Cliff Johnson Game Jersey Blue Jays

[delhommejake17]

Picked up Cliff Johnson Game used jersey from 1985. Does tagging look correct. I have invoice were the gentleman paid $375 back in 1986. Any info would help...thanks:)

[sox83cubs84]

Bad news...Blue Jays jerseys of 1985 were strip tagged in the collar (included player uniform number),not in the tail. Also, the embroidery font in the tail tag is a crudely hand-sewn one...in fact, it looks almost identical to the tail tag in the fake Tigers Jack Morris from an earlier thread.

Johnson was a sold veteran, but not a major star. Regardless, a jersey like this is one of those rare common player forgeries, made beacuse, in the 1980s and early 90's, the Blue Jays released very little in the way of game-used attire and the scarcity it produced made even common Jays jerseys a $300 item.

Dave Miedema

[cjw]

Dave is correct....bad fake. In addition the "44" numbering font is way off for the Jays and the "JOHNSON" would not have been sewn on in a nameplate, instead the letters would have been applied directly to the jersey.

Sorry. Get your money back.

[delhommejake17]

Thanks Dave so much for the info...you have been very helpful..i have one other baseball..I think it is Sal Butera..Surely no one forged a jersey of his...Blue Jays

[cjw]

That looks good. Jersey was made up as an extra, thus the year notation in the collar only (without uniform number and set number).

[delhommejake17]

thanks..for your input...gentleman had massive collection of jerseys....and apparently there were some fakes in there...sometimes hard to tell....the others I have all have paperwork from the MLB teams...Thanks again for your time

[vballGuy]

Bad news...Blue Jays jerseys of 1985 were strip tagged in the collar (included player uniform number),not in the tail. Also, the embroidery font in the tail tag is a crudely hand-sewn one...in fact, it looks almost identical to the tail tag in the fake Tigers Jack Morris from an earlier thread.

Johnson was a sold veteran, but not a major star. Regardless, a jersey like this is one of those rare common player forgeries, made beacuse, in the 1980s and early 90's, the Blue Jays released very little in the way of game-used attire and the scarcity it produced made even common Jays jerseys a $300 item.

Dave Miedema

Great points, Dave, and I agree, the jersey tagging is all wrong. Believe it or not, there are many forged Jays jerseys from the 80s because they are so darn rare. The Jays did not sell these jerseys to the public, and instead, filtered most of their jerseys down to the minors for re-use. "Forging" common players like Johnson, Moseby, Barfield, etc. is not unheard of, due to the fact that legitimate jerseys from the 80s are next to impossible to find.

I think this is why I cherish my 85 Fernandez powder blue jersey and my 86 Gruber home jersey so much...:).

[delhommejake17]

So,looks like the Johnson is fake, but would it be safe to say the SAL BUTERA...Blue Jays looks legit...thanks again

[vballGuy]

So,looks like the Johnson is fake, but would it be safe to say the SAL BUTERA...Blue Jays looks legit...thanks again

It appears as though your Cliff Johnson has been well-documented as a "fake". One forum member who is extremely knowledgeable on the subject has a Blue Jays jersey guide - check out p. 21. It looks as though the strip tag on your jersey AND the second "4" on the backside match-up with the "fake" that is purported in the guide.

As for your Butera, from the shots you posted, it looks ok. However, there doesn't appear to be much wear on the jersey as indicated by the strip tag. As a previous forum member stated, this is a "spare" jersey, so it possible Butera used it for one a few games in order to try out a new size.

One last point: The Jays started selling their jerseys in 2001, with jerseys dating from 1988-present. The fact that you have a 1988 road gamer with no Blue Jays COA/hologram begs the question as to where the seller obtained it from. Of course, I have seen some 88 gamers with no COA/hologram, but most still have provenance connected with someone at the Blue Jays organization.

[vballGuy]

It appears as though your Cliff Johnson has been well-documented as a "fake". One forum member who is extremely knowledgeable on the subject has a Blue Jays jersey guide - check out p. 21. It looks as though the strip tag on your jersey AND the second "4" on the backside match-up with the "fake" that is purported in the guide.

As for your Butera, from the shots you posted, it looks ok. However, there doesn't appear to be much wear on the jersey as indicated by the strip tag. As a previous forum member stated, this is a "spare" jersey, so it possible Butera used it for one a few games in order to try out a new size.

One last point: The Jays started selling their jerseys in 2001, with jerseys dating from 1988-present. The fact that you have a 1988 road gamer with no Blue Jays COA/hologram begs the question as to where the seller obtained it from. Of course, I have seen some 88 gamers with no COA/hologram, but most still have provenance connected with someone at the Blue Jays organization.

Sorry forgot to post the guide: http://www.glory-jays.com/Blue_Jays_Reference.pdf

[delhommejake17]

Thanks so much for all the info, especially the website..I did want to post the invoice from 1986 were jersey was purchased, to show how soon it was faked back then.