Photo-matched items in your collection?

[skipcareyisfat]

I started trying to photo-match my game used helmets in the early 90s. My first one was Terry Steinbach's A's catching helmet. He used it for a few years and the marks are pretty distinct. Since then, I've sort of been hooked on photo-matching whatever I can. Other helmet matches for me include Albert Pujols, Mark Teixeira, Dale Murphy, Mike Lansing, Mark Lemke, Mike Felder, Luis Gonzalez, and Greg Olson (Braves).

Dick Dobbins once told me that he wouldn't call something game used unless he witnessed the use, and then was handed the item directly by the player. No one compares to Dobbins of course (especially these instant-dealers who use ebay to stock their inventory), but he had the right idea. That is, no one can refute the authenticity of an item if it was witnessed in use, i.e, a solid photo-match - exept for maybe Lou Lampson, who's currently busy authenticating Peyton Manning's first stroller.

So here's the question: What g/u items from your collection have you photo-matched?

-Jason

[both-teams-played-hard]

1975 John Drew, Atlanta Hawks. Maybe a true "photomatch", but hard to tell with a "touched" photo. Drew only wore this style for one season. I want to believe the wrinkles and puckering in the numerals match, and it appears so.

[012562]

After the 2004 baseball season ended, I was fortunate to purchase a cracked black Louisville Slugger bat of the Angels' Dallas McPherson, who made his MLB debut in 2004. In December 2004, a friend gave me a nice color 8" x 10" photo of Dallas taken during one of the games that he appeared in during the fall. The picture is a waist up shot of an at bat while waiting for the pitch. This summer, I put the bat and photo together and was ecstatic to see the same distinctive large white scrape marks clearly on the photo and the bat. This was my first true photo match since I started collecting equipment in 1975.

Tom Duino
Aliso Viejo, CA

[gameused]

Here's a photo matched David Ortiz 2005 HR derby bat that I have in my collection. Ortiz hit 20 HR's with this bat for a total distance of 8447 ft.

The bat is a LVS B-9 and is just hammered with ball seam marks mainly on the right area of the barrel, it's a little warped from all those hard hits. Amazingly there is no deadwood, this Beechwood is some really tough wood.

If you look closely towards the front area of the centerbrand there are distinct pine tar prints that were left from Ortiz holding the bat with his pine tar stained batting gloves.

[mcnallypalmercuellardobson]

Can someone point out to the unenlightened, such as myself, exactly how to go about photo matching?
Thanks to anyone who responds...

[allstarsplus]

By the way, I like your nickname! (mcnallypalmercuellardobson) as I am a big fan of the old O's!

You can photomatch to the archived photos on www.gettyimages.com or www.corbis.com or the photo store on www.mlb.com or the AP photos or ESPN. The AP and ESPN photos don't stay active long so for older games the Getty Images are best.

Andrew

[gameused]

Besides getty and corbis another way to photo match is with baseball cards. You can go to ebay and look for certain player cards up for auction and sometimes find a match. Most of the time if the Baseball card for example was produced in 2005, the photo pictured on the card is most likely from the year before.

Back on the original game used forum site I posted photos of a game used Albert Pujols Old Hickory bat with a scored handle and a fellow member forwarded a pic of Albert Pujols pictured on a 2003 Donruss baseball card with the exact bat. I also found a photo match on getty images that shows Pujols tossing the bat after drawing a walk in a game on 8-10-2002 against the New York Mets. You can see Albert Pujols uniform number 5 written in silver in the cupped barrel and the scored handle in the getty photo from 2002.



2003 Donruss card



Getty photo 2002

[nyg44]

Another web site is www.wireimage.com. Is anyone a member of this website?

[sportscentury]

I started trying to photo-match my game used helmets in the early 90s. My first one was Terry Steinbach's A's catching helmet. He used it for a few years and the marks are pretty distinct. Since then, I've sort of been hooked on photo-matching whatever I can. Other helmet matches for me include Albert Pujols, Mark Teixeira, Dale Murphy, Mike Lansing, Mark Lemke, Mike Felder, Luis Gonzalez, and Greg Olson (Braves).

Dick Dobbins once told me that he wouldn't call something game used unless he witnessed the use, and then was handed the item directly by the player. No one compares to Dobbins of course (especially these instant-dealers who use ebay to stock their inventory), but he had the right idea. That is, no one can refute the authenticity of an item if it was witnessed in use, i.e, a solid photo-match - exept for maybe Lou Lampson, who's currently busy authenticating Peyton Manning's first stroller.

So here's the question: What g/u items from your collection have you photo-matched?

-Jason

Great topic for discussion. I've had several different items photo-matched (truly photo-matched) over the years. Right now, I even have a complete Rickey Henderson uniform that is video-matched (his hat, jersey, and pants from the 2002 TBTC game with the Red Sox - I have the DVD of the game and all of the items came directly off of Rickey after the game - unwashed).

But the greatest items that I have that are photo-matched are actually from the same in-action shot of Steve Carlton from the 1986 Phillies yearbook. I have his jersey from that photo (matched by pinstripes). I also own Lefty's 4000th strikeout game worn fielder's glove, which was also his final fielder's glove with the Phillies in 1985-86. This glove is the exact one that Lefty is wearing in the very same photo from the 1986 Phillies yearbook. Pretty incredible.

Reid

[astros*bats]

Is anyone a member of the Wire Image site that NYG mentioned? There are a couple pictures that I need to photo match a jersey I have. I already have one picture from Getty but there are 2 or 3 different ones on Wire Image. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

-AJ