Hello guys,

First time poster but long-time lurker on these boards. I've always been intrigued with game-used memorabilia, but it seems like anytime I find a piece I'm interested in, it's either outrageously priced or had questionable authenticity.

Last weekend I was at the Cardinals Winter-Warm Up and found a game-used bat of Allen Craig. Craig is my favorite current Cardinal, so after debating with myself all weekend, I finally convinced myself to buy it on the last day of the event. I paid $225, which is probably too much, but its a PC item, so I wasn't too concerned about resale value, etc. I purchased this from the MLB Authentics booth, so I'm 99.9% its legit... It has the MLB stickers on the barrel and also on the handle. However, that's where my question comes in.

After I get the bat home, I get online to look up the code to see if there is a specific game that I can match it to. I check the stickers and it appears that the numbers have either rubbed or worn off. I could see faint numbers, but not nearly enough to decipher what the full code is. I ran my thumbnail across part of it, and the ink seemed to come off rather easily. Have any of you all had this issue before? This is the only thing that makes me question its authenticity. I would have loved to have matched it up to a specific game, but it seems like that is impossible. Pics are posted below to get opinions. Thanks!