Griffey Jr. and A-Rod jerseys and bats w/LOAs signed by them

[reed1216]

I was hoping to solicit some opinions here. I remember these were the big thing, several years ago. However, the reviewing some of the old threads here, I recall one post that questioned the authenticity of game used items with an LOA signed by the athlete. There are 3 Griffey Mariner shirts now on EBay and all three appear to be priced reasonably. None of them have been bid on. Is there a reason for this??

[kylehess10]

I've seen a few Griffey jersey's (particulary in auction houses) sell for around $1000 so maybe the ones on eBay are just a few hundred dollars too much than what some would pay.

[reed1216]

Did the ones in the auction houses come with a letter of authenticity signed by Griffey?? I guess my concern is just how much the athlete actually knows about the item he is validating. The obvious worst case scenario is the player getting COAs thrown at him to sign without having the opportunity to review the piece that accompanies the letter. As someone who has collected on and off for a while, but has very little knowledge of the authentication process, I thought I would toss the topic out there to see what people thought.

By the way, I reviewed your collection and was very impressed! I love the Griffey All Star helmet!

[hblakewolf]

A-Rod learned about "hawking" every possible piece of game used equipment and bat from the Grand Master himself, Griffey Jr. I lived in Seattle from 1987-1994 and watched the dozens upon dozens of Griffey M's jerseys enter the market. The first few years (1990-1994), the jerseys showed nice use. Later in his career, Griffey was ordering dozens of extras simply for the purpose of selling them through his 2 close friends along with his bats, hats, jackets, spikes, sliding pants, wristbands, batting gloves and fielding gloves. Griffey even went as far as to have other players use his black C271 bats during BP in order to keep the pipeline full! Regardless of the LOA, just be aware that the later years equipment was EVERYWHERE and being offered to bulk to several dealers. It did not take A-rod long to learn this trade, either.

It all boils down to supply and demand. In this case, the supply is extensive!

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

ALWAYS BUYING PHILLIES, PORTLAND BEAVERS AND PORTLAND MAVERICKS JERSEYS

[reed1216]

Thanks for the background. It's always helpful to get a little more insight as to what happened in the past with items like these. Incidently, the jerseys show little, if any wear and the wear is not described by the seller. However, often times EBay photos don't show the extent of use, especially on a jersey.