Authentic Mitchell and Ness Jerseys

[RJB44]

Hi - I have heard some horror stories about people buying what they thought were legit M&N jerseys on ebay, only to find out that what they got was some foreign made ripoff. It seems that many of these "sellers" will use a actual M&N produced (stock) photo of the jersey and describe it as such. I recently saw a nice M&N on ebay and noticed it had a very low price (red flag!). I decided to inquire, so I asked the following questions 1) where are you located?, 2) is this an actual M&N Authentic Cooperstown Collection item, 3) can you send me a picture of the actual jersey (not manufacturer's photo) 4) also, can you send a close-up picture of the M&N tagging of actual jersey.

It will be interesting to see what type of response I get, if any. A question for the folks who know about the M&N jerseys, is there any type of model, code, or other identifying number on these jerseys that can help assure authenticity. I know that these makers of these fakes have gone as far as replicating the M&N tagging, that's why I asked to see a closeup. I know that the jersey I was looking is one that is, or at least was, carried by M&N. Obviously I can't go by the photo in auction since its a M&N photo to begin with. Even with a response that supports authenticity (e.g photos) I still could very well "receive" a fake. Education is good. Thanks for the feedback.

[ivo610]

You could call Mitchell and Ness and see if they are an authorized seller of their jerseys. I have done that time to time. They normally are very helpful.

[otismalibu]

Good luck with M&N. They aren't even sure of what jerseys they actually made. Lakeshow2 is an authorized M&N overstock dumper on eBay. His stuff is legit, but variety and sizes will be limited.

Lots of fakes...just like the Reebok NFL authentics.

What's funny is sometimes eBay shuts down auctions of peeps selling legit M&N jerseys on the secondary market. So the seller will occasionally be forced to hide the tag and not mention the manufacturer's name.

You'll need actual pics and then try to compare to a legit M&N jersey.

[vballGuy]

At one point, there was a really nice site which documented what to look for to determine if a M&N jersey was fake or not. I can't seem to find it anymore. Here are two other pages that I managed to find:

http://nfljerseyfanparadise.forumoti...d-ness-t77.htm

http://reviews.ebay.ca/How-To-Avoid-...00000001008516

I've only ever bought one M&N jersey that was NOT from an official M&N distributor. It was a private sale from a contact on Craigslist and I made sure to feel the jersey/material as well as inspect the jock tags before purchasing.

A close-up of the tagging would help, but many have figured out how to duplicate this tagging. I've called M&N in the past and they were only able to tell me IF they made a particular jersey or not. They could not comment on the specifics of tagging, packaging, etc.

[Danny899]

On Ebay, most Mitchell & Ness fakes are easy to spot. Some more difficult also. The easier ones are the jerseys that should be made of a wool or flannel material. Like Babe Ruth, Dimaggio, Mantle, Seaver, Mays and many others. However if you look at the pictures you can clearly see that they have the correct tagging and logos, but they are constructed of a cheap poly/cotton mix. Even worse, it shows the name on the back! In short what it appears is happening is that somehow, somewhere the tagging and patches are being obtained and sewn onto cheap replica jerseys. In addition to collecting gamers, I've amassed a collection of over 300 signed M&N jerseys. (Yes I know, that's crazy, read the thread on wives and collecting) So I've seen my fair share of fakes. And lastly, DON'T EVER, purchase a jersey that uses only a stock photo. You don't know what you're getting. Rather, simply ask the seller if he can provide a picture of the actual jersey you would receive. If he refuses or doesn't respond, then it's time to shop elsewhere. Hope this helps. BTW, what are you looking for? Dan

[RJB44]

I was looking at a 1976 Rollie Fingers.

[neverfinished94]

Lakeshow2 is an authorized M&N overstock dumper on eBay. His stuff is legit, but variety and sizes will be limited.

how are you so sure he is an authorized M&N seller? I am an authorized dealer for M&N and there is no way he could make money selling jerseys for those prices unless he gets them for free.

[otismalibu]

how are you so sure he is an authorized M&N seller? I am an authorized dealer for M&N and there is no way he could make money selling jerseys for those prices unless he gets them for free.

He's obviously not your regular M&N retailer, but he has a deal with them to fire sale their product. He's been selling for years on eBay. M&N is so grossly overpriced, you know they must have a ton of overstock.

You do realize it probably costs about $10 to make a M&N jersey, right? He's not paying 50% of suggested retail. He buys bulk and most likely makes his money on volume sales.

I don't know why Reebok and M&N don't try to sell their 'authentics' in the $120-140 range. But no, they go fishing for for those who will pay $300 for a high end replica jersey. Often, one that is not even historically accurate.

[neverfinished94]

You do realize it probably costs about $10 to make a M&N jersey, right? He's not paying 50% of suggested retail. He buys bulk and most likely makes his money on volume sales.

i understand how much they cost to produce. my wife was stationed in Korea for a year and bought a lot of "M&N" jerseys for family members. most of the time they were between $20-30. some of them i could not tell the difference between the fake and an authentic. i am still very curious as to him being an authorized dealer. what proof do you have that he is?

[otismalibu]

what proof do you have that he is?

It was discussed on another message board some years ago, IIRC.

They are legit jerseys (jackets, etc.) and he has a boatload of them listed...but often oddball sizes. I don't think he has much control of what he gets.

I don't think M&N would allow a guy to list hundreds of their items on eBay, year after year, but at a fraction of SMRP, w/o being on board. He would have been shut down a long time ago.

I'm waiting on one of his items right now.