Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

[Eric]

Hello everyone

American Memorabilia is selling a Hank Gathers practice jersey. Hank Gathers of course lost his life tragically on the basketball court at Loyola Marymount University.

I sent an email to Tony Giese (which I copied below) and have not heard a response. The youtube clip mentioned can be found here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhuOFkJvPyI

If you pause the clip at :17, you clearly see the jersey AMI says matches what they're selling. The 4s in 44 are closer in the one being sold in the auction.
I'm not saying it's a fake, I'm just saying doesn't appear to be a style match to the clip they reference.

If I get a response from Tony, who has always been a great guy when we have spoken via email, I will post it here.

Wondering what people think.
Eric
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Hi Tony

I was looking at your auction and noticed Lot 167 the game worn Hank Gathers practice jersey. The auction description mentions a style match in a youtube clip

If you pause the clip on the show where gathers is wearing the practice jersey- is the #44 font the same? It doesn't seem to match to me. Who from the 100% Authentic team was the authenticator? I was wondering if they had a different shot which showed the number style.
http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=37977
Thanks
Eric Stangel

[Eric]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

It looks like the font is the same, but there definitely is an issue with the spacing.

[LEGEND33]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

.....perhaps the jersey is not completely adherent to the mannequin (is visible a "wave" in the fabric of the jersey)
....sorry for the poor english....

[ChrisCavalier]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

.....perhaps the jersey is not completely adherent to the mannequin (is visible a "wave" in the fabric of the jersey)
....sorry for the poor english....

That's an interesting point. Maybe AMI can take another picture to confirm the spacing and make sure the jersey isn't positioned in a way that could create any "waves" affecting the visual display of the spacing.

-Chris

[LEGEND33]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

I am focused on the collar of the jersey..... the one in the youtube pic seems larger than the other jersey.....

[Eric]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

I will write Tony again and see if that is the issue. If anyone has a good relationship with AMI- (perhaps Dave O'Brien could help us here) can you follow up as well?
Eric

[LEGEND33]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

Stop the video at 1:17 01/54
DO NOT APPEAR "LIONS" UNDER THE BASKETBALL !!!!!!!!!

[LEGEND33]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

at 00:15 01/54on youtube
NO "LIONS" on the jersey.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

i concur with legend33 about the neck issue. it's clearly a noticeably different neckline.

the thing that concerns me about relatively generic items like this is that they easily could've been used by anyone. (somehow they're always attributed to the most lucrative possibility. find a 1990 Chicago Bulls warmup suit with no name or numbers? it's gotta be jordans' of course! couldn't possibly be anthony jones who incidentally was the same size as jordan. it's magical how an item veers towards being a $2500 item rather than a $400 item).

re: the gathers jersey. how was it dated to be specifically from the brief time that gathers played for LMU and not worn by some anonymous #44 from before or after gather's tenure? how was it ascertained that it was specifically from the men's basketball team? could it be a JV jersey? or even from the women's team? as it stands, without solid (ie: verifiable) provenance it just seems to me to be a generic #44 LMU practice jersey which could've been used by a number of people.

rudy.

[Eric]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

You are exactly right. In the you tube video AMI says is a style match, at :16 seconds you see the bottom of Hank Gathers' practice jersey.

The word Lions is not on the jersey

[Eric]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

[kingjammy24]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

this is an absolute classic. in trying to prove an item's authenticity, AMI shows a clip that actually disproves the entire thing. did anyone at AMI actually view this clip? if they did, it's difficult to believe they'd include it in the description. "here's a clip that shows Gathers wearing a practice jersey entirely different from the one we're selling".

i nominate this for Best Comedic Performance by an Auction House.

rudy.

[Eric]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

The AMI description also says " The players interviewed after Gathers’ death are also wearing this exact style of jersey."

But in the below photo, do the shoulders and the neck look like the exact style that AMI is selling?



Dave O'Brien, any chance you can use your connections with AMI to get some answers. I'm not sure they're interested in speaking with me.

Eric

[Eric]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

Still no response from AMI and the items remains up for bid. I sent the email to a different address as AMI to see if maybe they could help.

I also asked what the 100% Authentic team saw in the You Tube video that helped them conclude it's a style match.

I will report if I hear back.
Eric

[hblakewolf]

Re: Hank Gathers jersey in AMI

Eric-
May I suggest you pick up the phone and try to speak directly with Vic, Tony Giese or Kieta?

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net