I am contacting former players for COA's on their G.U.

[jake33]

Will write more later, but I have been working on this for about a year. There are a few former Buccaneers/Devil Rays that I have game used items of that I have been trying to run down. I finally got in touch with 4 former Bucs to authenticate game used items of theirs. to be short, it has been a thrill.... Have a few interesting stories to tell when I get more time. (also am writing about this in more depth for my game used collecting book that I am in the process of creating).

[frikativ54]

Interesting idea. Can you always be sure that a player can identify which items he has used in a game? We've seen players inscribing game used, even if the items aren't. Don't mean to burst your bubble. Just curious how players' opinions are foolproof.

[ziggy]

For a few bucks they will sign anything you want them to sign It will probably help resale value but most of these guys have no idea what they used or wore

[nycpropain]

Not sure how a player would ID their jersey, hell even mantle screwed up on his saying that one was from his rookie season. After all that it wound up faker than fake.

[sox83cubs84]

Players' recollections of what they wore are all over the map. On one hand you have Bruce Bochte, who told a buddy of mine that the pullover Angels jersey of his that he had was a fake, beacuse "we wore button-down jerseys when I was there." The Angels stopped using buttondowns after 1972, and only resumed long after Bochte left the team.

On the other hand, there's Duke Snider, who, upon the Giants, was given jerseys of preseason cuts to try on to wear. He even remembers whose jerseys he finally settled on (P Bob Garibaldi).

The player's memories MAY be accurate, but it's not an automatic, by any means.

Dave Miedema

[LWMM]

I wouldn't say that a player's word should be the final one, but it certainly can't hurt. Players may remember their size or some distinguishing characteristics, for example, which coupled with other research could help to determine whether an item is authentic.

A lot of the posts in this thread see the issue as black and white. Players' input should not be taken at face, as said, but neither should it be rejected outright. Instead, it should be treated just like any other form of research: find out what you can, then take all the information that you have and weigh it.

[mlbforeverhomer]

I rely on Getty, a few other websites, and MLB TV to tell me "Yes I wore this jersey/hat or used this bat". Not a very reliable way of finger printing your items in my book but it is creative.

[jake33]

Yes, i am not not using it for authentication. I have already done that in my mind and research, but this certainly would not HURT the resale value at all, since none of the players who have done this have done it before i.e. a guy who played in the nfl for 20 games....

more of a display item to go with the jersey, i agree since they signed sheet of paper does not make it any more authentic in my mind.

[Mark17]

I've gotten about a half dozen 1960s Twins bats signed, and I always use the opportunity to ask the player if it's genuine. I've gotten some great responses, like when Johnny Goryl told me his 61-64 bat was used in 1963, that it was the same model Earl Battey used and he liked it so he got some for himself.

I figure with bats, there's a good chance a player will remember his model number. In the case of Rich Rollins, he not only remembered the model number, he explained why it was block letter (he had a contract with Adirondack) and he explained the "doctoring" on the bat, and how he used to prepare other bats for use (as friend and former teammate Bernie Allen laughed, "This guy had a workshop to fix up his bats!")

I think putting GU items back in the hands of the players is a great part of the hobby. But, just as I couldn't authenticate the jersey I wore in high school, the players may or may not remember much about their old stuff. Sure is fun though, when they do!

Good luck,
Mark

[jake33]

I got in touch with former buccaneer free safety from USC david gibson (and a couple other former bucs) mailed them pics of their game used jersey and sent a card for him to autograph. Super nice guy! Wrote back fast and mailed back quick too, made the homemade COA just for display.

really a thrill as a fan, (i did remove the autograph on the back of the jersey sine it was beginning to bleed)

Not that i am using this to authenticate the jersey, but thought it was kind of neat to do. Will post jacques Green and Errict Rhett's later.