Mastro Auction - Greg Maddux Lot #652

[skipcareyisfat]

Offered in Mastro's current auction is a "game used" Greg Maddux away jersey from 1998, accompanied by two worthless LOA's, one from the Braves and another from Lampson:

http://www.mastronet.com/index.cfm?a...2&CurrentRow=1

I've seen quite a few pre-2006 Braves jerseys with nameplates that didn't have the traditional arch and spacing. Most of them seem to have been issued to players that were called up or acquired mid-season. Although, as you can see by the attached 1998 photo of Maddux and Jones, they were occasionally issued to stars and regulars as well. However, I have never seen a nameplate that looks like the Mastro Maddux. It's not even close to the one Maddux is wearing in the photo. Jones is wearing a traditional nameplate.

Mastro in fact notes the anomaly in the description:

The N.O.B. does not feature the classic angled font used predominately by the Braves from the late '80s to the present, but rather one of the less attractive, standard plain block styles seen occasionally, likely locally affixed.

My question is why? They've pointed out a significant detail, but for what purpose? To avoid having to address it elsewhere? There may be a dozen Maddux Braves jerseys for sale right now, and none will look like this one. What's the purpose in addressing a serious flaw if you aren't able to provide a reasonable explanation for it? "Likely locally fixed" isn't good enough here. Using this logic, anyone could conceivably submit a bad jersey, point out the flaws and say, "It looks different because the team issued it like that." Or..."Babe Ruth's autograph looks different because he likely signed it with his left hand."

I did email Mastro about this, but I never heard back.