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pungent
12-31-2009, 05:40 PM
Hi I was referred by a friend that this site talks about game used items. I would like to buy a used baseball on MLB auctions and would like to know do they come with complete letters of authenticity or is it only the MLB Authenticated hologram that serves as provenance? Thank you God bless and Happy New Year!

Tedw9
12-31-2009, 10:29 PM
They come with a hologram on the ball which has a letter/number combination on it. You go to the MLB authentication web site and punch in your number to get the information on the item. Some have more details about the use than others. You can print that information off if you want a hard copy coa.

Hope this helps. :)

pungent
12-31-2009, 10:42 PM
Excellent thank you Ted. So the hologram itself serves as the LOA, is the hologram process secure and reliable for authenticity?

jetersbatboy
12-31-2009, 10:57 PM
Yes and No, I would trust the MLB holograms more then say a Steiner holo and letter. As the MLB holo are more scrutinized. With that said, MLB does mis-label and some time the description are misleading. Now there are occasion now more often then not that items come with both MLB and Steiner auth, those combination make items authenticity a little better, in the terms of paper work. But when buying something always do your homework and make sure you are knowledgeable about what your buying. with the information you have gathered and the info provided by the authenticator whether it be steiner or MLB, it will help you make the best decision possible.

Tedw9
01-01-2010, 10:08 AM
Scott is correct. I consider the hologram ironclad as far as knowing the item is authentic or the autograph is authentic. The authenticator has to see the item get signed or used before they put the hologram on it and call it game used. But you may find a jersey that shows obvious use, but is not labeled as game used because the authenticator may have taken it out of the players locker after the game or season. Sure, it is pretty obvious it was game used, but they didn't SEE it game used so they can't tag it other than authentic. There seems to be many little rules and exceptions they follow, so common sense and a little detective work will help you. But on the overall, I consider MLB authenticated items the safest of all authenticators.

But like Scott said, the details can get a little messed up or fuzzy. If you look through previous threads, you will see some items have been listed as used the wrong day or by the wrong person. One person recently bought a "game used" home plate which was actually a plate used only for ceremony. But MLB has different definitions of game used than we do. I would think that with baseballs it would be pretty obvious the game use. If it is blazing white and says game used, someone messed up.

The information provided here and other info you can find on this awesome board should help you learn enough to make a smart and informed decision on your purchase. Either way, please make sure to share what you do end up buying with the rest of us. We all love to see what other collectors have added to their collections.

legaleagle92481
01-01-2010, 11:58 AM
Hi I was referred by a friend that this site talks about game used items. I would like to buy a used baseball on MLB auctions and would like to know do they come with complete letters of authenticity or is it only the MLB Authenticated hologram that serves as provenance? Thank you God bless and Happy New Year!
They only come with a tamper proof hologram that you can verify in the database on MLB.com if you read the site they explain that they created the database/hologram system to eliminate paper coas that can be easily duplicated. You have better odds of winning the lottery than someone being able to successfully replicate the hologram.