where do these jerseys come from?

[kingjammy24]

this has been on my mind for awhile now; the abundance of current pro-spec jerseys that, although are technically "pro" jerseys (not retail), are obviously not from the team and have obviously not been worn by the player. to illustrate my point, take this jersey as an example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=250064731474

a 2003 carlos delgado "game used" jersey. (for the purposes of this thread, we'll ignore the fact that the ad states it received an A5 while the letter shows it received an A4. as well we'll ignore the fact that the ad states "100% properly tagged" whereas the mears letter has a statement saying "missing the year/set tag").

here is a sample of what the Jays were offering for 2003 delgado gamers:

Name # Year Set Size Type
Delgado, C. 25 03 1 54 Grey-GW
Delgado, C. 25 03 3 54 Grey-GW
Delgado, C. 25 03 2 54 White Alt-GW
Delgado, C. 25 03 1 54 White-GW
Delgado, C. 25 03 3 54 White-GW
Delgado, C. 25 03 2 54 Blue Alt-GW

across styles, across sets, it's pretty clear that delgado wears a size 54.
mike quick has a nice delgado jays gamer with team loa currently on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=280064418054

again, it's a size 54.

so here's my question: here we have a "pro" jersey, with proper fonts, and a properly sewn "0062" wash tag. jays' numbers have always had a unique, proprietary style that made them difficult to fake. they weren't your standard varsity numbers that any lettering shop could easily whip up. this jersey has proper jays numbers and letters. however, the fact that it's far from delgado's real size makes it obvious that it's extremely unlikely that delgado ever wore this jersey and likely never even saw it. however, you can't buy these jerseys in retail stores.
so where do they come from? if i want a pro-coded, properly lettered, size 42 Clemens Astros "pro-spec jersey" where would i go? clearly the Astros and Clemens himself wouldn't have any. so where do these things come from?

like many other companies, i'm wondering if Majestic and Russell have employees pilfering pro-coded, pro-lettered jerseys out the back door?

otherwise, the only other explanation i can whip up as to why there seem to be 50 2005 David Ortiz home "gamers" is that they're coming from non-team individuals who, for some reason, have the ability to order these pro-spec jerseys. (apparently they don't always know the proper size so they make their best guess.) any other suggestions?

one of these days, i'm going to open a dealership and call it "An Impeccable Source". then all of my customers will be able to truthfully say they obtained their jersey from "an impeccable source".

rudy.

[hblakewolf]

Rudy-
I too saw this Delgado "gamer" and instantly noticed that it was void of the neck tagging that is the norm for the Jays gamers.

A first step in trying to determine where these jerseys come from may be to contact this particular seller, Joel Alpert. He specifically makes note of his "impeccable source" and likewise, even provides his email address allowing you to ask your question right to him!

I have included his actual copy below in blue from his listing.

Please update us as to his response to who his "impeccable source" may be.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net
"This jersey was obtained through an impeccable source."This jersey comes with a letter of authenticity from MEARS. It has the grade of MEARS A5. TRS Enterprises is a Certified MEARS dealer. For more information about MEARS services, please email me at joel@alpert.net.

[allstarsplus]

this has been on my mind for awhile now; the abundance of current pro-spec jerseys that, although are technically "pro" jerseys (not retail), are obviously not from the team

like many other companies, i'm wondering if Majestic and Russell have employees pilfering pro-coded, pro-lettered jerseys out the back door?

otherwise, the only other explanation i can whip up as to why there seem to be 50 2005 David Ortiz home "gamers" is that they're coming from non-team individuals who, for some reason, have the ability to order these pro-spec jerseys. (apparently they don't always know the proper size so they make their best guess.) any other suggestions?

one of these days, i'm going to open a dealership and call it "An Impeccable Source". then all of my customers will be able to truthfully say they obtained their jersey from "an impeccable source".

rudy.

Rudy - While not commenting specifically to this Delgado jersey, you are obviously on to the anomaly of these nice jerseys (NFL and MLB) that look like a team issued but never made it to the locker room.

Employee pilfering from the factory is certainly a possibility, but consider this that Majestic until a few months ago used to sell at their outlet store in Pennsylvania 0062 jerseys that were considered "irregulars".

Also consider salesman samples as another source (especially with the older Russell manufactured Ripken and Jeter jerseys).

Agents and players ordering for themselves.

In the case of teams that don't use nameplates, commons are taken and renumbered which is why these jerseys sometimes are not the correct size for the player or don't have the custom alterations. This can be done with nameplates but then the fonts are usually questionable.

The other which we have seen are the "authentics" that are resold as gamers which typically are suspect with respect to fonts, embroidery, laundry tags, sizing, etc.

Andrew

[flaco1801]

ever since i got into the subject of his pro coded yank jerseys he had for sale here (which i claimed would be game used in no time) i felt he was a hinderance to this hobby. i was told by some here, " cant be responsible for what happens after they are sold " remember eric??? happy new year guys and dolls. Jeff

[ahuff]

The most glaring error I see, besides the size of the jersey, is the fact that it is missing the club house attendants mark which is the true indicator of game wear on recent Jays jerseys. The neck tagging is also missing, true. However, after talking to the Jays, I know that that isn't the best indicator. Many mid-season call ups and rookies lack the neck tagging. (I purchased a rookie Chacin jersey for my son, directly from the Jays, that lacks the neck tagging).

[bigtime59]

There was a HUGE load of Majestic 0062 coded Blue Jays 2001 jerseys at the Cleveland National. The Mondesi jerseys even had properly custom cut sleeves. I bought a bunch, sold them as "authentics" and took a bath. Other sellers bought a bunch, sold them as "game worn" and made a mint. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that this jersey came from a similar dump. The 2001s were dumped because the Jays switched fabrics. These could have been style dumps.

[athletics61]

I was at the 2004 Cleveland National and agree.....There were tons of these 0062 Blue Jay 2001 jerseys. There were boxes and boxes filled with them of all styles (home, road, and both alternates) and they were selling for $35 apiece or 3 for $100. There were only five players to choose from: Mondesi sz 48, Koch sz 52, Stewart sz 50, Cruz Jr sz 48, and another player I can't remember. Anyone remember the other one?

Anyone looking for 2001 gamers of these players need to be careful.

[kingjammy24]

more on this topic, from mike quick's website:

"At season end, player being traded or a team style change, Majestic dumps ALL the remaining jerseys to Wholesalers, Sporting Good Stores, etc. They don't throw the existing inventory away....I have personally purchased a Orioles Sidney Ponson white Majestic Home jersey, tagged as 0062, from Dick's Sporting Goods."

well, that answers it then. i didn't know and now i do. no wonder i see bucketloads of 0062, crisp "gamers" out there.

rudy.

[b.heagy]

Item has been ended by seller with an explanation. See link for the explantation.