How does wearing a game worn jersey affect its value?

[jake33]

I have an game used Buccaneers jersey that i bought for $81.50 , becuase the seller sold it incorrectly. I wear it on a lot of gamedays. It is tough to get much lower value than that. So, i could probably lsit a fixed price auction and list it as an "authentic" jersey, which has a bigger market for buyers than game worn and probably get over $100 for it.

However, for those highend game used items that are $500+ yes it likely would lower the value, those jersey really go into more of a "memorabilia" buying group of people.

[JJKANDLAK]

I've worn a couple of "common player" gameused jerseys to ballgames, tailgates, etc. but have never washed them. For "star" players my policy has been the jersey stays in the display case.

[gingi79]

Game worn jerseys are a collectible now. If Babe Ruth gave a kid his jersey and the entire family wore it through the generations and it came up for sale tomorrow, would it make it less real and valuable? Of course not. Its expected to have been used as a shirt as that's what it is.

If Marilyn Monroe wore one of Joe D's old jerseys to bed every night, the value would increase right? Why? She had no athletic talent. Her lifetime batting average was .000. She enhances the value because she was a sexy woman and a celeb but no different than you or I. You could even argue she negatively affected it because it now smells like Chanel #5.

I have a strict rule of only wearing a jersey I won't sell.
I assume every jersey I buy has been worn by more than just the player. Barring wear has been added or erased, the jersey is still an authentic game worn item of a player I admire. Nothing else matters to me. Just an opinion.

[TBTwinsFan]

I wouldn't have a problem with it as long as it wasn't damaged or stretched.

[suave1477]

This topic has been discussed before!!

And to reiterate my opinion from last time. I think it is terrible for someone to wear a game used / issued Jersey.

Everyone mentions well its not that big of a deal it was already worn by the player and as long as it is been taken care of minus food stains, beer, etc.... (kind of the what we dont know doesnt hurt us approach) And yes I get it that some where, at some point someone may have worn a jersey that I own and chances are I will never really know.

But for those of who you who think its an innocent thing to wear a Jersey. Think about this. Wonder how many Game Issueds are in your collection that only show wear due to the guy who decided he wanted to wear his game issued Jersey and now over the course of time of him cleaning it, it now shows use. So now you have a Jersey in your collection that was never even touched by the player but you spent your hard earned money for that Jersey thinking it was game used (That was worn by the guy at your local gas station)

I will even take it one step further I will not sell a game issued or used jersey to someone who has made me aware his intentions for the item are to wear.

Potential buyers on ebay have emails me and asked me for specifics on size of something I am selling. I ask them why? They say I want to make sure the Jersey fits me to wear it. I kindly tell them that I prefer not to sell it for personal use to wear as it devalues the item.

[suave1477]

Game worn jerseys are a collectible now. If Babe Ruth gave a kid his jersey and the entire family wore it through the generations and it came up for sale tomorrow, would it make it less real and valuable? Of course not. Its expected to have been used as a shirt as that's what it is.

If Marilyn Monroe wore one of Joe D's old jerseys to bed every night, the value would increase right? Why? She had no athletic talent. Her lifetime batting average was .000. She enhances the value because she was a sexy woman and a celeb but no different than you or I. You could even argue she negatively affected it because it now smells like Chanel #5.

I have a strict rule of only wearing a jersey I won't sell.
I assume every jersey I buy has been worn by more than just the player. Barring wear has been added or erased, the jersey is still an authentic game worn item of a player I admire. Nothing else matters to me. Just an opinion.

Not to point you out Gingi just adding to the point I made.

What if the Jersey you own was worn by everybody else but the player???

Its like saying I have a Derek Jeter Game Issued Jersey for $500 but wait give me a couple of weeks going out with it to my friends at the bars and washing it and WALLAH now I have a Derek Jeter Game Used Jersey for $1,000

[suave1477]

I've worn a couple of "common player" gameused jerseys to ballgames, tailgates, etc. but have never washed them. For "star" players my policy has been the jersey stays in the display case.

This is also the next problem. People think well if its a common player who cares right??? No big deal right? Wrong!!
A common players specific Jersey doesnt have to have value simply because hes a star, but he could of been that guy I went to school with, that guy who is the town hero, maybe he was the guy who treated me really nice one day when I met him, and now I am looking for an actual game used jersey of that player.

A more further extreme example of my point. What if I could get my hands on a common player jersey who played for the 61 Yankees, I would pay a premium for that. But some guy decided he wanted to wear the Jersey out to a softball game and sweat in it because it was just a common players jersey, yeah but the player belonged to a meaningful team. What if it was a common players Jersey from the 1919 White Sox???

My point is common players I dont think should be worn either but again these are just my opinions.

I do like that fact you pointed out that you didnt wash them after you wore them lol Great so not only do we get the funk of the player but your own personal scent added lol
Does that cost extra when you sell it??? lol

[otismalibu]

Wonder how many Game Issueds are in your collection that only show wear due to the guy who decided he wanted to wear his game issued Jersey and now over the course of time of him cleaning it, it now shows use.

I'm not a big fan of wearing gamers, but I do have an old 1988 Sixers warmup jacket that I've worn twice. The tag has been markered more than once, so there's no way to know who wore it, but it is a larger size. If I cost myself a sale to all the Mike Gminski and Christian Welp collectors - so be it.

I guess it depends what activities are planned while wearing the jersey, but someone watching the game in a team issued jersey probably isn't adding detectable use. I have a retail Steelers jersey that is 10 years old. A Reebok authentic that was originally attributed to Randel El. I've worn it to the bar dozens of times. Years ago, I changed it to a current player. I've never put it in the dryer, but it's been worn/washed many times and you cannot see any wear. Nothing. No pilling inside or out. It's not like I'm stretching if over pads. And this is a made in Korea Reebok which surely must be lower quality than the Made in USA Steelers gamers from the same time frame.

[MarinersFan34]

For me, the bigger point comes down to Full Disclosure, which a large number of sellers fail to mention and it appears that's because they don't seem to think it matters. That is their own choice but if you wear a game used or team issued jersey and then ever sell it, please state as much. For the record, when I sell I don't state this because I don't wear them, I buy retail authentic jerseys to wear but never sell the ones I wear anyways.

A few years ago I bought a team issued jersey on here to wear because a retail authentic was not avail. anywhere in the player/style I wanted but I did look for that retail authentic option first. I never asked if it was worn because I made the assumption, team issued means just that, not worn. After getting it in hand, I noticed it had wear on it, and asked the seller who then stated, yea I wore it a few times. That is the only team issued jersey I've worn and I never plan to sell it but if I ever do, I will disclose what I know about it, including it being worn by myself and the previous owner.

I didn't value the jersey any less in this case but I would have liked to have had that info before I bought it. Even though it wouldn't have changed my mind on the purchase. Now if it had been a jersey I wanted for my collection it very well could be a deciding factor in my purchase.

We will never know the full history of every jersey we buy but there is no reason to not disclose every detail you know even if you don't think it matters. Like someone said about the Jeter jersey, if I just wanted a team issued jersey but some random guy wore it to the pub to watch games, I do value it less and would probably pass but there are others that wouldn't care and a sale would still happen.

I think it's more about keeping the hobby as honest as we can with full disclosure and passing on info when we have it readily avail.

[suave1477]

For me, the bigger point comes down to Full Disclosure, which a large number of sellers fail to mention and it appears that's because they don't seem to think it matters. That is their own choice but if you wear a game used or team issued jersey and then ever sell it, please state as much. For the record, when I sell I don't state this because I don't wear them, I buy retail authentic jerseys to wear but never sell the ones I wear anyways.

A few years ago I bought a team issued jersey on here to wear because a retail authentic was not avail. anywhere in the player/style I wanted but I did look for that retail authentic option first. I never asked if it was worn because I made the assumption, team issued means just that, not worn. After getting it in hand, I noticed it had wear on it, and asked the seller who then stated, yea I wore it a few times. That is the only team issued jersey I've worn and I never plan to sell it but if I ever do, I will disclose what I know about it, including it being worn by myself and the previous owner.

I didn't value the jersey any less in this case but I would have liked to have had that info before I bought it. Even though it wouldn't have changed my mind on the purchase. Now if it had been a jersey I wanted for my collection it very well could be a deciding factor in my purchase.

We will never know the full history of every jersey we buy but there is no reason to not disclose every detail you know even if you don't think it matters. Like someone said about the Jeter jersey, if I just wanted a team issued jersey but some random guy wore it to the pub to watch games, I do value it less and would probably pass but there are others that wouldn't care and a sale would still happen.

I think it's more about keeping the hobby as honest as we can with full disclosure and passing on info when we have it readily avail.

I agree with what your saying to a degree. Yes there is no doubt about it honesty and full disclosure of the item is extremely important. But being honest doesnt make it ok.
If a guy takes a game issued jersey and decides one day he wants to go mudslidding in it and cleans it. Doesnt make it ok, that he was honest with me about what he did in the Jersey including ate for lunch that day and what he watched on tv that night. If it was a player I really wanted maybe for it being issued (it was cheaper than a game used) now it shows use or the fact that it was worn by a player and now you decided you wanted to roll in the mud with it to me takes away from the fact of the extra hard use the person added instead of the player.

And you say you will be honest and give full discllosure of the item of the wear from the previous owner and you and that is great but what about the guy after you? Between you and the guy before you, you made it virtually easy for the next guy to sell as game used.

To add to your full disclosure thats the next, how would you fully disclose it?? I am sure a potential buyer would love to read the description. Maybe it would go something like this??


1996 Yankees Derek Jeter Game Issued Jersey Steiner LOA $500
Description: Proper tagging, loa etc......
P.S. The guy who owned this Jersey before me wore it all the time out to baseball games and after him I bought it and used to go out on dates with it. I once squirted mayonaise on it and cleaned it but dont worry I got the stain out. There was that one date I went on and a girl kissed me and her make up got around the neck line but I let the Jersey soak in warm water and detergent over night and then some scrubbing and got that one out too. Jersey looks good as New!!

Happy Bidding on your Game Issued Jersey!!


Do you get my point? Honesty is great but you ruin the integrity of the item