Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

[gaytorhater703]

So lets say you have a gamer jersey or bat/ball that was a milestone for the player....has that player ever offered to try to get the item back while you were trying to get them to sign it.....seems like a sticky situation....it might be your favorite item in your collection and you are a rabid fan...but how can you deny them the ownership of an item that has sentimental value to them....i would venture to guess most stories like this end up with the player offering other items game used or autographed as a trade...anyone got any stories like this.

[Jayworld]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

Yes, I have a partial jersey in my collection; the partial tear-away jersey of A.J. "Jam" Jones who played for Texas in the late 1970s. He saw the photo of it on my SWC Helmet site about three years ago, and he was interested in obtaining it. I asked for a signed piece of memorabilia in return, which he had no problem with, but I have yet to hear anything further from him in the past two years....

[gaytorhater703]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

Sounds like it might have been someone trying to make you think it was him....and backed off when they realized you would prob want to meet face to face instead of just trading for a fake signature item in the mail

[Mulligans]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

Has anyone ever gone out of their way to track down a player to see if they may want an item that might be special to them?

If so....Is it to make huge $ or just to be a good guy?

I think that I would probably fall into the "Good Guy" category.

[TNTtoys]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

I have had 4 such experiences this year alone. I'll leave off the player names, because I don't think it would be right to "out" them...

1. Player looked at jersey and told me "I wish I still had this"

2. Player asked me where I got this and wanted to know if I would part with it. I politely declined, and he then asked if he could take a picture of himself, his son (who attended the signing), me and my two boys (one of them holding up the jersey).

3. Player's family member found my contact details and emailed me out of the blue, asking how they would go about finding the jerseys he once played in. I then was able to locate multiple jerseys of the former player and send them to him at my cost.

4. I received the contact details of a former player whose jersey I have. I offered the jersey to him at my cost. He said "no thanks."

[shoremen44]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

Has anyone ever gone out of their way to track down a player to see if they may want an item that might be special to them?

If so....Is it to make huge $ or just to be a good guy?

I think that I would probably fall into the "Good Guy" category.

I sent Pat Riley a bat that his dad had used... I ate the cost, i figured it would be special to him... he sent me a very nice note and an autographed book

[legaleagle92481]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

I would not converse with anyone who claimed to be a player or a player's relative/friend, etc. reaching out on behalf of a player unless the intial communication took place in person. There is way too much chance for fraud. Alot of us post pics of our collection online or openly discuss them on here. Which leaves us open to scammers just trying to hustle people out of items.

[joelsabi]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

I sent Pat Riley a bat that his dad had used... I ate the cost, i figured it would be special to him... he sent me a very nice note and an autographed book

Definitely you are in the Good Guy category. It is great reading stories like this and nice to hear Coach Pat Riley was appreciative of your efforts.

[sylbry]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

I was having Jack Morris sign a locker room nameplate from his time with the Reds. He asked how much I paid, then took out his wallet but never asked what I wanted. I don't know if he was serious or joking. I would have given it to him for free if he really wanted it.

I have had him sign two jerseys too but that was the only thing he seemed interested in.

[shafrancollectibles.com]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

I had Adrian Aucoin sign a GU Islanders jersey several years back and he was impressed by the jersey. Then, a couple years later, I listed an Aucoin Team Canada jersey on ebay and I got an e-mail from Aucoin asking if I would trade it to him as he wanted it for his collection. We made a deal for an Islanders jersey and some signed items - I really liked the Team Canada shirt but was happy to hook him up as he had been nice to me in the past.

[AWA85]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

I was having Jack Morris sign a locker room nameplate from his time with the Reds. He asked how much I paid, then took out his wallet but never asked what I wanted. I don't know if he was serious or joking. I would have given it to him for free if he really wanted it.

I have had him sign two jerseys too but that was the only thing he seemed interested in.

Did he pay you the amount you paid? Or did he sweeten the deal with a higher cash amount? Only reason I ask, is sometimes you but something but it means more to you or you place a higher value on it. Either way, pretty cool story!

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

Back c. 1981, Twins pitcher wanted a White Sox Veeck-era road jersey of his that I had, as did Bob Scanlan with a 1994 Brewers jersey. Both paid by check, and both were reasonably prompt.

Dave M.
Chicago area

[jobathenut]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

The way i read "sylbry" post is that morris just took out his wallet.He did not buy it from them.

Did he pay you the amount you paid? Or did he sweeten the deal with a higher cash amount? Only reason I ask, is sometimes you but something but it means more to you or you place a higher value on it. Either way, pretty cool story!

[gridman80]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

So lets say you have a gamer jersey or bat/ball that was a milestone for the player....has that player ever offered to try to get the item back while you were trying to get them to sign it.....seems like a sticky situation....it might be your favorite item in your collection and you are a rabid fan...but how can you deny them the ownership of an item that has sentimental value to them....i would venture to guess most stories like this end up with the player offering other items game used or autographed as a trade...anyone got any stories like this.

Years ago I brought Jim Kellly one of his game worn helmets to sign. I asked him to put the year he wore it, which was 1991. He got all snarly and nasty and refused to do it saying that he had 6 helmets stolen. I told him I bought it from a legit dealer and I took it from him quickly after he signed it so he wouldn't be tempted to keep it for himself. I know that he is a collector; but I have heard he is a jerk and he proved it to me that day.

[Sangy 35]

Re: Has a player ever wanted your Game Used item back?

Years ago I brought Jim Kellly one of his game worn helmets to sign. I asked him to put the year he wore it, which was 1991. He got all snarly and nasty and refused to do it saying that he had 6 helmets stolen. I told him I bought it from a legit dealer and I took it from him quickly after he signed it so he wouldn't be tempted to keep it for himself. I know that he is a collector; but I have heard he is a jerk and he proved it to me that day.

Unfortunately, that seems to happen alot. A buddy of mine, and he's not a major collector by any means, he collects from a local minor league hockey team, ran into this. He bought a jersey of a guy who's never seen NHL ice, through a charity auction last May. He put pics of it, another gamer, a half dozen sticks, and some game used pucks online. The player's "wife" contacts him, wanting to know if he'd sell it to the player. He didn't really want to sell it, but agreed, for what he paid, $135.00.


That was unacceptable,the next few emails got worse, apparently what they really wanted was the jersey free of charge, when he declined, the next email said it was "stolen", and law enforcement would be contacted, etc, etc. He scanned his receipt from the team and emailed that, and it stopped cold. Either it was a scam, or the player was a first class minor league jerk. The email addy did contain the player's last name, but it's the internet, who really knows? He did find out through the team that the player wasn't currently, or had ever, been married.


He took down the pics, but all the hassle is why I don't put any pics or the like online. I do have a jersey in my collection that belonged to a local MLB player's father, he's a friend of my brother's, and has expressed an interest in getting it for his Dad. I don't mind doing that, we can make a trade face to face when he's back in town this fall, or playing in the area. But I would never even respond to an inquiry online, too much could be misunderstood and too many scammers out there.