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RobSteinmetz
12-19-2006, 02:05 PM
Anyone have any thoughts on the '95 Cal Ripken, Jr. All-Star jersey currently listed on eBay? If legit, this could be one of the most important Ripken shirts on the market...worn in the All-Star Game during his 2131 season. Seller states in the Q&A section that he's hoping to get $12,000 for it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330063548170&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=014

hblakewolf
12-19-2006, 02:28 PM
Rob-
Although it may be the real thing, how can one even possibly consider buying it without being able to see the front/tagging? Likewise, how can you be certain that this is the jersey that was originally purchased from the Alll Star gamew (i.e., maybe it's the original LOA, however not the same shirt). Unless there's a way to inspect the front, I'd pass.

I'll contact the seller with my request.

I had the same situation recently with a 1983 Carlton Phillies jersey. Great looking jersey from the back, however, the seller was not willing to open the frame and allow inspection of the front/tagging.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

kingjammy24
12-19-2006, 05:53 PM
i concur with howo regarding the tagging issue. $12k and they can't take it out of the frame? mlb letter or not, how can anyone, including a ripken expert, fork over any amount of money without seeing the front and the tagging? for all anyone knows it could have a retail tag in the front.

anyway, i'm always a little leery when i see an allstar, world series, or other important shirt for sale because i wonder why it's not in the player's own collection. i understand that most players don't care about a regular season shirt, but i'd think many would want to keep something like a world series jersey. i understand that many legit all-star and world series shirts have made their way into the market but as a general rule of thumb, i'd want to the provenance to be much more solid than i'd expect for a regular season gamer simply due to the increased likelihood that the player would've kept the item for themselves.

regarding the specific mlb letter/program mentioned in the ebay ad, i once had an all-star tell me that he and several of his all-star teammates deliberately had duplicates made up of their all-star jerseys prior to the game because they knew the mlb rep would come to collect the gamers and they wanted to keep their allstar shirts. he said that when they got in the clubhouse after the game, they quickly pulled a switch and gave the mlb rep the duplicates. the mlb rep arrived in the clubhouse after the game and had no idea what went down. oddly enough i also once read an account by an mlb rep who was charged with collecting pieces after an all-star game and he noted that the pieces he collected were sweat-laden and that after only 1 day in a storage bag, smelled horrendous. i suppose some players keep their pieces and some don't. who knows what ripken did in 1995. just a word of warning when acquiring historically significant pieces.

rudy.

hblakewolf
12-20-2006, 02:06 PM
I asked the seller of this jersey if it's possible to see the tagging.

Here's the reply:
Q:Hello- Can you send me a photo of the front of the shirt and specifically the tagging in the tail? Thanks. Howard Wolf Dec-20-06http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/x.gifhttp://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/x.gifhttp://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/x.gifA:I'm sorry but the jersey is set in the frame front side down. The back of the frame is sealed with brown paper. I would rather not tamper with the original packaging. Again sorry. If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know. Chele

What type of serious collector would even consider bidding without a clue to the tagging on this?

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmewdia.net

suave1477
12-20-2006, 03:20 PM
Howard I agree with you a 100% no doubt about it before you make such a huge purchase like that you want to do your homework.

BUT look at it from his side also as a seller (assuming the Jersey is real) he wants to sell it as close to its original state as possible to get the best premium high bid he can get on it - in the same token it will also harm getting bids from the serious collector but he is probably not looking at it from a Collecting standpoint, but a Selling standpoint.

Just my 2 cents.

nickacs
03-07-2010, 11:21 PM
Imagine what you can find when you 'Search' for something :) haha...

The current Higgins & Scott auction looks like it has the same Ripken '95 All-Star jersey from the discussions in this thread. Of course the Ebay link doesn't work, but sounds like it since the offered auction jersey is in a sealed case, face down with MLB paperwork.

I was curious if anyone has any pics/actual '95 AS game footage to photomatch the two dirt stains on the top left shoulder area just to see if this is legit or not. I am very interested in bidding on the jersey, but as the previous posts have said, I would want to see the tagging before I place a bid and "hope for the best".

Thanks!

hugginsandscottauctions
03-16-2010, 03:09 PM
We have received a few serious inquiry's into the authenticity of this jersey. The questions raised were valid and this thread also led us to the conclusion that removing this jersey from the frame to view the front of the jersey and see the tagging was important. We received authorization from the consignor to do so and have removed it from the frame. Here are the findings:

A second "ORIGINAL" LOA on MLB letterhead was also inside of the frame. The contents of the letter was similar to the "ORIGINAL" LOA that was shown on the front, signed by Gene Budig. The second LOA was signed by Donald Fehr.

There is a "95" year tag sewn to under the Russell Authentic Diamond Collection Size 48 tag.

There is the strip of velcro sewn between the 2nd and 3rd buttons on the front of the jersey.

There is staining on the front of the jersey.

Based on the findings, we are 100% confident that this jersey is in fact THE single jersey that Cal Ripken Jr. wore in the 1995 All Star Game. We have added images to the description of the front of the jersey and shown images of the original letters on MLB letter head, that accompany this jersey. If there are any other questions, please don't hesitate to email or call us.

Thanks
Josh Wulkan
Vice President
Huggins and Scott Auctions
www.hugginsandscott.com
1-866-462-2273

sportscentury
03-16-2010, 05:45 PM
We have received a few serious inquiry's into the authenticity of this jersey. The questions raised were valid and this thread also led us to the conclusion that removing this jersey from the frame to view the front of the jersey and see the tagging was important. We received authorization from the consignor to do so and have removed it from the frame. Here are the findings:

A second "ORIGINAL" LOA on MLB letterhead was also inside of the frame. The contents of the letter was similar to the "ORIGINAL" LOA that was shown on the front, signed by Gene Budig. The second LOA was signed by Donald Fehr.

There is a "95" year tag sewn to under the Russell Authentic Diamond Collection Size 48 tag.

There is the strip of velcro sewn between the 2nd and 3rd buttons on the front of the jersey.

There is staining on the front of the jersey.

Based on the findings, we are 100% confident that this jersey is in fact THE single jersey that Cal Ripken Jr. wore in the 1995 All Star Game. We have added images to the description of the front of the jersey and shown images of the original letters on MLB letter head, that accompany this jersey. If there are any other questions, please don't hesitate to email or call us.

Thanks
Josh Wulkan
Vice President
Huggins and Scott Auctions
www.hugginsandscott.com (http://www.hugginsandscott.com)
1-866-462-2273

If I wanted to aggressively go after this piece, I would first see if it photomatched (there appears to be one Getty image of Cal in the 1995 All Star game):
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/51687162/AFP
I don't know what the quality of the full-sized image is, but there sure are a lot of unique identification characteristics shown on the jersey in the H&S auction.

Sonny25
03-16-2010, 06:09 PM
Why not just watch a copy of the game?

There's numerous baseball game collectors out there that would have a copy of this game on DVD.

sportscentury
03-16-2010, 06:26 PM
Why not just watch a copy of the game?

There's numerous baseball game collectors out there that would have a copy of this game on DVD.

If you have access to a good copy and can video-match to the same degree of accuracy, great. Regardless of photo-match or video-match, the point was that I would want a match before getting into what is likely going to be a bidding war for this rare Ripken shirt.

nickacs
03-16-2010, 06:58 PM
Why not just watch a copy of the game?

There's numerous baseball game collectors out there that would have a copy of this game on DVD.

Exactly.... So, who has a copy? :D

ironmanfan
03-16-2010, 07:35 PM
Exactly.... So, who has a copy? :D

Was 1995 THAT long ago? I have a VHS copy that I made that night...

My favorite part it is the Larry "Bud" Melman "1-800-Collect" filmed at Reading's Municipal Stadium after the 7th inning

nickacs
03-16-2010, 07:43 PM
Sorry, I just never taped it "back then". I scoured the net looking for more pics, but couldn't find any Ripken ones from that game.
If anyone has any pics or game footage to show the game use, I'd be very interested.

Sonny25
03-16-2010, 07:54 PM
After doing a quick google search I came across this site, I've never traded with this guy, but know others that have & say he is easy to deal with.

Anyways, he has a rebroadcast of the '95 game.

http://www.stevessportsworld.com/mlb.htm

ironmanfan
03-17-2010, 08:01 AM
i've gotten so many inquiries regarding this shirt that i went to my tape library, pulled the tape & watched the entire game last night (VHS; SP mode), took some screen shots that i'll probably post tonite or in the near future and let people draw their own conclusions..

a few years ago, his un-used Rawlings bat from this All Star Game (was originally given to Hideo Nomo as a gift) was listed on eBay and fortunately, I was the sole bidder (later had him sign it)..


http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/DSC00922.jpg

entitled_nitwits
03-17-2010, 11:06 PM
i've gotten so many inquiries regarding this shirt that i went to my tape library, pulled the tape & watched the entire game last night (VHS; SP mode), took some screen shots that i'll probably post tonite or in the near future and let people draw their own conclusions..

a few years ago, his un-used Rawlings bat from this All Star Game (was originally given to Hideo Nomo as a gift) was listed on eBay and fortunately, I was the sole bidder (later had him sign it)..


http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/DSC00922.jpg


I will go on record as saying I am a skeptic of the authenticity of the jersey.

I don't know what to make of the letters that accompany it. We could run through all the obvious possibilities, but that's futile. Assuming they are real and were issued for the charity auction they represented, I will conclude that area of discussion by simply stating there is no direct "tie" between this jersey and the letters, like a photo of the jersey ON the letter, so they are not helpful in determining the ultimate authenticity of this shirt.

I have done an exhausting photo search of Cal Ripken Jr. and his 1995 jerseys, and I have found more info that leads to a "troubling" conclusion than to a supportive one. That said, I would say the truth lies in whatever screen shots could be revealed by someone who has viewed the actual game and can produce a few relatively clear close-ups of the front and/or back, hopefully both. I welcome anything that ironmanfan can produce for comment from the game tape.

sportscentury
03-18-2010, 06:53 AM
I will go on record as saying I am a skeptic of the authenticity of the jersey.

I don't know what to make of the letters that accompany it. We could run through all the obvious possibilities, but that's futile. Assuming they are real and were issued for the charity auction they represented, I will conclude that area of discussion by simply stating there is no direct "tie" between this jersey and the letters, like a photo of the jersey ON the letter, so they are not helpful in determining the ultimate authenticity of this shirt.

I have done an exhausting photo search of Cal Ripken Jr. and his 1995 jerseys, and I have found more info that leads to a "troubling" conclusion than to a supportive one. That said, I would say the truth lies in whatever screen shots could be revealed by someone who has viewed the actual game and can produce a few relatively clear close-ups of the front and/or back, hopefully both. I welcome anything that ironmanfan can produce for comment from the game tape.

Exactly. The truth (or photomatch) will set you free.

allstarsplus
03-18-2010, 12:02 PM
Exactly. The truth (or photomatch) will set you free.

So true. Don't you wish there was MLB #'d holograms to put on the jerseys back then.

I believe it is a real Ripken jersey just don't know if it was the All Star jersey. Could the All Star patch been added after the fact, yes.

The letters look good but are they guaranteed to go with this particular jersey, no.

Hopefully at the very least the fonts etc can be style matched. The stains and marks can be matched up if there are shots from the end of the game or those collar stains could have been post-game or from handling. I can see marks inside the jersey from one of the photos so I am skeptical of what those are.

This could be a centerpiece to any Ripken collection and with 14 bids so far, it will certainly go much higher than the current $3,000.

31466

31467

joelsabi
03-18-2010, 12:42 PM
not much at gettys. this was taken in the 5th inning.

ironmanfan
03-18-2010, 10:07 PM
As promised, here are a few scans of Cal Ripken Jr. from the 1995 All Star Game. Keep in mind that I taped the game back in 1995 on a VHS player in SP mode (and then took pictures of paused action a couple nights ago).

I watched the game in it's entirity (although Cal did leave the game for a pinch runner in the bottom of the 7th inning) and forgot what a pitching dominated game it was....The National League only had 3 hits the entire game and all three were solo home runs (winning 3-2).

As far as fielding was concerned, Cal had two put-outs and only one assist..Offensively, he went two for three...

I was originally looking for the dirt marks on the back of his jersey when just the back of the jersey was available for viewing and the best/closest shot I could get, was Cal after snaring a Mile Piazza liner in the 5th:

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/DSC04101.jpg

When the jersey was removed from the frame, I was encouraged because it appeared that there were some marks on the front (above the top bottom and on the collar that I hoped I could match). While it is unknown what those front marks are (dirt?, rust?, original matting rub-off?), I can tell you with certainty that they are not visible on the tape...While these screen shots aren't perfect, I can tell you that while watching it in full fluid motion, the white is ivory snow in color...Here are a coupld shots of Cal on first base after hitting a single in the 7th (just prior to being removed for a pich runner) as well as a couple of shots of him sitting on the bench shortly thereafter and the last one is him being interviewed beween innings (after being removed):

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/DSC04102.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/DSC04104.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/DSC04098.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/DSC04100.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/DSC04097.jpg

By no means am I making any declaration one way or another of the jersey's authenticity (or lack thereof). I had quite a few people contact me looking for screenshots and I simply wanted to provide them with such.

I could kick myself beacuse I was with Cal all afternoon in Valley Forge at the Hunt Philly Show last Saturday, but we were so busy with the Public signing as well as the 'back room' signing, it totally slipped my mind to ask.

Of course, I would love to see any other pictures/scans that anyone could share as well!

Good Luck to all potential bidders!

ironmanfan
03-18-2010, 10:32 PM
The only other things I wanted to bring out as far as the "Orioles" font is concerned, it appears if you looked at the orange border surrounding the "e" and "s" on Orioles on the auction jersey, they appear to touch and on the pictures, there is definitely separation/daylight between the two letters.

While this shows little, here is a picture from my library of Cal tagging out Dykstra as he attempted to steal 2nd in the first inning of the game...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/1dykstra.jpg

entitled_nitwits
03-19-2010, 08:56 PM
I have to say after looking at your screen shots, it appears to be THE one. I was concerned with the location of the "8" on the front, and the crossing over of the black piping between the second "o" and the "l"...and it hits the exact location in both cases on the nose...something I was unable to find (match) on any other picture of a 1995 home Orioles jersey being worn in an action shot by Ripken Jr.

The stains? Someone didn't take very good care of this jersey apparently. Or they happend in the clubhouse after the game, or sometime after that (obviously). But I do believe it is the same jersey.

Thank you for posting the pics ironmanfan.

joelsabi
03-19-2010, 09:05 PM
The only other things I wanted to bring out as far as the "Orioles" font is concerned, it appears if you looked at the orange border surrounding the "e" and "s" on Orioles on the auction jersey, they appear to touch and on the pictures, there is definitely separation/daylight between the two letters.
[/IMG]

here is the "e" and "s" section of the jersey from the 2 auction photos in zoom mode.

entitled_nitwits
03-19-2010, 09:58 PM
Even if authentic, this jersey appears to be a one-time worn jersey for the event.

The distinguishing characteristics that I have found differ from every single game-worn jersey from the 1995 season. It almost appears to be the case of issuing a jersey with the knowledge it was to be auctioned off in a Charity after the game.

If I am accurate in my assessment, a true season worn game-used jersey would be much more appealing, but that is just my opinion.

sportscentury
03-20-2010, 03:18 AM
I have to say after looking at your screen shots, it appears to be THE one. I was concerned with the location of the "8" on the front, and the crossing over of the black piping between the second "o" and the "l"...and it hits the exact location in both cases on the nose...something I was unable to find (match) on any other picture of a 1995 home Orioles jersey being worn in an action shot by Ripken Jr.

The stains? Someone didn't take very good care of this jersey apparently. Or they happend in the clubhouse after the game, or sometime after that (obviously). But I do believe it is the same jersey.

Thank you for posting the pics ironmanfan.

I guess my eyes are not as good. I couldn't tell much of anything from the screen shots. Has anyone accessed the high-resolution version of the Getty Image to see if there is a match? The photo may not be of high-enough quality to tell, but if I were seriously interested in this shirt, this would seem like a no-brainer investment to me.

cstock101
03-23-2010, 12:17 PM
I found some video of Ripken being introduced before the game at youtube.com Type in Arlington Texas 1995 All-Star Game mlb Ripken footage begins at 5:30 of the video and ends at 5:55

joelsabi
03-23-2010, 07:32 PM
I found some video of Ripken being introduced before the game at youtube.com Type in Arlington Texas 1995 All-Star Game mlb Ripken footage begins at 5:30 of the video and ends at 5:55

here a screenshot

joelsabi
03-23-2010, 07:41 PM
The only other things I wanted to bring out as far as the "Orioles" font is concerned, it appears if you looked at the orange border surrounding the "e" and "s" on Orioles on the auction jersey, they appear to touch and on the pictures, there is definitely separation/daylight between the two letters.

While this shows little, here is a picture from my library of Cal tagging out Dykstra as he attempted to steal 2nd in the first inning of the game...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/whhp72/Game%20Used/1dykstra.jpg

compare the back plate location

cstock101
03-24-2010, 03:01 PM
Joel,
When you mention the "back plate" are you comparing the two pics listed? If so,one is Ripken being introduced minutes before the game and the other pic is in the first inning. I would guess it to be a safe assumption that they are the exact same jersey,correct? I was thinking somebody could view the youtube video to see if they can photo match it with the Huggins & Scott auction jersey. Chris

allstarsplus
03-25-2010, 09:31 AM
Steve Mears called me to tell me he was the ultimate winner of the Cal Ripken jersey.

Personally, I think Steve got a really good price on it especially given the year was 1995 and how historic that was for Cal.

I think it adds to the collectibility and history of the jersey that it came from 1995 the year Cal broke Gehrig's streak on Sept 6, 1995.

sportscentury
03-25-2010, 02:08 PM
http://www.hugginsandscott.com/cgi-bin/showitem.pl?itemid=19698

$6500 before the juice. If it's the one, that is an absolute steal.