Has anyone ever requested a letter from an athlete regarding a GU item?

[halzeus]

I would like to get a letter from the athlete confirming that some items I recently bought were his and that the autographs are legit.

I'm looking for suggestions as to what I should ask him to write in a letter.

I've also thought about drafting a letter for him to sign or just suggesting some wording for him to use.

Any suggestions or examples would be greatly appreciated.

Dan

authentic_wolverine@yahoo.com

[MSpecht]

Hi Dan--

A number of members of this forum regularly buy items directly from players, so hopefully you can get a number of examples. My experience is that players appreciate a letter, or letters, ready for him to review and sign, rather than asking him to compose one or five or ten letters. This can easily be done following the purchase by sending them the letters to sign and return, either USPS or electronically.

Here is an example that establishes several important points, such as the item description, how it was obtained by the player, and that the player has had the item in his possession since it was obtained.

Dear Mike:

This home white Padres jersey ( # 38) was issued to me by the San Diego Padres in 2002. I wore this jersey as a coach during that season. It has been in my possession since that time. I have personally signed the jersey as well.

_________________
s/ Greg Booker
San Diego Padres


Here is a sample of an item given to a player by a teammate or other player:



This letter is to confirm that the enclosed Mizuno baseball glove was given to me by my teammate Goose Gossage. At the time, he told me that he had worn this glove during the 1984 Major League baseball season and also during the 1984 World Series. The glove is in the exact condition as when I received it --- including the name ‘Goose’ and the number ‘54’ which were present on the glove when it was given to me --- except that after I received the glove, I wrote my name inside it as I intended to use the glove during Spring Training, 1985. Ultimately I decided to keep the glove for my personal collection and did not use it at any time. This glove has been in my personal possession since it was given to me by Goose.

____________
s/ Greg Booker
San Diego Padres



Good Luck.
Mike Jackitout7@aol.com (Jackitout7@aol.com)

[halzeus]

Does anyone else have a suggestion?

[kingjammy24]

if you're purchasing directly from the athlete then you want to establish:

1) provenance: eg "i, superstarathlete, sold this 2006 set 3 road jersey to luckycollector. this jersey was worn by me for the second half of the 2006 season".

2) background info. often, athletes may know some interesting things about their items that wouldn't ordinarily be sussed out by collectors. eg "this jersey was a replacement that was made-up because my previous jersey was stolen while on the road in new york".

if you purchased the jersey elsewhere and are looking to get the athlete's opinion then i suppose you're trying to establish authenticity, as opposed to provenance. if the item is legit, the athlete may still have some interesting background info to add.

as for whether to ask the athlete to write the letter or whether you should write the letter for him, if you're going to go with the latter then you should suss out the details beforehand so you can incorporate it into the letter. i think the choice to go one way or the other is a subjective one that depends on the athlete, the situation, and your relationship. if you really don't think the guy would mind writing it and it wouldn't hurt to ask, then i'd go that way. if you think it'd cause a problem, then write it yourself. whatever your choice, remember to have the athlete sign and date the letter. also have them describe the piece as fully as possible to diminish the odds of having the letter one day paired with another item. include the style (home, road, etc), size, set number, etc.

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

i'm not sure if my reply added anything from mike's reply. i think mike pretty much covered it all. i'm not sure there's much more to the whole thing beyond the 2 replies given so far.

rudy.

[halzeus]

Thanks MSpecht and kingjammy for the info, I really appreciate it.

I think I have a plan now.

[hblakewolf]

One of my favorite game used Phillies jerseys in my collection is my 1980 Greg Gross World Series road. Not only is it from the magical 1980 season, but it was worn throughout the regular season and then into the Series.

I’ve always loved this particular jersey, both for the season it was worn and also the fact that “GG” gave his all every time he stepped between the lines.

While working in Cherry Hill, NJ, we employed the services of one of the largest printing houses in the area. The owner had the contract for various Philadelphia Phillies projects, and landed these jobs by employing the services of his friend, Greg Gross in the off season. Gross worked as a “PR/Salesman” for this firm. When I learned this, I asked the owner if it was possible to meet Gross. Not only did he agree to bring Gross to our office, he also arranged for the three of us to do lunch. What a great day-breaking bread with Greg Gross and hearing all of his amazing stories about his career and days with the Phillies. At the conclusion of our meal, we discussed memorabilia and specifically, my passion for collecting Phillies game used jerseys. I then pulled his 1980 road jersey from my bag. He could not believe I had it, inspected it and immediately acknowledged it was his and also worn during the regular season and into the World Series. Knowing the history behind the 1980 jerseys, I had prepared a detailed LOA and asked him to sign it. He graciously agreed.

Not only is the shirt 100% original and from the magical season, but the lunch and LOA certainly adds to my fondness of this particular jersey.

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Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@comcast.net

[halzeus]

What a great story Howard!

That's exactly the type of example I was looking for.

Thanks,

Dan

[skyking26]

Very cool story by Howard Wolf here... I've had several stories similar with Dave Kingman, and as often as he acknowledges items as his, he'll knock a bat as a promo bat when I did the research and have proof he used it/or ordered it...and said he did not used this cleat when I have him wearing them in a poster! Many athletes just do not remember...I could not personally tell you what tennis shoes I wore 5 years ago...

[aeneas01]

here's a letter a guy wrote up for roger staubach to sign attesting to his long-held claim that a helmet he owned was indeed an authentic mid '70s staubach gamer. and staubach signed it. the problem is the helmet is not an authentic staubach gamer - in fact the helmet was doctored (fake dymo name tag added to the back). fortunately some poor sap "only" shelled out around $3k for the lid instead of the $10k the seller was originally looking to get. moral of the story - an loa from a player is nice i suppose but...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/rs01.jpg

...

[MSpecht]

I guess the point here is that there is a major difference between buying stuff directly from a player and buying stuff from a third (or fourth or fifth) party and then asking the player to authenticate it long after use. That being said, if buying directly from the player, I think that the notation "this jersey / bat / helmet / etc has been in my personal possession since it was issued / given to me" is an important addition to the letter."

Mike jackitout7@aol.com

[halzeus]

I guess the point here is that there is a major difference between buying stuff directly from a player and buying stuff from a third (or fourth or fifth) party and then asking the player to authenticate it long after use. That being said, if buying directly from the player, I think that the notation "this jersey / bat / helmet / etc has been in my personal possession since it was issued / given to me" is an important addition to the letter."

Mike jackitout7@aol.com

I agree with what you're saying. I just want to try and document the history of the helmet and jersey I bought for my own interest.

I bought them from a friend of the son whose father is the athlete. So it's a little complicated. I asked the athlete if he remembers how they got into the seller's posession, if he remembers signing them etc.

Dan

[joelsabi]

One of my favorite game used Phillies jerseys in my collection is my 1980 Greg Gross World Series road. Not only is it from the magical 1980 season, but it was worn throughout the regular season and then into the Series.

I’ve always loved this particular jersey, both for the season it was worn and also the fact that “GG” gave his all every time he stepped between the lines.

While working in Cherry Hill, NJ, we employed the services of one of the largest printing houses in the area. The owner had the contract for various Philadelphia Phillies projects, and landed these jobs by employing the services of his friend, Greg Gross in the off season. Gross worked as a “PR/Salesman” for this firm. When I learned this, I asked the owner if it was possible to meet Gross. Not only did he agree to bring Gross to our office, he also arranged for the three of us to do lunch. What a great day-breaking bread with Greg Gross and hearing all of his amazing stories about his career and days with the Phillies. At the conclusion of our meal, we discussed memorabilia and specifically, my passion for collecting Phillies game used jerseys. I then pulled his 1980 road jersey from my bag. He could not believe I had it, inspected it and immediately acknowledged it was his and also worn during the regular season and into the World Series. Knowing the history behind the 1980 jerseys, I had prepared a detailed LOA and asked him to sign it. He graciously agreed.

Not only is the shirt 100% original and from the magical season, but the lunch and LOA certainly adds to my fondness of this particular jersey.

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Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@comcast.net

nice piece howard. the like the description in the letter. i wish dealers would try to include such a descriptive letter with a purchase. i gather most buyers are just satisfied with a COA. nice piece and nice history behind the item.