Taube on player provenance

[kingjammy24]

not sure how many caught this piece over in the News section.

http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/latest/authenticating-game-used-bats.html

"Taube says some players create authentication issues by being too liberal with their willingness to inscribe bats as game used when signing them. "There is one major star who will sign anything 'game used' when it is well known that he only uses a certain type of bat in batting practice," he said.
Players under exclusive individual contracts to various memorabilia companies will often agree to provide a game worn jerseys, home run bats, shirts, batting gloves, shoes and other memorabilia for resale. The material is delivered to the memorabilia agency with little or no labelling and when a player comes to sign the items, Taube says it's become obvious that perfect on-site authentication wasn't done.
"They just walk into a room full of equipment. The home run and special event bats aren't marked. They write game used on all of it but In many cases, they're just signing a bat and they really have no idea what it was used for."
Taube says some Latin American players are known for giving less fortunate family and friends game used equipment from their own lockers or from pro colleagues. The material can then be liquidated."

rudy.

[JimCaravello]

Didn't catch that Rudy - John is right about that stuff......On a side note - I personally prefer my GU bats unsigned - I know that the proper signature and an inscription can add value in people's minds to a bat - I actually think it detracts from the bat........just an opinion that is not shared by many who collect game used bats..........I am definitely in the minority on this..........

[skyking26]

Didn't catch that Rudy - John is right about that stuff......On a side note - I personally prefer my GU bats unsigned - I know that the proper signature and an inscription can add value in people's minds to a bat - I actually think it detracts from the bat........just an opinion that is not shared by many who collect game used bats..........I am definitely in the minority on this..........
While I like my stuff signed, I usually get it signed in person. Because you don't (like your stuff signed), just personal preference, which is cool...

[Jags Fan Dan]

The perfect example is the Namath helmet.

On the whole signed vs. unsigned, I may be really in the minority, as I really don't care if a bat is signed or not. It neither adds nor subtracts value to me.

[harpt]

The problem can be that a seller thinks he should get a higher premium because the item is signed.

"Yount game bats generally go for $XX, and Yount autographs generally go for $YY so the price on this autographed game bat is $XX + $YY."

[bigtruck260]

I like them signed.

Not all of the former players I collect are easy to find - and if the sig is authentic, it adds to the history of the item for me.

There are athletes whose signature is so ugly that it almost ruins an item too...

In some cases, the player will rarely sign a bat (Pujols) - so if I can get him someday to sign my bat...the value will increase significantly.

I understand why someone would not want something signed. To each his own...

Dave

[Nnunnari]

The point is, a lot of these inscribed signed bats are not game used yet the uneducated public pays top dollar for them, like a blonde G174 A Rod bat because it's signed "game used" and comes with a LOA. Or guys like Frank Thomas will sign a bat that was used for one at bat- but it's signed "GU" so it will sell for more than well used bat w/o a letter.

Nick

[5kRunner]

Really, what is stopping anyone from writing "Game Used" on a bat? Could anyone tell if ARod inscribed the bat of if I did after he signed it? Its not like anyone can't get their hands on a Sharpie.

[Fnazxc0114]

One of the reasons why i collect bats is in the hopes of getting them signed some day. with the signing habits of my 10-18 texas rangers it might take me a while. so far i have gotten my hamilton, salty, and kinsler bats signed with the g/u insription. it just a matter of choice and hopefully i will never have to sell my collection. also hopefully if blalock or young read this forum lol they will see it and sign my d@@n bat for me.

[metsbats]

I think with the modern day players flooding the market with game used bats these days, inscriptions like "game used" become meaningless. What makes it worse IS some of the meaningless inscriptions (as discussed)being put on bats these days in addition to the wrong ones (bp bats as gamers) or just down right deception ones (where the player didn't use the bat and just signs it GU) Perfect example would be the Gary Sheffield game used spring training bat inscribe with the notation that it was used to hit a homer in a spring training game. So what!

Once again it all about $$ and the truth is that 's what the modern day player only cares about. And that's the only thing the agents and merchandisers of GU items and MLB care about too. I think they are finally realizing the market is flooded with current player gu items and the only real way they can continue to charge a premium or get a premium is to have the player inscribe it whether the item was geninuely used or not.

David