Need help researching 90's Patriots Jersey!

[CeegMotha]

Hello! I'm pretty new to these forums and have really enjoyed seeing such awesome collections!!

I have a NE patriots Jersey from the 90s that I found while volunteering at a thirft store. I picked up the Jersey for 10 bucks and took it home only to realize it was actually signed by the player too! (Drew Bledsoe) No authenticity plaque obviously but Im pretty sure its his Sig...

anyway Im a big pats fan so ive never had the urge to part with this piece, but recently a friend told me he thinks this jersey is an actual NFL issue and not a retail authentic? (I have no idea if i'm using those terms correctly, those are just his words...)

Would love it if some of the knowledgeable folk around here could check out some pictures and tell me what they think? Any help would be appreciated!

Also I can take pics of anything that needs to be checked out, I just had no idea what to look for...

[sox83cubs84]

Sorry to disappoint you, but it's retail authentic, not game issued. Wilson never supplied the Patriots during Beldsoe's time there. and also never used the PRO LINE tag on items issued to teams. The jersey can be dated to 1995, as that shield=shaped Wilson logo was unique to that year (though it also shows up on very occasional recycled jerseys from 1994 and 1996, also). Even as a signed authentic retail jersey though, you still did quite well with picking it up for only $10.

[CeegMotha]

Thanks for the reply!!

Totally not a disappointment as I'm not planning on parting with my Jersey anyway... I must inquire more though

I found a picture browsing these forums of Bledsoe holding up a Jersey super similar to the one I have on draft day, I'll just assume that isn't a real NFL supplied Jersey they're using? The one poster I grabbed the photo from, said some teams did use Pro-Line stuff with no real info to make the statement up haha.

Also why would Wilson add this line about Prestige teams at all, seems to make zero sense and only muddy up the waters on the real/semi-real line. Especially considering some Pro line tags omit that line entirely. Yeesh.

Again thanks for your insight! :)

[CeegMotha]

No edit button! But it looks like starter supplies the Pats jerseys for the 95 season so that would make the Wilson definitely a retail authentic :).

Thanks for some solid info! Hugely helpful.

[CeegMotha]

So I didn't want to start an entire new thread for this continuing topic..

http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com/sports-products/drew-bledsoe-autographed-jersey.html

Can someone check out this link for me? This looks to be the same authentic replica Jersey I have (notice the odd Wilson shield on the link and from my pictures above.) just curious if the price on that autographed Jersey seemed a bit high? Not that I'm going to argue but almost 900 dollars for a Jersey that wasn't even NFL issued seems a bit steep. Anyone have better insight?