Vintage vs Modern Debate

[flaco1801]

these modern shirts will never attain the value of vintage shirts... there are just too many produced... hundreds of game issued will become game used after just a few washings... the majority of players (prior to 1980) didnt even keep any for themselves, they were shipped in bulk to the bushes to be worn to shreds...finding these "vintage" shirts with all their character is what makes a sport of this hobby...i remember when set 3 were mainly issed to catchers who regularly abused their equiptment more than position players...what it boils down to, is people collect their own time frame, you cant make the younger fans like what we saw 30 years ago... collect what you like and dont expect to make money, just collect for the love of the game...

[G1X]

flaco,
Well said, especially your last two comments (the last one in particular).

Jim,
Great display! Some awesome helmets and jerseys on that wall.

Nothing against modern jerseys as I have some in my collection. However, I personally feel that the prices of the newer stuff can be a bit overwhelming, especially football jerseys. That's a whole different topic for another day, so I won't hijack this great thread with that discussion.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

Always looking for World Football League jerseys, AFL/NFL durene jerseys, Atlanta Falcons jerseys, and Willie McGee and Darren Lewis game-used items.

[gingi79]

I agree it's all about perspective and what means the most to you. I personally would take a vintage common that's photomatched over a superstar jersey of the modern age.

I always use Sidney Crosby and Gordie Howe as an example in this debate. Let's say Crosby lives up the hype and surpasses Howe and Gretzky's records. If he plays 15 seasons he will wear roughly 12 jerseys a season. That means there will be 180 game worns of his in the hobby and nearly all of them will be accessible to collectors. Originally, Crosby's jerseys sold for $25k and for that price you could obtain one of Howe or Gretzky's jerseys. Since 1994, I can only recall maybe 5 of their jerseys combined that were made available for sale at auctions.

Sure, the odds are that you could photomatch a Crosby even though they have normally light wear. However, there will be 160 nearly identical jerseys to yours. How many Gretzky's will there be at that point? How many Howe's? Not to mention every one of them is just destroyed with use which, as we know, dictates higher prices than one with less wear.

Another glowing example since many of us came from the baseball card hobby before this one. Honus Wagner's T-206 card is worth so much money because of how rare it is. There are like 12 in the world if I remember correctly. As time goes on, the Wagner will retain it's value and become more rare while players with better numbers and are more recognized by modern fans will be worthless by comparison.

Of course I am still holding out hope that my Brien Taylor card will become priceless again.

[both-teams-played-hard]

One of my favorites. 1965 Seattle Chieftains, Charlie Williams. Not a warm-up, but a short-sleeved game jersey. Williams was involved in a point shaving scandal. He was found to be not guilty, but was banned for life from the NBA. He had a very good career in the ABA. This may have been the last jersey he wore at SU, before he was expelled. Nylon/durene cotton blend knit with piped trim:

[invintagewetrust]

Collecting anything vintage requires a encyclopedic knowledge of variations in both style and how a company tagged a specific garment, plate, chair or what ever you collect. In most cases the knowledge is passed down from collector to collector. Collecting and buying legitimate modern day garments in any facet of collecting is much easier as most of the companies that make them are still in business, and for the most part there is an abundance of info on the web.

I frequently buy vintage for considerable coin, not because they were worn by a fantastic player, but because, well in a lot of cases they really don't exist. A lot of the posts in this thread have been dead on. In some cases there might only be 2-3 examples in circulation of a particular style of jersey. The world of vintage jersey collecting also borders on people outside of the game used community and taps into people that collect vintage clothing, era specific garments from a city, etc.

The debate on why an older shirt worn by a no name player would fetch the same money as a star player with deadbolt provenance is really all in the eye of the beholder. I can't believe in most cases why anyone would spend a quarter of what a modern shirt would go for. Depending on how long a player has been in the league, there might be as many as 25-30 shirts of the SAME PLAYER in circulation.

I think another factor which makes vintage jerseys and memorabilia in general intriguing is that these garments are obviously not made the same way, and in some cases the companies that originally made these items have destroyed the machines or in some cases the mills that sold them the yards for the original shirts are long gone. When you hold an item like that in your hands, its definitely special.

[both-teams-played-hard]

I think another factor which makes vintage jerseys and memorabilia in general intriguing is that these garments are obviously not made the same way, and in some cases the companies that originally made these items have destroyed the machines or in some cases the mills that sold them the yards for the original shirts are long gone. When you hold an item like that in your hands, its definitely special.

Absolutely. I am more of a "fan" of jersey collecting, than I am a sports fan.

[commando]

This pro-vintage attitude is the spirit behind the photos I posted of the Super Bowl II Packers practice. The team recycled game jerseys for practice, and in these photos the players are not even wearing their correct numbers. Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, whose uniform number was 15, is seen here wearing a number 51 jersey (which was originally worn in games by center Jim Ringo, who also happens to be in the Hall of Fame).

I guaran-damn-tee ya that most of these jerseys were all thrown away after basically falling apart.

[invintagewetrust]

In that second photo the numbers on Bart's shirt are basically falling off as he's following through on his throw. You're right, lots of stuff was thrown away. I've heard countless stories from collectors about stuff they've recovered in the dump behind stadiums. Be it none of these stories are from the past 25 years or so, but that stuff did happen.

[gingi79]

This pro-vintage attitude is the spirit behind the photos I posted of the Super Bowl II Packers practice. The team recycled game jerseys for practice, and in these photos the players are not even wearing their correct numbers. Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, whose uniform number was 15, is seen here wearing a number 51 jersey (which was originally worn in games by center Jim Ringo, who also happens to be in the Hall of Fame).

I guaran-damn-tee ya that most of these jerseys were all thrown away after basically falling apart.

Using that second photo, you could photomatch a jersey being used by two different HOF players. In 1960, it was a useless rag and may have been thrown away or thrown to a kid. How much would it be worth today? Packers collectors are like Steelers collectors, the good stuff sells high.

And how many jerseys have been photo matched to two separate HOF players!?!

[legaleagle92481]

It depends on the player for me. If its one of my must have guys I buy it. Some are vintage others are modern.