Quote Originally Posted by 3arod13 View Post
Game Used - What Percentage Do You Think They Get It Right?

Today, many game used items can be photomatched.

I've always wondered when I see older player (from the 30,' 40',s, 50's, etc.) jerseys, bats, gloves, etc. that have been authenticated, how accurate are they in getting it right.

What do you think?

Regards, Tony

Not sure on the percentage. For collectors its all about the source and the company records on old stuff.

HB Bat have good records and bat with side writing are good bets. HB bats without side writing but display player charateristics and come from a good source are good bets. Items coming from the Halper Collection would be a good bet. There have been at least one case where a game used fielding glove from Halpers collection was shown not to be from the time period perported to be from so its not 100%. I would only buy a Clemente game used item that came from the Halper collection or provenance directly from the Clemente family.

Our hobby is based on trustworthyness of the source. Once that trust is breached, it is tough. Someone could do their own research but it would be tough. There are archives of old players photos somewhere out there, maybe at the HOF. There are old baseball cards.

Surprisingly there are many photo of players in the 60s, 70s 80s on Gettys. Theres a Gettys photo of Frank Chance of the Cubs that looks similar to the jersey that has been auction previously on sothebys. Even Honus Wagner has photos on Gettys. You can study labels if there are samples available.
Vintage Jerseys I would be weary to purchase until I research the offerings by Mitchell and Ness.

But in the end, imho I think the purchaser of vintage will buy based on the comfort level of the source and the provenance they provide.