Opinions wanted: All members

[UGA-1]

Hello to all,
First let me send out thanks to all who have helped me on this forum. In the short time I have been here, I have been blown away by the knowledge given to me by various members. I just wish I could have found this site, or even new about it, when I sarted getting into collecting.
Here is the straw that has broken my back with companies like MEARS and all the others that make money for "opinions". In my profession(electrician) you don't make a dime on opinions. These people shouldn't either. As a young uneducated collector, I hit the groung running. My first objective, to get a Barry Sanders gamer. I look around and finally find that jersey of my favorite player. I'm estatic, but not stupid, I thought. I look for pics but can't find any that lock it down in a photomatch. Then the seller informs me it comes with 2(yes 2!) COA's. One from Legend Lou, and the other from MEARS. At this point, I'm convinced it must be authentic with a MEARS letter of "opinion". I trusted that these people who know more about the hobby truly did. Well, guess what? They don't. I can do the same job these guys do and save a whole lot of money. Hopefully we can spread the word and eventually put these crooks out of OUR misery. Just for funnzies, I am posting pics of the jersey, and the worthless paperwork. What can we do to put and end to these companies surviving on uneducated collectors? We sit here and watch items on Ebay get bid after bid, knowing that the person is throwing their money away on a junk. I want to help stop this when I have the chance. Share your ideas.
(Just a side note on my jersey and the LOO from MEARS. One of the Getty images they used to syle match the jersey was actually used to show me what was WRONG with my jersey. Isn't that special!!)

[RKGIBSON]

UGA-1,
Don't feel like the Lone Ranger having purchased items that prove to be not as represented. Below are the 2 Getty photos listed as style photo matched. Basically the same ones we used to question the jersey.

I maintain that the auction houses use authenticators as a insulation from liability. When the authenticators are wrong in there opinion, oh well, we did nothing wrong is the answer. Somebody did. Fraud is what it is called.

The grading sheet that MEARS uses, if you have those post them also, look like something that is used to take inventory in a warehouse. Smoke and mirrors, to look like they are actually doing something about verifing that the item is in fact game used. The listing of Getty pictures does say the tried to match it, just did not a critical enough eye and first hand knowledge of what the are being paid to evaluate. The sheet does nothing for lack of knowledge. The A5 grade in real terms means 50% chance that it is real.

Roger

[b.heagy]

What was the response from MEARS about your concerns?

[UGA-1]

I have not contacted MEARS as of this time. But i plan too.

Roger, here is the "inventory" sheet on the jersey. Yes, I agree, A5 does mean 50/50 chance it is real according to a paid authenticator, but in the real world those odds are only good in Vegas. I just don't understand how a jersey can be 50% real. Doesn't that still mean its fake?? Their paperwork does nothing to mention the problems with the jersey. Thats where they are being dishonest. Everything in the paperwork talks about what is good with it. Problem is, just one bad thing usually means the thing is 100% fake. If MEARS would have just stated in the evaluation that there were a few things that did not look correct, then I would not have purchased the jersey. But as we all know, thats the reason they don't.

[UGA-1]

Here Is The Inventory Sheet

[lund6771]

UGA-1...

I would try contacting Mears and tell them your story....they offer some sort of a buyer protection program on their authentications...I don't believe they will try and pull the "all sales final" card on you...I've heard they really do care

As far as the authentication itself....I've never been able to understand the A5 grade...like Roger stated, it's a 50% chance the thing is real

I firmly believe that NOONE should authenticate any item unless they've had a real one to examine first...the differences between yours and Rogers is as great as black & white...

A real Sanders is so extremely rare....if Mears has ever had a real one in their hands, there is no way that they would have authenticated yours...the customizations are insane

So I guess I don't understand what the harm would be for Mears to say that they are not knowledgable enough to be able to accurately authenticate a specific item

Oh yeah, they wouldn't get paid

[UGA-1]

Yes, I am going to mail them to at least see why they would allow a jersey that is obviously flawed, to be put in circulation for a novice collector to be separated from his money. Fortunately, with the help of the great people on this site, I will never be a victim again. I'm fine with this discovery about my Sanders. I'm a big boy and vented my frustration. It just bothers the mess out of me that so many are still being used in this authentication racket. You would think they would learn that when you put your company sticker on something, you are putting your reputation on the line. These companies remind me of that corner car salesman with with the slick backed hair and polyester suit trying to sell trying to sell a banged up pinto like its a corvette. Just gets old after awhlie.:(

[aeneas01]

how hard is it to pick out the best online images that best support the game used item you are claiming to authenticate, especially when the images are from the same online source (getty for example)? taking it a step further, how hard is it to pick out the best images when the relevant search returns are on the same page?

mears chose to use getty image 285004 as support for the back of the jersey, presumably because this shot also included a shot of the patch on a facing player. of course the image quality is absolutely horrendous and niether the back of the jersey nor the patch can be seen in any detal. yet one row down there's a very nice picture of sanders' nob and two rows down there's a nice shot of sanders' patch. but these shots weren't used. why? the same absurd getty photo referencing can be seen on a bonds jersey mears authenticated - pointing to an image for the sake of pointing to an image with apparently zero interest in whether or not the image actually supports the game used item being reviewed.

which picture would be most helpful do you suppose - the bottom one which mears chose to use or the top one which is on the same page, one row down? hmm...


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/bs1.jpg


speaking of crack authentication work and given that the poster is apparently a georgia fan, how about this gem that was recently listed at vintage authentics (top right photo). it's said to be a late '60s georgia gamer and lampson graded it an 8.5 (whatever the heck that means!). not only is the "g" butchered and appears to be homemade, but it also has a black border. did georgia ever use such a black-bordered decal? if so it didn't make it to the 1969 sports illustrated cover (top left photo). if so it sure can't be seen in the late '60s b&w photo of the georgia player below. and if so it would be news to the curator of georgia's sports museum (butts-mehre heritage hall). the thing is georgia is quite proud of the fact that their logo hasn't changed in the past 50 years or so...

add to this mess, the center white stripe has been added and then carefully cut around the rivets to make it appear as if it were factory applied (read authentic). mama mia....

http://www.vintageauthentics.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=103135735&prmenbr=57735959&aunbr=103482445

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/ge1.jpg


...

[chicagoglen]

I am looking back and forth at all pictures provided and I can't find what makes the Mears jersey bad? What am I missing? I feel like I am doing one of those "What's different" games with a picture going from the Getty pictures to the original posters pictures. Someone just tell me what is wrong so I can find out.

Thanks,

Glen

[UGA-1]

Hi Aeneas and Glen,
Well Roger pointed a couple of things out very quickly with the Sanders, and then i noticed some more.
1-Font on my nameplate is too fat(look at the "B"s in both plates)
2- My sleeves are cut clean while a real Sanders is hemmed
3-Repair work on my jersey does not match other examples
4-My patch is a little too low(notice seam on mine and in pics)
5-Spacing between the "2" and "0" on sleeve is to narrow for his 93 jerseys(I did find pics of his 94 season jerseys that have this more narrow font spacing)
If you see others please point them out.

The UGA helmet is not authentic. Only change in 50 years with the "G" logo has been size(smaller now) and very slight change in roundness(older logo is a slight more pointed than the newer logo. And never has UGA had a black outline on the logo.(the white border is too wide also) I might not know a Sanders gamer when I buy one, but I'm pretty good at UGA stuff!
Thanks guys!

[ivo610]

how did this turn out?

[chakes89]

Anybody else notice that the "60th Anniversary" patch on the jersey was mis-identified as a "50th Anniversary" patch on the letter in the original post?

[jppopma]

Glad to this this thread updates, as I missed it back in April.

It is amazing to see certain jerseys resurface after years. I was offered this SAME jersey a few years ago and passed based on the same issues that UGA points out.

Now the funny part....

It was offered up to me as team issued back then, and had NO wear (or authentication letters). If you look at the details of the wear they look very "specific" and doctored. Maybe it's just obvious to me since I saw the before version of this jersey.

I had been hopeful to find at least a style match based on the custom sleeves, but could not find anything even close.

Hope it worked out for you UGA.