Verlander jersey questions

[jwal23]

Never bought or even seen any Tigers GU jerseys in person or know a lot about their characteristics...was wondering everyone's thoughts on these 2 Justin Verlander jerseys that appeared on Ebay...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Justin-Verla...item460d008cc2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Justin-Verla...item460d009ec3

[roar84]

Never bought or even seen any Tigers GU jerseys in person or know a lot about their characteristics...was wondering everyone's thoughts on these 2 Justin Verlander jerseys that appeared on Ebay...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Justin-Verla...item460d008cc2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Justin-Verla...item460d009ec3

They both look legit to me. They both have proper tagging and Jim Schmakel's initials. Obviously, the home jersey has been washed but you can still see the initials. The gray jersey is from 2011 and the home jersey is from 2008 based upon the team tag.

I hope the information helps and good luck bidding.

[sox83cubs84]

They both look legit to me. They both have proper tagging and Jim Schmakel's initials. Obviously, the home jersey has been washed but you can still see the initials. The gray jersey is from 2011 and the home jersey is from 2008 based upon the team tag.

I hope the information helps and good luck bidding.

Agreed. Both great Verlander jerseys, evidencing good wear in the photos.

Dave Miedema

[jwal23]

thanks guys...they looked legit to me but nowadays you can never be to careful...especially on items like this

[csu398]

Not sure about 2008, but I find it hard to believe that a Verlander MVP/CY year jersey would be released without any kind of documentation, especially when Tigers do a very good job on making their GU items available to collectors.

Of course, it's not impossible that the jersey just leaked out through other routes...but I'd be very careful about them...

See if you can try photomatching these jerseys. It may not be easy to find an exact match; but when the jerseys don't match, the difference can be identified easily.

[sox83cubs84]

Not sure about 2008, but I find it hard to believe that a Verlander MVP/CY year jersey would be released without any kind of documentation, especially when Tigers do a very good job on making their GU items available to collectors.

Au contraire, the JS and G inscriptions, in that handwriting style, are as good as any LOA. The JS is Jim Schmakel, the Tigers' longtime equipment manager. The G is for Gamer. Although it's not the case now, there was a time when the Tigers were far less friendly to game-used jersey collectors. The JS initials were added to show that the jersey left the team's auspices legitimately. The Tigers would sometimes send team employees to Detroit area shows to check for items that weren't authorized for release. If a game-used/team-issued jersey was found in the possession of a dealer without the JS notation on the manufacturers' tag, the item was declared as stolen property and confiscation was attempted.

Dave Miedema

[onlyalbert]

Au contraire, the JS and G inscriptions, in that handwriting style, are as good as any LOA. The JS is Jim Schmakel, the Tigers' longtime equipment manager. The G is for Gamer. Although it's not the case now, there was a time when the Tigers were far less friendly to game-used jersey collectors. The JS initials were added to show that the jersey left the team's auspices legitimately. The Tigers would sometimes send team employees to Detroit area shows to check for items that weren't authorized for release. If a game-used/team-issued jersey was found in the possession of a dealer without the JS notation on the manufacturers' tag, the item was declared as stolen property and confiscation was attempted.

Dave Miedema

Dave, I know the other numbers on the tag, but what is the 072? Is this the set number? Most I see today have a specific tag with "set #"

[sox83cubs84]

Dave, I know the other numbers on the tag, but what is the 072? Is this the set number? Most I see today have a specific tag with "set #"

The 072 is an inventory number tag, a feature that the Tigers have included in most tagging since 1980 or thereabouts.

Dave M.

[TwinLakesPark]

Any thoughts on the home white jersey that was washed after it was initialed? I have only seen a few dozen JS initialed tigers jerseys, but I do not recall ever seeing any that were washed after they were marked.

Wes

[sox83cubs84]

Any thoughts on the home white jersey that was washed after it was initialed? I have only seen a few dozen JS initialed tigers jerseys, but I do not recall ever seeing any that were washed after they were marked.

Wes

I can't say for sure, but (GASP!!) COULD IT HAVE BEEN WORN AND WASHED (OMG!!) BY A SUBSEQUENT OWNER/FAN/COLLECTOR?

Looks like a job for the game-used police

Dave Miedema