Minor League GU jerseys

[brianborsch]

Hello all,

I was just wondering if minor league GU jerseys of good prospects are actually worth any money in the Gu market? I mean say you have a David Wright or Ryan Zimmerman GU minor league jersey, that's autographed. Would that be of any value in the future? Or is there generally no interest in the minor league memorabilia?

I mean do people consider minor league stuff insignificant as it is not part of the offical career of a ball player? I would say that the minor league stuff is rarer, correct?

[rose14]

Re: Minor League GU jerseys

In my opinion minor league jersey are more valuable as they aren't as plentiful as major league jerseys. In the past minor league teams such as in the Expos organization would use jerseys handed down from the parent club. Minor leagues teams also would only have a couple of jersey for each player such as a 2 home and 2 road. Now with alot of teams selling and auctioning the players jerseys after the season they are replacing them more often.

I have several minor league jerseys of players like Grady Sizemore and Gary Sheffield and others but may favorites are the two Vladimir Guerrero jerseys that I have. I have Vlad's first ever pro jersey from when he played rookie league ball with the Gulf Coast Expos. I also have his Class A New Albany Polecats jersey. Minor league jerseys are usually easy to photo match as I have done it with the two Guerrero's to some baseball cards that were produced back then.

[suave1477]

Re: Minor League GU jerseys

I would say it would really depend on the player. For most collectors I beleive there is more of an interest in the Major League Game Used items then the Minor League, because for obvious reasons the Game Used items from the Major Leagues are from there actual official career as a ball player.

Hypothetical Examples:
Babe Ruth Minor League Game Used Jersey would get tons of interest!!!
Jay Payton - Well if I collected him, I would rather a Major League Jersey!!

[brianborsch]

Re: Minor League GU jerseys

Is it true that in Rookie ball the players only have one game jersey for the whole season? That's what Ib have heard.

[suave1477]

Re: Minor League GU jerseys

I would say that is pretty true unless some rare occasion, in a lot of cases minor League Jerseys were passed down from the Majors or the same Minor League Jersey will be recycled over a couple of seasons to different players.
I have a couple of Minor League jerseys that were worn by 3 or 4 players over a couple of seasons.
Thre names or numbers are usually written on the inside, so you can see the different players who wore it.

[TNTtoys]

Re: Minor League GU jerseys

Jason,

Congratulations -- I think you are the first person ever to use Babe Ruth in the same analogy with Jay Payton!!!

Couldn't resist...

Nick

[suave1477]

Re: Minor League GU jerseys

uuuuum ok............

[ahuff]

Re: Minor League GU jerseys

I'll throw my 2 cents in. Personally, I love minor league jerseys, perhaps even more than their MLB counterparts. My reasoning is that there is typically only one home and one road set. Second, the wear is usually wonderful. No questioning whether the jersey was actually worn. Finally, the jerseys are usually very creative and fun to look at.

However, I've found they are typically less valuable. Reasoning is diverse, I'm sure, and these are just a few of the possible reasons that I've run across. Perhaps it is that many minor league clubs stay with the same logo for a decade, but switch jerseys about every 2-3 years. Therefore, it is hard for collectors to put faith in the fact that the jersey in question was really worn by their favorite player. Second, roster numbers are typically hard to find, even when you contact a team. It could be that the club staff is simply too busy or too lazy to help out. (Many teams switch affiliations, and new affiliations could care less until one of their guys makes the bigs). Players don't always carry the same number throughout the organization, so it is hard to even identify them from season to season. Tagging - hard to determine who should be the manufacturer, size of player, typically lacks distinguishing tagging.

For example, I purchased a K-Rod Butte jersey/pants off Ebay from a VERY reputable collector. The pants even had K-rod's name written in them. I think I paid $135-150 for them, while an Angels K-Rod jersey sold at another auction house for $500+. Another big name minor league jersey I had was a Morgan Ensberg. I did tons of research, and even contacted the manufacturer. We dated the jersey to the era of Ensberg, based on tagging codes. I was only able to get $65-85 for the jersey. Sickening.

[Vintagedeputy]

Re: Minor League GU jerseys

I recently bid a fair amount for a Chuck James Richmond Braves jersey and got skunked by someone who bid like $200 so I guess someone likes minor league jerseys!

[brianborsch]

Re: Minor League GU jerseys

But is it safe to say that this jersey is probably Mr. Cardenas'. Its from the 2006 GCL and it has his name on it. Let me know what you think.