biggio's in the hobby.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[AstrosCollector]

Andy, based on the exact photo match, it appears you have one of the best Biggio's in the hobby.
Howard - Thank you very much for your opinion and the compliments on the jersey!


Andy, I know Craig and he says he has his jersey from that year. Don't want to rain on your parade but don't want you to get ripped off.
Skinner - Wow, very interesting information. Thank you for sharing. If you don't mind me asking, did you happen to talk to Craig after you saw this post or did you just remember this information from a previous conversation you had with him? Based on the photos, it seems to be the exact jersey and based on the wear, he seems to have worn it for a good amount of time.

I look forward to your response.
Thanks,
Andy

[eGameUsed]

Andy,

I agree with Howard. Even a player like Biggio that does utilize his equipment to their fullest (ie. helmet, repaired pants, etc.), will wear more than one per year. Again, nice find on the jersey and I am thrilled you found a match. I am searching and searching for matches to my 2001 and 2003 Home Pinstripes.

Thanks,

[skinner16]

I asked him after seeing this forum. He has also told me in the past that he does indeed wear 1 jersey the whole season.
I'm not going to ask him to take a pic of the jersey. I don't think he wants to get involved in this. My reason for commenting was to help someone not get ripped off.

[hblakewolf]

Skinner-
The proof, in this case, is in the photo match. Regardless of what Biggio may have told you, how can you explain the dead-on photo match?

Likewise, I've never heard of a player wearing one home or road shirt for the entire season. What did Biggio do doing travel days when the team had their dirty laundry in their wet-bags? Did he wear an unwashed shirt?

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[eGameUsed]

Skinner16,

I too find that wearing only one jersey per season of any style is hard to believe. I have recent jerseys from 2001, 2003, and 2006 that show obvious signs of Biggio style wear that I have not been able to photo match. The 2006 is a road red style Cool Base that has pine tar on the sleeve. Can you ask Biggio if he still has his 2006 red alternate jersey? I purchased it direct from the Astros. The 2001 and 2003 also came from great sources.

I think one thing to note is that Craig has shows many signs of disdain for collectors of game used equipment. Everytime I show up to a signing with a game bat, he frowns as if you stole it. I would not be surprised if Craig tells you any item was not sued by him to avoid the obvious.

As Howard has mentioned, there is no denying a photo match.

Andy,

You have a jersey that is a PERFECT match. You already know I wish I had it and hope to entice you to sell it one day!

Skinner16,

What is your name? I am always looking for people to help with info on Craig since he is not as kind to collector's as other players.

Thanks,

[hblakewolf]

Skinner/Chris-
An easy method to either prove or disprove Biggio's story is as follows:

Can Rudy or someone familiar with searching photo sites post photos Biggio wearing his home jersey(s) in 2002? We already have a perfect photo match to the shirt in question, however, based on the possible photos that are located, it will allow us to determine the validity of this issue.

Again, I will be willing to bet that several different pinstripe patters can be produced, showing that indeed, Biggio wore several different home jerseys in 2002.

Any takers?

As a side note, if Biggio wore one home shirt for an entire season, it would look like rag-80+ washings for one shirt?

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[skinner16]

Look, I'm not trying to make you people mad. I'm just telling you what I was told. So I guess it's his word against whoever has the jersey. All of you have a lot more knowledge of this stuff than me.

How can you tell the pics in this thread are all from 2002?

I don't see why a player couldn't wear the same jersey all year? They don't wear it every game. The Astros have 3 different home styles.

[skinner16]

Oh, forgot about the bet. I'm not ready to bet but I would like to see if we could find out by photo if he had more than one jersey from any year.

[skinner16]

"The 2006 is a road red style Cool Base that has pine tar on the sleeve."


Chris, Do you have a photo match on this one?

[eGameUsed]

Skinner16,

No photomatch yet. It is a red alternate home and is very difficult to match without pinstripes or a phot showing the pine tar spot. As you probably know, the Astros go to great efforts to scrub the tar out of shoulders. However, this stain is under the arm. Craig commonly puts his bat under his arm when preparing for an at bat. I haven't found a photo with this match. However, the left sleeve shows significant wear (as they usually do) from his elbow gear.

I will post photos tonight of my 2006 Biggio. Maybe you can ask Craig if he thinks it is legit. I did purchase direct from the team, and craig signed it as such.

Thanks,

[AstrosCollector]

Look, I'm not trying to make you people mad. I'm just telling you what I was told. So I guess it's his word against whoever has the jersey.
Hi again Skinner - I am the one who owns the jersey. I appreciate you posting the information that Craig told you. If you don't mind, would you please shoot me an email?

[skinner16]

I'm accepting pm's.

[skinner16]

Chris, You can just call the Astros and buy jersey's?

[eGameUsed]

Skinner16,

Unfortunately not! However, they do auction off jerseys from time to time. Sorry I didn't post photos last night, but I will tonight.

I have a 1999 Biggio Home Jersey I would like an opinion on and was hoping Craig could validate the size and use characteristics. If I send photos could you do that for me. You seem to have great access to him and he frowns upon me when I ask questions at signings (ie. you might recall the 2005 World Series bat issue). Do you have an e-mail address that I can communicate with you through?

Thanks,

[skinner16]

I don't talk to him on a daily basis and don't want to start quizzing him on stuff but if there's something I know I'll pass along. I don't remember a bat issue. what happened?

[AstrosCollector]

Hi Skinner-

Tried to send you a PM but it says that you are not accepting them. Please advise.

Andy

[hblakewolf]

A fellow collector who focuses on alternate game jerseys, indicated that he watched quite a few of the Astros games when they wore the red alternates. He said that it appeared that Biggio never wore the Cool Base jersey, even though the other players on the team did. Can anyone provide a photo of Biggio wearing the red Cool Base from 2006?

The challenge is made.....

Thankas.
Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[hblakewolf]

WHOOPS! I should have indicated that in 2007, not 2006, it's my understanding that Biggio did not waer the Cool Base jerseys. There are a few good shots on Getty of him wearing this type of jersey in 2006 in Florida and Texas.

Chris, can you post a few shots of your 2006 jersey, especially showing the fantastic use?

Thanks.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[eGameUsed]

Howard,

You are correct, Craig went against the norm in 2007. From what I hear, Majestic offered the Cool Base style begining in 2006 to each team for one of the styles. The Astros, having 5 different styles, chose the road red alternate as there Cool Base. From what I can tell, every player (including Craig) wore the Cool Base in 2006. Here are photos of my 2006 Biggio Cool Base. It is a Size 46 (his size of choice since mid 1997 or so) with 45th Anniversary of Houston Baseball patch. Craig signed the back #7. The Astros use some sort of method (surfactant or solvent) to remove pine tar from jerseys. It is hard to tell from the photos, but there are some stains under the sleeve from Craig placing the bat under his arm while he preps his batting gloves and slight residue that has hardened the top seam of each shoulder. You will also notice the heavy fraying to the inside seam of the sleeves. This area, as well as the neck stitching, usually gets abused by Craig.

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[eGameUsed]

I don't talk to him on a daily basis and don't want to start quizzing him on stuff but if there's something I know I'll pass along. I don't remember a bat issue. what happened?

Skinner16,

You and I got into a discussion regarding Craig's use of the "2005 World Series" labeled bats last year. At a public signing, I asked Craig if he used his specially labeled bats and he indicated he did not. You indicate he told you that he did. I currently have one of the issued an unused Biggio World Series bats (I wish it was used as it would be a much nicer piece). I am not sure if I ever posted pictures, but will later for the sake of those that are interested in seeing the special labeling.

Thanks,

[AstrosCollector]

Skinner-

Would you mind checking your account options and make sure that you are not only accepting PM's from just members of your buddy list and moderators; or can you please add me to your buddy list so that I can ask you a question. I can be reached at the email below if that is easier.

Thanks,
Andy