Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

[trsent]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

I still for one find all these 3rd party's authentiction servies a waste of our money. Do yourself a favor a do your own homework!

Do you know some people have families and companies to run who buy high end memorabilia and they would rather pay to have a 3rd party who they trust look at their item than take time from their schedule and do it themselves? Don't you know some of the biggest high end jersey collectors are CEO's of companies and they don't have the time to do their own homework so they build relationships with people they trust and pay them for their service?

Sure, most of us have plenty of time to do our own homework, but there is a niche for an authenticator such as MEARS in this industry.

Not everyone has 24 hours a day available to do their own homework.

There is some good in why there are 3rd party authenticators in the world. Some of them, such as MEARS, make an effort to be correct. Others as documented on this forum just glance at an item and authenticate it in seconds - I do not believe this is what is happening at MEARS.

[otismalibu]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

Why so much hate in this world? Shouldn't we all just love one and other?

This question was brought to you by the good folks at Walgreens Pharmacy. If you're not looking at the world through rose colored glasses, we can help.

[trsent]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

As I assumed earlier, Troy was taken out of context.

Troy Kinunen of MEARS just emailed me the following:

From my notes on the interview,

“MEARS does not photo match, we use the process of imagery analysis. This includes using the process of mensuration, a concept introduced by retired LTC Dave Grob. With photo matching, you must have an understanding of tagging, sizing, style, lettering, numbering, wear, source/provenance, and imagery analysis. To just take a jersey and match it against a photo is an amateurish way of authenticating. Because without studying the rest of the facts, fraud can be introduced.
There are many collectors out there that truly study their hobby and educate themselves, and do not need the use of authenticators. Actually, if you look back at the 600+ published articles, MEARS has been an industry leader of educating collectors on how to make informed purchase decisions.
MEARS does not just take an item and state is authentic, we try to show you the process of how we came to our conclusion.”

[Cubsfan4life]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

As I assumed earlier, Troy was taken out of context.

Troy Kinunen of MEARS just emailed me the following:

From my notes on the interview,

“MEARS does not photo match, we use the process of imagery analysis. This includes using the process of mensuration, a concept introduced by retired LTC Dave Grob. With photo matching, you must have an understanding of tagging, sizing, style, lettering, numbering, wear, source/provenance, and imagery analysis. To just take a jersey and match it against a photo is an amateurish way of authenticating. Because without studying the rest of the facts, fraud can be introduced.
There are many collectors out there that truly study their hobby and educate themselves, and do not need the use of authenticators. Actually, if you look back at the 600+ published articles, MEARS has been an industry leader of educating collectors on how to make informed purchase decisions.
MEARS does not just take an item and state is authentic, we try to show you the process of how we came to our conclusion.”

For an current jersey tagging, sizing, style, lettering, numbering, wear, and source/provenance are pretty easy to find out, so for them to call photomatching amateurish is a joke. It's essentially the same thing as their imagery analysis, but just taking into account the other factors that make a jersey legitimate.

[frikativ54]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

But collector Rick Moore of Florida, who said he has bought regularly from JO Sports since 2008, wasn't scared off by the federal case. "It makes no difference to me now," Moore said. "When you were a kid, did you ever steal money off your parents' end table to buy candy or cigarettes? Sure you did. All of us did."

First of all, congrats on being quoted. That's pretty cool. While I respect your right to have different views, I wanted to present my thoughts as well. I agree that we all have done something wrong, from taking a few extra dollars from our parents to trying to get a free bus ride.

However, in my case, such minor offenses never led to my deceiving the public on a wide scale. There's no connection between when I was a teenager and rode on bus transfers that expired a few hours before I boarded and deliberately altering game used memorabilia.

At the very most, my rides cost the bus company $100. And I was a teenager and didn't have the resources that I have now. However, in the case of JO Sports, we are talking about grown men involved in a scheme that cost collectors hundreds of thousands of dollars. In short, it's not the same as teenage indiscretions.

[lakeerie92]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

But then again, like I said in the article, Bears jerseys were tough to come by until the the Game Exclusives/ JO era came around, so if you want one where else do you get one (so easily)?

I would imagine with two back to back contracts with companies to sell their jerseys the cat is probably out of the bag that they can make some extra money off of game used memorabilia.

Sending JO packing would open the door for someone else to do things the right way. It would be a great business to jump into if you can raise the capital. Most start ups require time to build, but in this case you already have customers waiting. I understand some collectors standing by JO, they have no other choice because that is who has the access to the items you want.

I cant speak for JO specifically, but for some of these sellers this was not a think of the past. This was still current and rampant in the collection community. Here is just a small sampling of what masauction has been listing on eBay for the past month. This is less than half of what is listed now as "PRO-CUT/Game Issued" and there have been dozens more that have already sold. I will leave it to you to decide what would have happened to these jerseys had these guys not been caught.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Derek-Jeter-2-New-York-Yankees-Un-Used-Worn-Pro-Cut-Road-Game-Jersey-/270872718281?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1145abc9#ht_500wt_1287

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LeBron-James-Cleveland-Cavaliers-Un-Used-Worn-Pro-Cut-Game-Issued-ADIDAS-Jersey-/320810068473?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab1c529f9#ht_500wt_1287

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carmelo-Anthony-Denver-Nuggets-Rookie-Un-Used-Worn-Pro-Cut-Game-Issued-Jersey-/320810063226?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab1c5157a#ht_500wt_1287

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dirk-Nowitzki-Dallas-Mavericks-2004-2005-Un-Used-Worn-Pro-Cut-Game-Issued-Jersey-/270870310910?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1120effe#ht_500wt_1287

[34swtns]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

As for Rick Moore's (34swtns) comment "When you were a kid, did you ever steal money for candy or cigs? Sure you do we all did." How can you compare that to what Jo Sports did? They didn't just steal change they stole people's hard earned money and their savings. Now that's not even close to the same.

It was more of a "everybody has done dishonest things and I'm not so self-righteous that I write people off who have engaged in shady behavior".....because that would be everybody. You have....I have.
As long as you're square with me, I'm not concerned about your past.

[Eric]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

Picked up by NBC in Chicago

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/grizzly-detail/Bears-Still-Working-With-Questionable-Memorablia-Company-135532388.html

[Eric]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

And UPI

Bears memorabilia dealer faces sentencing

Published: Dec. 13, 2011 at 3:39 PM

CHICAGO, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A spokesman for the Chicago Bears says the team will reconsider its relationship after the season with a memorabilia company whose owner has admitted fraud.

Jarrod Oldridge's JO Sports has had a series of one-year contracts with the Bears since 2008, the Chicago Tribune reported. He pleaded guilty in November to federal charges of selling jerseys that had been doctored to look as if they had been used in a game and is to be sentenced in May.

The team said Oldridge's wrongdoing predates their relationship.

"The authenticated pieces of inventory that we provide are assured of being accurate," Scott Hagel, a spokesman, said.

Hagel said the team will decide after the season how to "move forward."

Experts say buyers must be careful when they venture into the sports memorabilia market.

"The only way to know if it is for sure is to watch the guy wear it and throw it to you," said Joel Levine, a New York lawyer whose former company, Game Exclusives, had a contract with the Bears during the 2006 season.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2011/...#ixzz1gS9f0EJb

[Preston]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

The only thing I wonder is why did the initial report come out what, a month or two ago, why are all these media outlets reporting it just NOW? I mean this isn't breaking news or anything...it's just the timing is really odd, but I'm VERY glad they're starting to really get this out in the mainstream media and get peoples' attention.

[nycpropain]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

It was more of a "everybody has done dishonest things and I'm not so self-righteous that I write people off who have engaged in shady behavior".....because that would be everybody. You have....I have.
As long as you're square with me, I'm not concerned about your past.

Ok thats great now how many federal cases do you have against you or how many times have you have plead guilty to home invasions? Because you are comparing fraud to a child stealing candy. Whats next comparing an falling accident to murder?

And I have never committed shady behavior neither now or yesterday, espically none faking jerseys and robbing collectors. But its good to know you have done "shady stuff" in some form. I guess we I know who to avoid when dealing with.

[nycpropain]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

Also if you stole candy when you where a kid, did you do it for 4 years like JO and others? Or did you do it maybe 2 or 3 times?

If someone is straight with me I will be cool also. But here is the problem they WHERE NOT straight forward as a matter of fact it took a federal case to bring this to light. So if anything the feds are being straight and JO has been hiding this crap for years now.

[jppopma]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

As for stealing candy as a kid, that's why we have these nice and friendly juvenile court systems to teach and explain things to kids. Sometimes kid's don't really know any better or have the self restraint.

I am not thinking that the federal courthouse will be so kind to these guys...


The comparison is almost like talking of a bunch of mob beat downs and then saying, "what? like you've never hit your little brother?".

[legaleagle92481]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

I think if JO is terminated by all of these teams there will be a lack of jerseys on the market. Alot of teams don't want to bother with marketing and selling them themselves it is much easier to let a middleman do it. The teams that do like the Saints and Packers do so on a very limited basis that does not really satisfy the collector. To start a company that could get team deals takes alot of capital, marketing skill and I think alot of teams will be cautious about partnering with another unknown. Who had heard of Jarrod or JO before they got the team deals? I know I hadn't. So I see why some people are willing to look past JO did here from a selfish perspective they have enhanced alot of collections and noone is accussing them with regard to the team deals.

[Eric]

Re: Chicago Tribune JOSports Article

Chicago Tribune followed up with this...
www.chicagotribune.com/news/tribnation/chi-not-so-authentic-nfl-memorabilia-sold-to-bears-among-others-20111214,0,2199400.story
chicagotribune.com

How we reported a story on sports memorabilia

By Jared Hopkins
9:45 AM CST, December 14, 2011



In the Chicago Tribune this week, we report that the exclusive partner to the Chicago Bears for fans to purchase game-used jerseys – those worn by players on the field – is owned by a man with tainted credentials in the memorabilia world.

Jarrod Oldridge pleaded guilty last month to federal charges stemming from four years of doctoring jerseys and profiting illegally by selling them. Oldridge, 37, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The episode is yet another reminder of the risk when buying expensive memorabilia. The jerseys worn in games by today’s athletes can fetch thousands of dollars; scuffs, stains, tears and other marks of use often drive up the jerseys’ value.

When the Tribune learned the Bears were one of the teams still doing business with Oldridge’s Las Vegas-based company, JO Sports, I began combing through the federal court records. Some of the methods Oldridge employed when he doctored jerseys are described by federal authorities in the records, including his plea agreement. The records allege he altered jerseys by "roughening, scuffing, washing, dirtying" and changing the appearance. Sometimes he’d remove player names from one jersey and put them on another. Jerseys were accompanied by false certificates of authenticity. There is potential for more information to come out when Oldridge is sentenced in May or if he testifies in the related cases (five others are charged).

To put the documents and the legal troubles in context, I spoke to about two dozen people, including collectors, authenticators, dealers and auction houses. I also tracked down the other teams JO Sports contracts with. I talked to the previous company the Bears partnered with to learn how that company’s deal was structured. Meanwhile, the Internet has helped fuel the interest in sports memorabilia, and there are hosts of forums dedicated to the hobby and a growing number of individuals aimed at exposing fraud.

No single entity regulates sports memorabilia. While federal authorities have conducted several investigations into memorabilia fraud, it remains an industry prone to deception and scams. We found the legal troubles didn't cost Oldridge’s company its contract with the Bears; a team spokesman said the criminal activity covered a period before they partnered in 2008. But at least two other NFL teams – the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens – are moving to sever ties with the Las Vegas company.
-- Jared Hopkins