Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
I share the notion that these items are a piece of history... and I treat my pieces as such. I would not place my 1987 Dwight Gooden jersey over my head. It is and always will be a special item that I look to preserve, hang on my wall, pass down to little Nicky, etc.
However where I cross the line from collectible to "article of clothing in my wardrobe" is that 1987 jersey of similar style that was worn by "unknown player #75." It's a team jersey, it was worn in batting practice or spring training, it may have been recycled through the minors... but the bottom line to me is that it is not history. There is no story to it. No player that I have ever heard of has worn it. Nothing special about it other than a style that I like, and certainly a very nice upgrade to the Sand Knit, Rawlings or Majestic replica / retail authentics of the time. I could even wear a new "throwback" jersey that bears the likeness of an old classic... but again, why pay Mitchell and Ness prices or buy the Majestic Cooperstown Collection without likeness to the original when you can have the real thing, and pay less for it.
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
i once heard someone on this forum say that, in reference to game used items, it's not so much that we own these items, as much as we hang on to them and preserve them for the next generation. i thought it was a great quote.
i share reid fontaine's mindset that these items are no different than any other cultural artifacts that you'd see in a museum. there's a desire to preserve and pass on these tangible pieces of history. what's the difference between jackie robinson's rookie jersey and a rembrandt? why would you treat one any differently than the other? i've never heard anyone who collects ancient greek urns say that the fun part of the hobby was filling them with water and sticking flowers in them. the fun part of the hobby for them was in possessing such an incredible piece of human history.
that said, i realize that people collect for different reasons. some apparently see the "fun" part of this hobby in being an adult walking around town wearing a gamer or in watching their toddler catapult a spoon full of pudding onto a jersey that clinched their hometowns only division title. for others, the fun part is in feeling that, although you don't have the budget of a museum, you're still keeping a inherant and colorful part of american history alive by preserving these pieces. it'd be as inaccurate to call one group "too serious" as it would be to call the other group "irresponsible".
noone's talking about an expectation that items come directly from players. they're talking about an expectation that previous owners didn't wear them while mudwrestling with the family dog. there are antiquities out there, hundreds of years old, that have passed through dozens of hands and yet not sustained any damage. it doesn't matter how people have owned an item but rather how they've taken care of it. i've seen several high-end paintings that have passed through many hands. strangely, i've yet to see a van gogh or a rembrandt with a big peanut butter stain.
rudy.Leave a comment:
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Guest repliedRe: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
Ok, this topic is starting to spin out of control with assumptions. Let's focus here people.
To the best of my knowledge, nobody here said they believe the player was the last to wear a GU jersey before they get.
What this thread has seen is two factions.
Group A - Feels "trying on" a GU jersey is ok, but "wearing" it is taboo.
Group B - Sees wearing your GU jerseys to games, parties, clubs etc is acceptable.
It's all a matter of preference. Or as they say....to each their own.
Personally..this is what I will do with my jerseys. I will purchase them (along with a matted jersey frame). When it arrives at my door, I will open the package like a little kid on Christmas morning.
They I will try my newly purchased GU jersey on (provided I can fit into it..I wear a 56). Then, I will marvel at it for a few hours..maybe a day...who knows. Ultimately, it will end up in a frame hung on my office wall.
Thankfully I don't plan on buying a limitless number of jerseys
I might run out of wall space. But, in the event that I wind up owning 10 or more Zimmerman jerseys...the few that mean the most to me will be framed and hung...while the others will be hung in my closet.
As for other items..the same rule of thumb applies. I will get them, enjoy them, then place the autographed items in a protective case and put them on a shelf. The non-auto'd items will simply be placed on a shelf or hung on a bat rack. You get the idea.
Rest assured that I hold no dillusional beliefs that Mr. Zimmerman is, was or will be the only (or last) person to have worn any of the items I plan on buying. But, you can also be just as sure that whomever I buy from had better not let me find a picture floating around the Internet of him/her wearing my GU item while playing footsies with his/her co-worker.
Since I'm paying X amount of dollars for something (seldom cheap), I expect a certain amount of professionalism from those whom I buy from.
I certainly would not expect them to be wearing the item while drinking and smoking, then I win/buy it and they suddenly make a mad dash for the FaBreeze bottle.
Like I said...professionalism. Whether you're a dealer or just a collector looking to sell an item....there are do's and don'ts that should be followed.
I sell baseball cards. You don't see me eating hot wings while handling them. Then wiping them off with a Bounty paper towel before I list them on Ebay.
I could make analogies all day, but I won't.Leave a comment:
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
I agree Hiramman , seems more than a few of you guys are taking this stuff way TOO serious . These items were used to play a game , sometimes a very boring game .
Kyle you have some nice stuff , take them out the cases , they need to breath .
They are feeling lonely and need to be held ....
.... JK KH10...
These are items that can possibly have (if I may, in your honor, jake33) blood , spit , urine and other bodily fluids on them ....
.... you may want to wash it first ??
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
you guys are insane. do u really purchase a game worn jersey thinking the player was the last person to wear it? the items are usually washed. next thing we are gonna see is ads stating game worn jersey of joe schmoe garaunteed to be last worn by him. and the value of a jersey is gonna be decreased because others have worn it? gimme a break. next is 1974 game worn and hasnt been worn since 1974. this thread is just asking for more lunacy. buy it, wear it, enjoy it life is too short.Leave a comment:
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
What cracks me up is those that say I tried on, but only for 1 minute or I took 1-2 swings with my bat. Like wearing it for 5 minutes or taking 20 swings is going destroy item. Give me a break. Way to serious for me.
The gamer I've worn to games was a non-roster player that never made it. Why buy a replica, when you can wear the real thing cheaper?
If you're so worried about your collectible that you want try it on, touch it, or swing it, you're missing out on the best part of this hobby. To believe that everyone's game used jersey comes straight from the players back to your hands without being touched or tried on is a joke. To believe that your game-used bat comes straight from the player without being rolled around on the lockerroom floor, some storage room floor or even some other collector's floor is crazy. You probably wouldn't want to know where all of these prized collectibles have been before you got your hands on them.
There are very few of us that receive these collectibles straight from the player on the field. Those are very special circumstances, but to be honest, if some bench warmer hands you his bat after he grounds out in a game, will it be any more valuable than the same player's similar bat selling on ebay. To you it will be, but to everyone else it will still be the same bat with a nice story.
Why worry about it. Enjoy it. It's a hobby, it's supposed to be fun!!!Leave a comment:
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Guest repliedRe: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
I'm all for "trying on" my game used items but this is where I have to draw a line and say that the bolded portion above...well that's just plain nasty. No "lol", no smiley face....serious as can be...that's gross.
Please let me know your Ebay ID so that I can be sure that I never buy a GU jersey from you.
Thanks.Leave a comment:
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
I am first and foremost a game worn hockey jersey collector. I have lots of hockey equipment as well and have tried most of it on. I have a game used goalie mask that I've put on several times. I don't sit around watching TV or anything, but just to see what its like. As for the jerseys, I wear a different one to each game I attend (I'm a STH in Charlotte). I'm a drinker and a smoker, both of which occur at the games I go to. If I decide to sell a gamer that I've worn, it gets a full Febreze treatment followed by hanging in the garage for a day or 2 with follow up spray-downs if needed. I've worn one of my baseball jerseys out of the house, but it'll probably never leave my closet. The one hockey jersey I've never worn is from the 70-71 EHL season and the only reason is that I'm afraid to pull it over my fat gut.
I can't imagine I ever would have gotten into collecting this stuff if I didn't think I'd put it on. Those of you who are so obsessive about your jersey not being worn by you frankly confuse me. Isn't that part of what makes this hobby awesome?Leave a comment:
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
I will openly admit I have tried on both of my Brunell jerseys, for less than a minute each, just before I put it in the frame for posterity. I never considered it to be "damaging" to the jersey or value of the jersey. The value I don't really care about anyway, as I plan to keep the jerseys for the foreseeable future. I must admit, though, that when I first heard about people purchasing game used jerseys to wear around, I was very suprised that anyone would do that.Leave a comment:
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
I've been known to take a few swings with my Jose Canseco game used Cooper bat. I'm not going to sell it so I figure I can do with it as I please. I don't take it out and hit balls with it though. He he. That thing is the perfect length and weight for me. With the shaved handle it fits perfectly in my hands like it was made for me. I love it.
-Jason MLeave a comment:
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
Jon I think the reason for disgust and a point people are missing is this.
Do some collectors try on a Jersey and maybe swing a bat "YES"
But the difference between a Collector Vs. Seller/Auction house is this.
A collector may try on a Jersey for what a mere matter of minutes or swing a bat maybe one or 2 times. But is it really adding any significant use to the item "NO" and you would like to think the collector when they do decide to make use out of a Game Used item is a cheap low end item they are planning to keep for themselves. If they do decide to sell it you would hope they disclose that they themselves have worn it
A Seller/Auction house is purely in anyway not supposed to be trying on and wearing it around or doing anything of that matter with the item.
EXAMPLE if I go to a clothing store to buy a NEW shirt you better beleive there is a good chance some guy may have tried it on before you, But do we still consider the shirt new because it is back on the rack "YES"
But if the salseman himself is wearing the shirt and you want a shirt just like it and he takes off the one hes wearing and hands it to you "Do you still want it?"
Seller/Auction house for anyones info when advertising a shirt / anything else in a photo shoot. You better beleive he is wearing it for a period of time whether its an hour or all day. A photo shoot is not a cut and dry thing, its not 1 2 3 ok take the jersey off. It can take hours or all day and I am sure they are not putting on and taking off the Jersey.
So I think it becomes a turn off when you see it blatantly in your face that the Jersey is being worn or played with for a possible length of time of more then a few minutes by someone else other then the original player who worn/used the item.
So it is a very poor marketing technique to use, to sell these items and as someone else mentioned here I don't understand what message they were trying to get across or sales tactic they were using to show these items being on there bodies for a catalog or used on myspace.
JUST FOR ANYONES INFO I HAVE NEVER EVER TRIED ON ANY OF MY JERSEYS AND OF ALL THE BATS I HAVE I MAY HAVE ONCE OR TWICE SWUNG 1 OR 2 BATS.Leave a comment:
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
David,
I read this and immediately thought of an episode from the past where a seller was trying to pass a 1990 Scoreboard Jefferies as game worn because "there was evidence of sweat stains in the collar." Maybe the above happened to the former owner of the jersey???Leave a comment:
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
I think a "try on" may be ok to some extent but a "wear" taints the jersey forever. If you wear a game used jersey to the ball park, to play ball, a birthday party ,etc the jersey is not what it is anymore. I'm very careful about preserving the original state of my game used jerseys to a point when my mother-in-law and sister-in-law two perfume mongers visit they are not allow in my room! When we cook I close the door to my room. And all these jerseys are in a plastic covering from Bed Bath and Beyond in my closet too.
Sounds like we need to ask sellers about "try on use" too. So here are some guidelines we all should adhere to:
- If the jersey is a pullover this constitutes 100% try on use. No way around it. Sure there may have been the chance that when the seller attempted to complete the try on his big noggin got stuck in the neck hole and he was never able to fully complete the try on, but whose to know for sure. Alway assume 100% try on use with pullovers. Give it a 10.
If the jersey is a button down then the guidelines become more complex.
- If the seller puts the button down on and does not button it rate it a 6.
- If the seller buttons it but does not fasten the velcro strips rate it a 8.
- If the seller buttons it with velcro attached then it's an 10.
Next ask the seller how long was the duration of the "try on"
- Less then 1 minute add 1 point
- Greater than 1 minute and less than 5 minutes add 2 points
- Between 5-15 minutes add 3 points
- "I don't know how long the try on was but when i woke up the jersey was still on me and I was sweating like a pig!" Recommended action: DO NOT BUY THIS JERSEY
DavidLeave a comment:
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Re: A question for EVERY single member of this forum
I have a few thoughts regarding this topic with varying degree...
I own quite a few game worn jerseys. How I feel about trying them on or even wearing them is very subjective and much related to the individual item and not related to any philosophy.
Here is what I think:
1. Items I would not even go as far as try on/use:Many of these are from the 70s and 80s where players were umm can you say smaller than they are now. There would be a risk of stretching them, popping a button, etc.2. Middle of the road items:
Higher priced items. If you spent half a paycheck for a jersey of your favorite superstar, would you want to take the chance of getting it ruined?
Cracked bats. If the structure of the item has already been compromised, I would not take any chance of holding it in a way that I could do any further damage to it.
I might try on that $200 game jersey out of the cabinet that I have always loved -- enough to try on but not wear out of the home.3. Items I would wear:
I'd try on the jersey that can easily be replaced -- take for example a common player from a year where his team wore many sets of 5 different style home & road jerseys
I'd hold that uncracked bat from my closet, as long as I felt that there would be nothing I could do to compromise it.
I have kept a select few jerseys in my closet that began as game worn jerseys but are legitimate parts of my wardrobe. These normally fall into two categories.I also would like to second Rudy's statement that we collectors have the right to do what we do to our items because we are the owners of them. If we entrust them to someone else (to sell on consignment or what have you), we expect that this other party will treat them with utmost care. We are not giving them our endorsement to handle them carelessly.
They are usually my favorite style spring training jerseys or BPs of common players or even players that did not make the team. One example is the 1987 Mets BP I wore recently from "unknown player #75" -- I love the year, the style, but wouldn't ever want to wear something of value. This one fits the bill perfectly.
They are sometimes items I have paid miniscule amounts of money for -- that bargain gamer that cost me $50-100 on ebay, etc. Again, not a star player jersey, but I could have also spent that same money on a Majestic Cooperstown Collection replica jersey... why not buy & wear the real thing instead?
Game issued jerseys -- no wear in the first place. If I am to add some "collector wear" to my jersey, no problem. I have not really bought a game worn collectible, so I am not really compromising the piece. I would certainly not pay high for these items either, and find that they are better value items than that Majestic retail authentic jersey on MLB.com that costs more.
One final point -- on the items in this section -- they are not for resale. If I have made a conscious decision to make a collectible jersey part of my wardrobe, it's mine for life.
Could you imagine entrusting your $3,000 jersey to an auction house, that auction house takes it upon themselves to use it in a photo shoot, and somehow something goes wrong during that shoot and it is ripped... or stained... I don't see why anyone would take this kind of a risk with something that is not their own, period.Leave a comment:
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