Loss of Paperwork = Loss of Value

[commando]

I'm sure we've all lost things in the past.... Our house key, our receipt for the cans of tuna we bought last week, and maybe even our cell phone. But SHAME ON YOU if you lose the team/company paperwork that goes with your newer game used item!

I rarely, IF EVER, buy an item where the paperwork was supposedly lost. The exception for me is if it is a vintage item, which is easy enough to judge on its own merits. Even so, it is a shame when the chain of provenance disappears.

I will not touch newer, lightly-used items with a ten-foot pole if the paperwork was lost. I think oftentimes that the seller never intended to sell the item, and felt the paperwork wasn't important (kind of the same principle as adding patches to a GU jersey or wearing it around because you thought you'd never sell it).

You can do what you want with an item you own.... But be ready to pay the price when the piece is altered or the paperwork is lost.

[David]

I agree. I've heard people, including on here, say paper work means nothing to them and that they just toss it away. That's a perfectly fine personal choice and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with those sentiments. Just realize that when you resell, many bidders may not share those sentiments.

[yankees506]

As someone who has lost many loa's over the years Ive always known that even items that come with holograms attached will have to be discounted when I lose the LOA. That being said Ive become more careful in regards to storing loa's, to me an loa on a solid item isnt a dealbreaker.

[jppopma]

People need to remember that when selling a jersey, it is not what you feel is/was important....but what the buyer feels is important.

[G1X]

People need to remember that when selling a jersey, it is not what you feel is/was important....but what the buyer feels is important.

Well said. While paperwork seems to be a real important priority to some collectors, it has very little bearing in the decision-making process of other collectors. There are many in the hobby in which their purchases are not predicated on paperwork, and paperwork has little or no bearing on what they feel a particular piece is worth.

Sure, you might lose a number of potential buyers if you lose your paperwork, but for those who do not collect paper with their game-used items, it just doesn't matter whether you have that piece of paper when selling your item. You might see the paperwork as holding value, but there are a number of collectors in the hobby who put little or no value on the paper, or perhaps just don't care one way or the other whether paperwork accompanies the item.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

Always looking for World Football League game-worn items.

[commando]

Well said. While paperwork seems to be a real important priority to some collectors, it has very little bearing in the decision-making process of other collectors. There are many in the hobby in which their purchases are not predicated on paperwork, and paperwork has little or no bearing on what they feel a particular piece is worth.

Sure, you might lose a number of potential buyers if you lose your paperwork, but for those who do not collect paper with their game-used items, it just doesn't matter whether you have that piece of paper when selling your item. You might see the paperwork as holding value, but there are a number of collectors in the hobby who put little or no value on the paper, or perhaps just don't care one way or the other whether paperwork accompanies the item.

Mark,

You're speaking like a pre-1990s collector, which I know you are. And regarding these older items, I agree with you 100%. But what about these newer megastar jerseys and helmets with no provenance? How does a legit, game-used Mark Sanchez or Tim Tebow jersey make its way into the hobby without documentation? If a potential buyer believes the "I lost the paperwork" story, surely they won't pay the same amount as a jersey with a team letter.

[MikeSharon]

I agree with an earlier poster who stated the item should speak for itself. How many mistakes have the so called experts made and then been called out on here on this forum. To give a brief example Nolan Ryan rainbow Astros jerseys from 1984-1986 made by goodman and sons. The goodman Astros jerseys never had tags in the collars yet we have all seen numerous examples of that jersey with a goodman tag in the collar auctioned off with LOA stating they game used they were not could not have been because that is not how the company made them at the time. The person who buys a item with an LOA simply because of the letter is asking to be taken advantage of. Do your research and make sure you know what you are buying before you buy it dont rely on a someone who you most probabaly have never met opinion because that all most LOA's are is some ones opinion.

[David]

The earlier point is good that LOAs can serve as provenance. The LOAs may not always be reliable in describing the item, but they do give a record where the item came from. That an old auction catalog or LOA show the bat is in the same state now as it was in a 1998 auction is no small detail, considering how many game used items have been altered for eBay in the last month and in the next month. Also, LOAs can say a bat came from a significant source, like a player's estate or team executive. There's no question this is relevant information to keep on record.

[David]

If a bat can speak for itself, would that mean if it included a letter from the player stating it came from his personal collection, you would throw that that paperwork away? I assume you wouldn't. I also assume you'd keep the paperwork when it is an auction house LOA stating, in part, that the bat was consigned by the deceased player's family. These are instances where, I assume, everyone agrees the paperwork can provide valuable documentation.

[David]

And, even if you don't need or like paperwork, I assume you can appreciate that potential bidders would wish for those documents included as part of the sale.