On the subject of Game Issued vs. Game Used, I feel compelled to post as we do get caught inadvertently in the crosshairs when one of our items gets misrepresented.

We take this breach of trust very seriously, as it affects every honest collector and reseller in the industry—and if the industry is tainted, we all are to some degree. That being said, in instances where individuals have been clearly identified as engaging in this type of activity, we reserve and enforce the right not to sell Game Issued items to these entities--and have "blacklisted" parties known to buy with intent to defraud (such as buying game issueds and reselling as game used). We cannot monitor every item as it makes it's way through the marketplace, but eventually, patterns do tend to emerge.

In addition, we have recently begun the practice of marking Game Issued jerseys (in a place that is not visible from the outside), to further help identify these items as Game Issued in the secondary marketplace.

If you are presented with an opportunity to buy a Game Used item that likely originated here at Steiner Sports—especially a high end item, feel free to contact us and we can tell you if similar items have been sold as Game Issued. That doesn't mean we can validate it one way or the other--you still need to be careful, as this doesn’t necessarily offer conclusive evidence, but at least you will have additional information with which to base your decision. Naturally, we cannot divulge confidential customer details, but we can probably help in instances where we see patterns of dishonest activity.

Lastly, even with these precautions taken, there are no guarantees; markings can be removed, LOAs can be forged, people can buy under assumed names, and there will always be instances in which fraud succeeds. We will continue to monitor this and hopefully learn and adjust to these challenges in the marketplace.

Bob Malandro
Yankees-Steiner Collectbles/Mets-Steiner Collectibles