Confusion with MLB Database information

[kylehess10]

I'm confused with this auction on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=250291275044



I looked up the MLB hologram number and this is what comes up:


Hologram number BB622111 was located in the MLB Authentication Database under TEAM ISSUED CAP.

Session Product Description:


Additional Information: TEAM ISSUED DETROIT TIGERS BASEBALL CAP

Session Name: DETROIT TIGERS ORGANIZATIONAL SIGNING
Session Date: October 08, 2007
Autographer:
Authenticator: AUTHENTICATORS, INC.






Team issued? Organizational Signing?

The cap shows apparent game use, and it's NOT signed, so what's with this?

[mvandor]

From what I've been reading here MLB is pretty darned sloppy about their database on authentication...

[ifirocked]

The Tigers lastyear did not have MLB Authentication on a ton of caps till after the season was over. MLB will not state game used unless the offical sees the cap, jersey, etc come off the player after the game. with this said all the caps were marked team issued even though they were game used. The Tigers sold them as TEAM ISSUED as well. I bought a few from them at the start of the year. For me i was not bothered by them being marked issued. They came from the Tigers and i was not planning on reselling them.

[jppopma]

Does anyone know just how many MLB authenticators there are or what the requirements of this may be? Sometimes it seems that there may just be someone with a roll of stickers who throws them on whatever 100 items they want to sell, and then later (sometimes much much later) they enter it into the system.

If there is not much control over this, items from one team to the next can vary greatly. Since everyone's opinion on game used vs. issued is different, I'm sure the same goes on from one authenticator to the next.

Also if the MLB authentictor works for the team, what is to stop them from authenticating 100 jerseys of the same player to flood the market and make big money on sales. Who knows.....

[ifirocked]

how many MLB authenticators ? i don't know. I did meet and talk to the one who works the Detroit tigers game. very nice man. Requirements ? Can you watch a game and then put a sticker on a jersey/ball/bat seen in play after the game is over or when the player takes the jersey off ? if the awnser is yes then you too can do the job. As for authenticating 100 jerseys, they seem to take the job VERY SERIOUS. i'm sure they would sticker 100 jerseys, but only if it was in 100 different games. They do a great job in what dose and dose not get stickered. As for how it gets entered into the system may be another story. All in all i would feel VERY safe with anything MLB authentic game used.

[jppopma]

Ifirocked, Thanks for the insight on the authenticator at the Tigers games. I can say, he must work pretty fast because I have been to some games and Marc has already had some homerun balls up with him and available before the games even done.

Do you know if he is employeed by the Tigers, MLB, or an outside company who has a contract to authenticate the items? I sounds like a good job and I'm glad to hear that they take things serious.

Just like anything else, I'm sure there are some mistakes here and there. All in all, it's likely one of the most reliable sources so I am not complaining at all.

[joelsabi]

Does anyone know just how many MLB authenticators there are or what the requirements of this may be? Sometimes it seems that there may just be someone with a roll of stickers who throws them on whatever 100 items they want to sell, and then later (sometimes much much later) they enter it into the system.

If there is not much control over this, items from one team to the next can vary greatly. Since everyone's opinion on game used vs. issued is different, I'm sure the same goes on from one authenticator to the next.

Also if the MLB authentictor works for the team, what is to stop them from authenticating 100 jerseys of the same player to flood the market and make big money on sales. Who knows.....

i found an example where there were 8 bats and 16 pairs of batting gloves authenticated for a specific date for a specific player. so i am confused as well. session states game used not autograph. can a dealer go up to a mlb authenticator and get 24 items authenticated at a game. how does that work.

[allstarsplus]

i found an example where there were 8 bats and 16 pairs of batting gloves authenticated for a specific date for a specific player. so i am confused as well. session states game used not autograph. can a dealer go up to a mlb authenticator and get 24 items authenticated at a game. how does that work.

Here's how that may work. The bats and batting gloves were probably accumulated by 1 authenticator and locked in their special room as a favor to the player and then authenticated only as game used without any specific dates given. They can do that but cannot give a date unless they know specifically what date they were used.

The system isn't perfect but these authenticators are very strict on what they can/can't do.

I was told that their are 4 assigned authenticators at each ballpark that are rotated.