Collector washed jerseys

[mbenga28]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

not to pull this off topic, do any of you also clean your game used equipment?

[Rickphils1]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

I bought a Jason Werth game used Phillies jersey 2 seasons ago that had the MLB hologram indicating it was game used. When I purchased it from the Phillies kiosk, they told (warned) me it hadn't been washed. When I got it home the odor from the B.O. was horrible. I debated washing it but was afraid that it might effect the MLB hologram. Instead, I sprayed it with some lysol and hung it in my unfinished basement for several months before the smell went away. If it hadn't been for the holo, I would have washed it in a second---probably somewhere other than my machine.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

This thread is reminiscent of the modern vs. vintage debate. It seems there is a generational divide. Febreez does wonders. Of course, washing is better."Denim-heads" and blue jean officianados put their jeans in the freezer to kill viruses and bacteria. I really want you married guys to just try that and see if your wives approve.

[SSB15]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

I do not think washing the jersey has any impact on the value. I have a lot of jerseys in my collection and would not want a dirty jersey for health reasons. The teams, of course, wash jerseys on a regular basis. If you take this a step further, then we should never fold jerseys to ship them because you can create a crease in the jersey.

[G1X]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

legaleagle,

For those of us who collect football jerseys worn in the 20th century - back in the days where only one or two jerseys of each color were worn in the entire season - we can attest that washing a jersey does not remove rips, repairs, scuffing, abrasions, and other markings such as permanent staining from turf paint and helmet paint. Back in the era when numbers were screened-on, you will see "burn" marks on the numbers and stripes that remain on the jersey after being washed.

As someone stated earlier, washing a jersey does not take away the fact that a jersey was game-worn by the player. If you think that a washed jersey ends up looking like a glorified reproduction, I gladly invite you to view my collection of older jerseys as it will quickly change your mind on that particular issue.

Unwashed jerseys are almost non-existent from the 20th century, and if you collect anything older than the last 5 years or so, it is very doubtful that you will find anything that is unwashed. Even if you somehow ended up with a 1974 jersey that was obtained directly off the back of the player after the last game of the season, did the previous washings after each game somehow remove the history or lessen the value of that shirt?

I have twice won a jersey in a "Shirt Off My Back" promotion at a baseball game. They were sweaty and gross, so I washed them. Did washing those jerseys make them any less real or no better than a glorified reproduction? Did it erase the fact that I was handed these jerseys directly after being worn in a game? Did it remove the history of these jerseys? The answers are no, no, and no!

Again, each to their own in setting their parameters in what they collect.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

Always looking for World Football League jerseys, AFL/NFL durene jerseys, Atlanta Falcons jerseys, and any Willie McGee and Darren Lewis game-used items.

[Falcon]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

I tend to think that alot of this really has to do w/ why you buy these game used jerseys? I could be wrong, but are gamers considered good investments to potentially turn a profit one day? I guess if you were lucky enough to score a Rogers, Brady or Manning jersey early enough you could make a pretty good profit, but other than that, are game used jerseys really a good investment? Being a collector of Falcons jerseys / autographs, I'm more in it for the enjoyment and to decorate my TV room. When I buy a game used jersey, I never really anticipate I'll see that money again. I buy it with the same intention I buy a TV or a car. To use, watch, enjoy but usually not the intention of turning it for a profit.

I guess it really comes down to personal preference and what your financial situation allows you to afford. Good analogy w/ the art cause I really think that's what this is. I'm the kind of guy who is okay w/ a beautifully done replica for my home and could never be able to afford a one of a kind original painting from a well know artist. I guess that's why my collection will never be at the level as some of you guys on this forum! Aloha.

[jppopma]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

To me washing a jersey is like touching up a Rembrandt.

Even a Rembrandt at a museum gets dusted and other steps to preserve it. Plus paint is not nearly as offensive as a smelly jersey.

To each their own....take solace that I won't be bidding against any of you for the smelly ones.

[legaleagle92481]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

Interesting opinions. To me jerseys are like pieces of art and I like them in the condition that the artist left them in so to speak. To me washing a jersey is like touching up a Rembrandt. To continue with the art analogy I view game issued jerseys and the like as sort of reproductions. When the evidence of use is removed from an item by washing on the surface the item appears no different than a game issued jersey and the thrill of the item (that it looks like it has been through a war at times with hit marks, ball marks, grass and dirt stains) is lost and you are left with a glorified reproduction. I don't keep my jerseys at home for safety reasons and outside of when I initially obtain them I don't handle them (when I do it is always with gloves on to protect the jersey as well as myself) so I don't have the concerns that Mark mentioned. The few washed jerseys I own were purchased because the price of an unwashed one was prohibitive. I obtained my Ray Lewis washed jersey for about 60% of what an unwashed jersey would go for.

[mdube16]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

Nothing wrong with washing a smelly jersey. It doesnt alter the fact that the player wore it.

[Falcon]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

Also as a result of this thread I have revised my eBay listing to state the fact that I did wash this jersey after I received it unwashed from NFL Auctions.

[Falcon]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

I am a very new collector of game used jerseys and the only reason I feel compelled to post in this thread is because I am the seller in question who washed this jersey. I'm reading along this thread to learn myself, not to offer any insight since I really don't feel qualified to be offering any advice regarding this hobby. However, after reading this thread and having a similar email conversation with Mark Hayne, I conclude that even if by washing this jersey I may have lost a sale, I think in the future I once again, would wash ANY unwashed jersey that I receive as soon as I get it. (I never buy jerseys for resale and always intend on keeping it for my collection). My reason is similar to one of the above posters and Mark; I buy these jerseys for my personal enjoyment which includes holding them, displaying them, showing them off and not to store them in a bag in the bottom of my closet. I understand that in many peoples eyes, I have devalued this jersey but when I bought it, I had planned to keep it and it was so awful smelling I couldn't even bare to take it out of the bag. So now my circumstances have changed and I may sell the jersey...still for the time it was in my home, where my wife and young sons live, the jersey NEEDED to be washed.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

Another reason I wash the NFL "unwashed" jerseys intended for my personal collection is because of MRSA. Anyone not familiar with MRSA, it is a staph infection that is common in locker rooms, hospitals, etc. It is difficult to treat and can be deadly as it is resistant to most common antibiotics. It has been shown to live for a number of months on surfaces such as fabrics. I might sound like a germ-a-phobe, but I wear gloves when handling an unwashed jersey.

Completely agree with Mark. There are also bedbugs with MRSA and just plain 'ole healthy bedbugs.

I'm not trying to be a dickhead, buy keeping the dirt, sweat and funk of another dude is borderline stalker.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

I'm pretty much in agreement with Mark...as long as the collector laundering didn't damage or discolor the jersey, I could'nt care less. Since I don't buy NFL jerseys from the league or it's contracted sellers, the issue of a smelly NFL jersey isn't germane to me. If I did get one, though, into the laundry it would go ASAP. I want to have jerseys on hand to display and show people, not have to keep them out in the storage room because they stink worse than one of my farts.

Dave Miedema

[flaco1801]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

The jersey get washed as soon as opened...i like these people who will pass on "washed" jerseys (more for me)...i wonder how the question is posed....um is the jersey filthy dirty and smelly???? oh and how do you if the seller just wore it 100 times without washing? lololol put thay in your closet.....maybe someone can photo match the team laundry patterns... hey i saw laundry detergent right below this missing stich..hard to believe this is really an issue...

[G1X]

Re: Collector washed jerseys

I just really couldn't care less if someone has washed a jersey that I am interested in buying. If I held that as a reason for not buying a jersey, I wouldn't have collected very much over the years. Why does it really matter whether the team last laundered the shirt or Joe Collector?

Personally - and I can assure you that I am nowhere being alone on this issue - I absolutely hate the unwashed jersey fad that has come into play with NFL jerseys over the past few years. Yes, it is cool to have a lot of dirt and grass stains on a jersey, but to be quite blunt, it can be GROSS! Any jersey that ends up in my personal collection always gets washed when it enters my house regardless of whether it has been sitting in storage for 40 years, came straight from the closet of another collector, or is "unwashed" from NFL Auctions or JO Sports.

From the dealer side, I have about 40 jerseys from NFL Auctions that are on my price list. I have NOT washed those jerseys as they are not intended for my personal collection. I can attest that most of them smell foul (as does most sweaty clothing) and they are sitting in storage as I don't want them in my house. I don't want my display room and/or closet smelling like a locker room. I've played sports all my life, and the one thing I can say is that sports basically do not smell very nice!

Another reason I wash the NFL "unwashed" jerseys intended for my personal collection is because of MRSA. Anyone not familiar with MRSA, it is a staph infection that is common in locker rooms, hospitals, etc. It is difficult to treat and can be deadly as it is resistant to most common antibiotics. It has been shown to live for a number of months on surfaces such as fabrics. I might sound like a germ-a-phobe, but I wear gloves when handling an unwashed jersey.

As a collector, I can tell you that if you have an older jersey that I need for my collection, whether or not you or anyone else has ever washed the jersey never enters into the discussion. I make the assumption that it probably has been washed by a collector - and probably worn as well - at some point. If it is a recent jersey from NFL Auctions or JO Sports that was sold as "unwashed" but has since been washed by a collector, it will not affect my offer. If I need it for my collection and convinced that it was game-worn, that's all that really matters to me.

I can also assure you that as a dealer, very few collectors ask about whether a jersey has been washed. Even on recent NFL jerseys, the question is rarely asked as I just don't think that it matters to many collectors. Viewing photos of the jersey and seeing that it shows some type of use seems to be the predominant deciding factor.

One last question as food for thought. Outside of an "unwashed" NFL jersey from NFL Auctions or JO Sports, how in the world would you ever know if a jersey has been washed by a collector at some point, especially if the jersey has been owned multiple times over a number of years?

As with all things in this hobby, each to their own in the parameters they set for the items they collect. There is no "right" or "wrong", just variations in what each of us want to see (and smell) in our game-used items.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

Always looking for World Football League jerseys, AFL/NFL durene jerseys, Atlanta Falcons jerseys, and any Willie McGee and Darren Lewis game-used items.