Collector washed jerseys

[legaleagle92481]

Hi everyone,

There is a jersey that I am interested in that was washed by the current owner. It had been unwashed before that. What effect does this have on the value and collectibility of the jersey? I have a few washed jerseys but they were all team washed. Thanks and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

[metsbats]

Personally I would not like a collector washed jersey. Team washed is ok but when someone other than the team washes an unwashed jersey it will certainly lessen the value and collectiblity. I think anytime a collector alters an item it'll lessen the value because it was is now not in the original state that it was when it left the team. (perhaps an exception would be cracked and repaired bats which could go either way depending on preference)


Kudos to the seller for even telling you he washed it though.

Happy Holidays!

[spartakid]

I agree, I was actually offered a jersey that was washed by the collector and I passed on it for that sole reason. I don't want something that was altered after it came out into the market.

[Mulligans]

If it was a high profile football player who plays hard and it shows, I would seriously question the persons motivation and definitely not buy it.

The other 3 sports, I personally could care less.

[jppopma]

Unless it was a museum piece, I don't see how washing it would affect anything.

If people want to get all high and mighty about altered jersey; remember that everyone's home has it's own distinct smell to it that will get onto the jersey. Does that mean that everyone is altering the jerseys by having air fresheners, cooking, or personal laundry?

I am talking normal everyday smells; not the ones that come smelling of smoke, mildew, moth balls, or sitting to close to another funky jersey -- those ones go straight in the wash for me.

[G1X]

I just really couldn't care less if someone has washed a jersey that I am interested in buying. If I held that as a reason for not buying a jersey, I wouldn't have collected very much over the years. Why does it really matter whether the team last laundered the shirt or Joe Collector?

Personally - and I can assure you that I am nowhere being alone on this issue - I absolutely hate the unwashed jersey fad that has come into play with NFL jerseys over the past few years. Yes, it is cool to have a lot of dirt and grass stains on a jersey, but to be quite blunt, it can be GROSS! Any jersey that ends up in my personal collection always gets washed when it enters my house regardless of whether it has been sitting in storage for 40 years, came straight from the closet of another collector, or is "unwashed" from NFL Auctions or JO Sports.

From the dealer side, I have about 40 jerseys from NFL Auctions that are on my price list. I have NOT washed those jerseys as they are not intended for my personal collection. I can attest that most of them smell foul (as does most sweaty clothing) and they are sitting in storage as I don't want them in my house. I don't want my display room and/or closet smelling like a locker room. I've played sports all my life, and the one thing I can say is that sports basically do not smell very nice!

Another reason I wash the NFL "unwashed" jerseys intended for my personal collection is because of MRSA. Anyone not familiar with MRSA, it is a staph infection that is common in locker rooms, hospitals, etc. It is difficult to treat and can be deadly as it is resistant to most common antibiotics. It has been shown to live for a number of months on surfaces such as fabrics. I might sound like a germ-a-phobe, but I wear gloves when handling an unwashed jersey.

As a collector, I can tell you that if you have an older jersey that I need for my collection, whether or not you or anyone else has ever washed the jersey never enters into the discussion. I make the assumption that it probably has been washed by a collector - and probably worn as well - at some point. If it is a recent jersey from NFL Auctions or JO Sports that was sold as "unwashed" but has since been washed by a collector, it will not affect my offer. If I need it for my collection and convinced that it was game-worn, that's all that really matters to me.

I can also assure you that as a dealer, very few collectors ask about whether a jersey has been washed. Even on recent NFL jerseys, the question is rarely asked as I just don't think that it matters to many collectors. Viewing photos of the jersey and seeing that it shows some type of use seems to be the predominant deciding factor.

One last question as food for thought. Outside of an "unwashed" NFL jersey from NFL Auctions or JO Sports, how in the world would you ever know if a jersey has been washed by a collector at some point, especially if the jersey has been owned multiple times over a number of years?

As with all things in this hobby, each to their own in the parameters they set for the items they collect. There is no "right" or "wrong", just variations in what each of us want to see (and smell) in our game-used items.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

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

[flaco1801]

The jersey get washed as soon as opened...i like these people who will pass on "washed" jerseys (more for me)...i wonder how the question is posed....um is the jersey filthy dirty and smelly???? oh and how do you if the seller just wore it 100 times without washing? lololol put thay in your closet.....maybe someone can photo match the team laundry patterns... hey i saw laundry detergent right below this missing stich..hard to believe this is really an issue...

[sox83cubs84]

I'm pretty much in agreement with Mark...as long as the collector laundering didn't damage or discolor the jersey, I could'nt care less. Since I don't buy NFL jerseys from the league or it's contracted sellers, the issue of a smelly NFL jersey isn't germane to me. If I did get one, though, into the laundry it would go ASAP. I want to have jerseys on hand to display and show people, not have to keep them out in the storage room because they stink worse than one of my farts.

Dave Miedema

[both-teams-played-hard]

Another reason I wash the NFL "unwashed" jerseys intended for my personal collection is because of MRSA. Anyone not familiar with MRSA, it is a staph infection that is common in locker rooms, hospitals, etc. It is difficult to treat and can be deadly as it is resistant to most common antibiotics. It has been shown to live for a number of months on surfaces such as fabrics. I might sound like a germ-a-phobe, but I wear gloves when handling an unwashed jersey.

Completely agree with Mark. There are also bedbugs with MRSA and just plain 'ole healthy bedbugs.

I'm not trying to be a dickhead, buy keeping the dirt, sweat and funk of another dude is borderline stalker.

[Falcon]

I am a very new collector of game used jerseys and the only reason I feel compelled to post in this thread is because I am the seller in question who washed this jersey. I'm reading along this thread to learn myself, not to offer any insight since I really don't feel qualified to be offering any advice regarding this hobby. However, after reading this thread and having a similar email conversation with Mark Hayne, I conclude that even if by washing this jersey I may have lost a sale, I think in the future I once again, would wash ANY unwashed jersey that I receive as soon as I get it. (I never buy jerseys for resale and always intend on keeping it for my collection). My reason is similar to one of the above posters and Mark; I buy these jerseys for my personal enjoyment which includes holding them, displaying them, showing them off and not to store them in a bag in the bottom of my closet. I understand that in many peoples eyes, I have devalued this jersey but when I bought it, I had planned to keep it and it was so awful smelling I couldn't even bare to take it out of the bag. So now my circumstances have changed and I may sell the jersey...still for the time it was in my home, where my wife and young sons live, the jersey NEEDED to be washed.