Red Flags!

[finest_collectibles]

Item:
Mike Piazza Rawlings Bats

Reason:
Piazza NEVER uses Rawlings in games due to contract with Mizuno. Rawlings bats used strictly in batting practice.

Currently 2 Rawlings "Game" Used bats running on Ebay

[sportscentury]

Eric,

This is a great thread to start. Here are the first three off of the top of my head:

1) 2003 Texas Rangers jerseys with set 3 tags. MeiGray bought out the Rangers' team stock from 2003 (actually, they have purchased jerseys from 1996 to present from the Rangers) and I personally went through these jerseys (ultimately selecting what is, in my opinion, the finest AROD jersey from his 2003 MVP season - simply ridiculous wear) and there was not a single set 3 jersey. All of the ones from the Rangers had set 1 or set 2 tagging and they all had the Rangers' extra serial code tag on the inside. And, yes, the set 1 and set 2 jerseys from the Rangers (at MeiGray) are the ones that actually show real game wear. There is a boatload of set 3 Rangers jerseys from 2003 of superstar players. I am not saying that they are not game worn, but I've never seen one that shows any game wear and not one of them came from the Rangers/MeiGray.

2) Manny Ramirez Red Sox jerseys from the last few years with the giant-font year tags and the same manufactured dirt patterns on the front. These jerseys always have the same dirt patterns that actually cover the tagging (as if Manny slid into base head first all of the time with his shirt tail out)!! Some of these jerseys are listed as being from certain games. In the old gameusedforum, there was a post by a member who stated that he watched a game from which one of the supposedly game used Manny jerseys came and Manny never slid into base or got dirty at all ... yet the shirt had the same exact dirt pattern on the front as all of them do. They come with Manny's own letter, signed by him ... but it doesn't mean a thing. There are a boatload of these. Here again, I'm not saying that they are not game worn ... but I wouldn't touch one of these with a 10-foot pole. The Manny jerseys that I've seen that I know are real and game used have the normal Boston tagging (consistent with the tagging across Red Sox players for that year) and not a single one has the dirt pattern that you find on all of the Manny jerseys that come with his signed letter.

3) Phillies superstar Wilson jerseys from the late 1970s and 1980s that have a year/set tag with a dash in between the year and the set numbers. There should be no dash. For example, a set 1 Steve Carlton shirt from 1985 should have a strip tag that reads "85 1" ... if you see one that reads "85-1", stay away. These were extras that someone made up and they have been floating around for years (Howard Wold could add endless red flags here, I'm certain, but this is one of the most common ones to look out for). I have seen these "dash" jerseys for Rose, Schmidt, and Lefty. They may have been made up for other popular players, too (like Bowa, the Bull, Maddox, etc.), but I haven't seen them.

Reid

[allstarsplus]

Barry Bonds

Be careful of "game used" bats, gloves, cleats, jackets, pants, jerseys from 1999 - present that don't have either his hologram on them and in the case of his jerseys that don't have the Bonds Authenticated patch.

[kingjammy24]

1) 1990 Jose Canseco home jerseys. There are a boatload of these out there which are always tagged "2 90". How Jose managed to have at least
40 "Set 2" home jerseys, I'm not quite sure. I've never seen one tagged "1 90". I suspect these came from Scoreboard as theyre always autographed as well.

2) 1994 Frank Thomas 'Wilson' jerseys. The early 90's were a mess for White Sox jerseys with both Russell and Wilson supplying the team. I have yet to find a single picture of Frank wearing a Wilson jersey in 1994 where I have seen tons of pictures of him wearing Russell jerseys. Not surprisingly, the majority of 1994 Frank Thomas jerseys out there are Wilson jerseys. Find me a single picture of him wearing a Wilson jersey in 1994 and I'll retract my opinion. (While both Wilson and Russell supplied the White Sox in the early 90's, photographic evidence suggests the White Sox favored Russell jerseys).

3) 1994 Chicago White Sox Russell jersey tagging. For me, there isn't a more muddled situation than early 90's White Sox jerseys. Not only were 2 companies supplying the team with jerseys, but I've seen at least 3 different tagging variations for the Russell jerseys alone. (1994 seems to be a big year for White Sox jerseys out there).
It's my opinion that the proper tagging for a 1994 White Sox jersey should read:
"35 - THOMAS - 46 + 2 - 94" - (Number - Name + Additional Length - Year)
or
"12 - GREBECK - 40 + 0 - 94".

I've seen everything from Russell tagging that reads just "1994" to "THOMAS 1994" to "35 - 46 - 94".


Rudy.

[hblakewolf]

Reid-
The dash between the year and set tag is a dead giveaway. REAL Phillies jerseys manufactured by Wilson never have this dash. There are dozens of 1980 and 1981 Rose, Schmidt, Carlton, and Bowa's floating around with the bad tagging. Should you be offered one-run.

How about this Brett jersey to further show what a bogus Wilson tag looks like. This is sad!

http://cgi.ebay.com/GEORGE-BRETT-GAM...QQcmdZViewItem

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[cohibasmoker]

Equipment authenticators who issue letters of opinion but don't back their letters up. Would this be a red flag?

[davetiki]

Here is another Pujols bat with a flag.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALBERT-PUJOLS-20...QQcmdZViewItem
I contacted the seller and here was his reply:

"it's obvious you don't know anything about albert pujols. the bat is from ASI and ASI deals with albert pujols, alex rodriguez. they have been selling game used items for over 5 years. go do some research on someone else and if you don't like the bat don't buy it."

I am so grateful for sites like this so that people can be educated so they can pick out the fakes like this.

davidzirnhelt1@yahoo.com

[suave1477]

Here is another Pujols bat with a flag.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALBERT-PUJOLS-20...QQcmdZViewItem
I contacted the seller and here was his reply:

"it's obvious you don't know anything about albert pujols. the bat is from ASI and ASI deals with albert pujols, alex rodriguez. they have been selling game used items for over 5 years. go do some research on someone else and if you don't like the bat don't buy it."

I am so grateful for sites like this so that people can be educated so they can pick out the fakes like this.

davidzirnhelt1@yahoo.com

Here is something interesting the seller is also selling a REAL Albert Pujols Jersey or at least its authenticated by Mears with an A5. Are you sure the bat was fake? Unfortunately ebay has taken down the photos of the bat so we can't see them, but what made you think the bat was a fake?

[Eric]

It was an x-bat with a domincan flag on it. According to Birdbats research, Pujols never used those. They could be ordered by anyone on the internet and many ended up in the hobby as game used.
Eric

[staindsox]

I just wanted to add a word on the Manny Ramirez jerseys from his charity. I know many of you have posted on these in the past. Yes they seem suspicious, but I believe the ones from his charity are real...I cannot speak for the ones from ASI, ESM, etc. I have handled many of these and there is a specific reason I am confident that they are real. Manny splashes on expensive perfume before every game. I know it sounds crazy but it's true. I even found corroborating evidence: "Jinxed" by Ken Leiker mentions it. I have some jerseys that still carry a strong perfume scent three years later. I think he ordered a ton of them, but I'm convinced they were used.

Chris