BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

[wjyoung]

When looking through Grey Flannel's current auction I noticed they had some nice Atlanta Braves jerseys. I've been collecting Braves jerseys for awhile now and something looked funny about this Greg Maddux 1999 game worn road grey jersey:

http://catalog.greyflannelauctions.c...ld-Series-Year)

I couldn't figure out why it looked so "off" until I looked through some of my own jerseys and images on Getty. Not only does the font look too wide, I have NEVER seen an authentic Braves jersey with the middle "a" in Atlanta being completely on the right side of the split. They are always split in two with approximately 1/2 of the "a" on each side. I've posted images of the GF Maddux listing, Maddux wearing the road grey in 1999, and Chipper wearing the road grey in 1999 which clearly shows the "a" being sewn on each side.

In my opinion this jersey is not game worn or issued by the Atlanta Braves. I don't claim to be an expert on Braves jerseys, but I have personally never seen this. If others have opinions on this jersey I would like to hear them. Thanks.

[Eric]

I'm sure they have a photo or two that will at least style-match it. Would be pretty short-sighted for a major auction house not to.

Anyway, just shoot them an email and ask them to send you the photos they used in their research. It will only enhance the value of the piece.

Would love to see them. Please share when they respond.
Eric

[Phil316]

I have not seen a "A" like that either at least from 1999.

[num1jrfan]

they actually get back to you really quick with emails. a few hours when i had a question and asked for pics.

[Eric]

That's great. Looking forward to seeing the pic.

[swainer]

No expert here but this looks pretty close...

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/ne...photo/51619770

[Eric]

The piping goes through the "N" in the Getty Image pic. But it's close

[earlywynnfan]

I'm sure they have a photo or two that will at least style-match it. Would be pretty short-sighted for a major auction house not to.

Anyway, just shoot them an email and ask them to send you the photos they used in their research. It will only enhance the value of the piece.

Would love to see them. Please share when they respond.
Eric

Eric, is it hard to type while biting on your tongue? Just curious.

Ken

[wjyoung]

I received a response from Grey Flannel about my concerns. They were polite and prompt but only gave me the typical "he wore multiple jerseys that season" and "not every jersey is photographed". My big concern however wasn't just with the Maddux having a style match, but any Brave wearing a similarly lettered/stitched jersey in 1999.

They provided multiple images of Braves jerseys all sewn the same (correct) way with the "a" being sewn on both sides of the chest to show that the sewing of the "a" can vary. But could not provide any style match to a 1999 Braves jersey with the entire "a" sewn on the right side. The only style match they provided to this particular sewing was a picture of Fred McGriff from August 24, 1993.

I did a little more research and still could not find a Braves jersey sewn this way in 1999 worn by anyone, let alone Maddux. But when I searched "diamond collection braves jersey" on ebay, there were only 2 grey jerseys listed for sale. Both of which were replica jerseys, and both were sewn the exact same way as the Maddux Grey Flannel jersey.

In my opinion it's not authentic. But for the collector who is about to spend over $2,000 on it, I hope I'm wrong.

[Eric]

I received a response from Grey Flannel about my concerns. They were polite and prompt but only gave me the typical "he wore multiple jerseys that season" and "not every jersey is photographed". My big concern however wasn't just with the Maddux having a style match, but any Brave wearing a similarly lettered/stitched jersey in 1999.

They provided multiple images of Braves jerseys all sewn the same (correct) way with the "a" being sewn on both sides of the chest to show that the sewing of the "a" can vary. But could not provide any style match to a 1999 Braves jersey with the entire "a" sewn on the right side. The only style match they provided to this particular sewing was a picture of Fred McGriff from August 24, 1993.

I did a little more research and still could not find a Braves jersey sewn this way in 1999 worn by anyone, let alone Maddux. But when I searched "diamond collection braves jersey" on ebay, there were only 2 grey jerseys listed for sale. Both of which were replica jerseys, and both were sewn the exact same way as the Maddux Grey Flannel jersey.

In my opinion it's not authentic. But for the collector who is about to spend over $2,000 on it, I hope I'm wrong.

Glad they got back to you promptly but I'm confused. Why are they ok saying it's "game used" if their experts couldn't find a style match with the lettering of any player in 1999?

Hey- not every jersey is photographed- I think I have a purple 1999 Braves Maddux jersey if you're interested.