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]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

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]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

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

[num1jrfan]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

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

[Eric]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

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

[swainer]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

No expert here but this looks pretty close...

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/atlanta-braves-ryan-klesko-and-greg-maddux-celebrate-with-news-photo/51619770

[Eric]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

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

[swainer]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

Wow. I was so focused on the "a" that I didn't even notice that. And that is one of the MANY reasons I leave it to the experts!

Peace!

John

[wjyoung]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

In that picture the gap in the "a" is also much wider than the GF jersey. I sent them an email with my concerns, I'll let you guys know what they say once I hear back from them.

[Eric]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

Wow. I was so focused on the "a" that I didn't even notice that. And that is one of the MANY reasons I leave it to the experts!

Peace!

John

I'm not an expert by any means. The "Experts" are paid by the auction companies for their opinions. I've never actually met a real expert on game used stuff. There are some incredibly knowledgeable people though.

[earlywynnfan]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

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]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

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]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

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.

[Eric]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

Grey Flannel sold this jersey for $3006 even after not being able to provide a 1999 Braves photo of any player matching this type of stitching on the lettering

Not sure if one is right or wrong, but I noticed that the Maddux nameplate is close to the numbers while this 1999 Guillen nameplate is closer to the piping at the top of the jersey. Just an observation

[wjyoung]

Re: BIG Problem With Grey Flannel Maddux Jersey

I think the only reason they didn't pull the jersey is because I emailed them with less than 3 days left in the auction. There were 11 bids and it was up to $1,700 at that point. I wish I had seen the jersey and emailed them sooner.

In regards to the nameplate, there is a fairly significant variation in the height of the sewing in the images on Getty. One thing that does look strange about it is how little fabric there is from the letters to the stitching. On the Guillen, and others on Getty, there is nearly an inch of additional fabric on either side of the "G" and the "N", while the Maddux nameplate is cut much closer to the name and also at a much different angle.