SCORE BOARD Jerseys and Bats Reference Guide

[Eric]

We talk occasionally around here about a "game used" jersey being sold in actuality being a "Score Board" jersey. It has come up with Ken Griffey Jr Mariners shirts with "Griffey Jr." on the nameplate, Bo Jackson shirts labeled "1989 set 2" etc.

It occurred to me that many people might not know what Score Board was.

Can someone with knowledge of the company explain it here, AND help educate each other on what to look for- certain tags, nameplates, players etc.

It seems Score Board ordered many properly labeled jerseys, had them autographed and sold them as non-gamers.

Subsequently many of these pieces have been passed off innocently or otherwise as game used. What should collectors look for? Which are the red flags? Are the Score Board jerseys marked in any way which would tell us where it came from?

I think this is a good topic which will help people make informed decisions.
Thanks
Eric

[trsent]

I can tell you that The Score Board, Inc. was publicly traded under the stock symbol "bsbl". The company's president was Ken Golden and they were involved with quite a few autograph signings back in the day.

I can also tell you that I fired a long time stock broker of mine who advised me strongly against investing $500.00 in The Store Board, Inc. which would have been a "for fun" investment but would have made money if I sold it right.

[Eric]

I found this description on fundinguniverse.com

The Score Board, Inc.





Address:
1951 Old Cuthbert Road
Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08034
U.S.A.

Telephone: (609) 354-9000
Fax: (609) 354-8402


Statistics:
Public Company
Incorporated: 1986
Employees: 187
Sales: $75 million (1996)
Stock Exchanges: NASDAQ
SICs: 5945 Hobby, Toy & Game Shops; 5947 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops; 6794 Patent Owners & Lessors; 8742 Management Consulting Services; 2750 Commercial Printing, Not Elsewhere Classified; 3949 Sporting & Athletic Goods, Not Elsewhere Classified; 5941 Sporting Goods & Bicycle Shops


Company History:
The largest distributor of sports memorabilia in the United States, The Score Board, Inc. markets sports and entertainment memorabilia through retail stores, mail-order catalogs, and on cable television. Score Board began as a distributor of baseball trading cards before branching out into other sports and into the market for entertainment memorabilia. During the late 1990s, the company owned licensing agreements to market Star Trek and Star Wars memorabilia, as well as contracts with numerous famous athletes for the provision of autographed memorabilia. Sales of memorabilia accounted for roughly one quarter of the company's total sales during the late 1990s with the balance derived from the manufacture and sale of sports related trading cards.

Origins

When seven-year-old Ken Goldin began collecting baseball trading cards in 1972, the seeds were planted for a company that would become one of the phenomenal stock market success stories of all time. Goldin's interest in baseball cards as a child sparked commensurate interest in his father, Paul Goldin, who orchestrated the development of Score Board into a national leader and created a pioneer company in a burgeoning industry. Before father and son launched into business together, however, their shared interest in baseball cards represented more of a hobby than a business, albeit a hobby pursued with considerable zeal. Ken and Paul Goldin were ardent collectors and sellers, enriching their collection and pocketbooks by travelling to trade shows and purchasing and selling cards through advertisements. By age 11, Ken Goldin undoubtedly ranked as the biggest money-earner among pre-teens in his neighborhood, frequently earning $1,000 a week by selling baseball cards.

As the Goldins delved deeper and deeper into baseball card trading, their hobby gradually evolved into a business. By 1980, father and son had spent nearly $200,000 amassing an inventory of five million cards, a prodigious collection that placed them among the ranks of the nation's most serious collectors. In the decade ahead, the number of serious collectors like the Goldins would grow exponentially as the value of famous players' cards increased robustly. During the 1980s, the sport-related trading card market grew by leaps and bounds, with the value of renowned players' rookie cards increasing 40 percent per year and the number of baseball card stores increasing from 500 at the beginning of the decade to 14,000 by the decade's conclusion.

The proliferation of these stores provided fertile ground for the type of business Paul Goldin envisioned, and their propagation was occasioned by two signal developments. In 1979, the first price guide for baseball cards was published, giving collectors for the first time the common means to determine what their collections were worth. Two years later another key development facilitated the emergence of a booming industry when the major baseball card manufacturer Topps Chewing Gum Inc. lost an antitrust suit, which provided room for additional card manufacturers such as Fleer Corp. and Donruss Leaf Inc.

More competition and the ability to assay card worth set the stage for prolific growth, but it was not until midway through the 1980s that Paul Goldin tapped into the market as a full-fledged entrepreneur. During the first half of the decade, father and son conducted their baseball trading activities much as they had done during the 1970s; they sold their cards at weekend sport-card shows and through mail order catalogs. By 1985, however, Paul Goldin began to realize the opportunity presented by the slew of new baseball card stores opening across the country. At the time, Goldin was serving as president of a medical equipment company (Creative Medical Systems Inc.), which he had helped get off the ground, while also teaching at Drexel University in Philadelphia as an associate professor of statistical economics.

Nevertheless, Goldin's hectic professional life did not preclude him from starting another business. Goldin and an associate named Arthur Sherman, who was employed as the senior vice-president of marketing for Trenton, New Jersey-based Magic Marker Industries, began discussing the possibility of turning a baseball card hobby into a business and developed a specific strategy. "There was room in the [baseball trading card] business, I figured," Goldin later told Nation's Business, "for someone who could supply dealers with large quantities of the best players."

1987 Public Stock Offering

Goldin and Sherman resolved to buy baseball cards in bulk from the major card producers, cull the star players out of the sets to sell them to the increasing number of card stores, and repackage the remaining cards for sale to retail stores. In November 1986, the two partners got underway, with Goldin devoting 20 percent of his time to the newly created Score Board as chairman, Sherman assuming the duties of president and chief operating officer, and Ken Goldin, by then 21 years old, beginning as merchandise manager. Much of the first year was spent organizing and equipping the company with a sufficient inventory to successfully compete as a merchandiser and wholesaler of baseball trading cards.

In August 1987, after an adequate inventory had been established, the company converted to public ownership, becoming the first company of its kind to do so, and raised $2.43 million through an initial public offering of 77 million shares of stock at 3.5 cents each. What began as a risky "penny stock" quickly developed into a lucrative investment for those who picked up the stock at its debut, because Goldin's strategy worked wonders. Score Board flourished during its inaugural decade, developing into an industry powerhouse without rival.

By the end of Score Board's first year, sales amounted to $780,692, from which the company recorded a net loss of $352,782. The year-end figures were deceptive, however, because the company was not operational until its fourth fiscal quarter, when it generated more than $600,000 and registered $42,000 in profit. From this starting point, Score Board's financial totals marched strongly upward, propelled by the insatiable demand for baseball trading cards. By the summer of 1988, after recording $1.4 million in sales and $217,000 in net income during the first fiscal quarter, Score Board's inventory was valued at $1.5 million, its breadth and depth built up by weekend trips to card shows across the nation.

From these moveable feasts of sports memorabilia, the company's purchasing agent procured older cards and other sport-related treasures, such as Pete Rose's 1978 jersey, bats used by Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, and a 1914 Athletics vs. Braves World Series program. For the new cards, Score Board acquired substantial quantities from the three major card manufacturers, Topps Chewing Gum Inc., Donruss Leaf Inc., and The Fleer Corp., and a Texas-based company named Score. These cards were then repackaged by the company's 20 part-time workers--high school students mainly--who sorted the cards into sets for sale through mail order and at retail outlets.

The response to Score Board's approach was immediate and widespread, as the $1.4 million in sales for the first quarter of 1988 testified. However, Goldin was not satisfied and moved quickly into other business areas before pausing to celebrate Score Board's encouraging debut. While Ken Goldin was dividing his time between his father's company and completing his business degree studies at Drexel University at night, his father diversified into markets related to merchandising sports memorabilia. In January 1988--five months after Score Board's initial public offering--Goldin reached an agreement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four Foundation to produce a limited-edition set of five lithographs depicting the 50th anniversary of the annual college basketball tournament.

Goldin also launched a publication division that published "The Score Board Book of Baseball Cards," "The Baseball Engagement Book," and a National Football League "Football Date Book." Complementing the product line was a videotape distribution business, featuring such titles as "The 500 Home Run Club," and the merchandising of sundry sport-related novelties, including towels, aprons, and ceramic collectibles. Midway through the year, Goldin was preparing to widen Score Board's scope further by adding a board game manufacturing subsidiary through the acquisition of Atlanta-based Gametime Ltd. and its baseball trivia board game. On all fronts, the company was moving forward, securing an intractable hold on various sports memorabilia markets before serious competition could muster a response.

Goldin did not hold back in 1989, opting instead to continue increasing Score Board's exposure and presence in various sports memorabilia niches. Sales for the year reached $20 million, thanks in large part to the debut of the company's merchandise on cable television's Home Shopping Network. In front of millions of viewers, sports celebrities such as Hank Aaron chatted with a host, who in turn sold Score Board's sports memorabilia. The contribution to Score Board's financial status was immediate and large; by the end of 1989 roughly half of the company's entire revenue volume was derived from sales made on the Home Shopping Network.

Another key development during the year was the decision to sign agreements with sports stars to autograph sports equipment and novelties for sale to the public. Million dollar deals were signed with revered athletes such as Nolan Ryan, Mickey Mantle, and Roger Clemens, who agreed to sign their name to merchandise in return for payment. Dozens of athletes were signed to multi-year deals, providing a powerful revenuegenerating engine to the quickly blossoming Score Board.

1990s Diversification

Sales climbed to $32 million by the end of 1990, making Score Board the largest national distributor of sports cards and autographed memorabilia in the country. During the early 1990s, Goldin's efforts to diversify Score Board's business made for an increasingly well-rounded company, particularly his move into manufacturing. During its first years of business, Score Board profited as a merchandiser of other companies' memorabilia, but by the beginning of the 1990s the company also began to merchandise memorabilia manufactured by itself, including trading cards through a licensing agreement with the Worldwide Wrestling Federation, board games through a licensing agreement with major league baseball, and memorabilia bearing the autographs of star athletes.

Goldin's most ambitious move during the early 1990s, however, had nothing to do with sports. In pursuit of business that could maintain Score Board's prolific pace of growth, Goldin entered into the market for entertainment related memorabilia and created a wholly owned subsidiary named Catch a Star to facilitate the company's entry into the entertainment memorabilia market.

As the company's entertainment memorabilia business was taking shape, aided by memorabilia distribution contracts with Elvis Presley Enterprises and Paramount Pictures, progress continued to be made with Score Board's mainstay sports memorabilia business. Early in 1991 the company purchased Best Cards Co. and its license to manufacture and sell minor league baseball cards. Later in the year two other pivotal deals were made: In September, National Football League Properties granted Score Board a three-year license to produce and market trivia board games featuring National Football League players, and in October the company announced it had developed a basketball memorabilia program that included contracts with basketball stars Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Patrick Ewing, and Dominique Wilkins.

The consistent development of new memorabilia-related business pushed sales in 1991 up to $46.5 million and lifted profits to $4.8 million, as the more than four million serious collectors in the United States continued to pay dearly for sports cards, signed memorabilia, and entertainment related merchandise. Annual sales leaped to $75 million in 1992 and the company recorded a 687 percent gain in stock performance, the second-best on the NASDAQ exchange for the year. For those investors who purchased Score Board stock at its debut of 3.5 cents per share there were bountiful yields to be realized. Score Board's stock was trading at roughly $45 per share by 1992, a prodigious climb that continued to move upward despite the sluggish economy prevailing during the recessive early 1990s. By 1993, the company's foray into entertainment memorabilia had been strengthened considerably by the addition of licenses to sell collectibles based on the films Star Trek, Star Wars, Gone with the Wind, and The Wizard of Oz, as well as certain rights to market memorabilia connected to singer/songwriters Elvis Presley and John Lennon.

The push was on to expand memorabilia lines in 1994, as the company strove to maintain the animated growth that had described its first half decade of business. During the year, an agreement was signed with Matsushita's MCA subsidiary Winterland Productions, the country's leading music merchandiser. Under the terms of the agreement, Score Board developed memorabilia based on Winterland artists, the ranks of which included recording artist Madonna. The company also began marketing prepaid, theme-based telephone cards in 1994, but the most overshadowing development during the year was the death in May of Paul Goldin.

Retooling for the 1990s and Beyond

Goldin's son Ken assumed the responsibilities of Score Board's chief executive office. Upon taking command of a business his father had built into a $100 million company, Ken Goldin, then 29 years old, declared to Forbes magazine, "I'm not interested in any business that isn't profitable," words Goldin would quickly have to act upon. Competition had become intense in the baseball trading card market, leading to an oversupply of cards on the market. The surfeit of cards was exacerbated by strikes in two major league sports, the combined effect of which stripped the company's stock of much of its value. Goldin was forced to restructure Score Board in 1995 as a result, making good on his words to eschew any business deemed unprofitable. As part of the restructuring program, Goldin spun off Score Board's California Gold plaque and framing operations and laid off eight percent of the company's workforce.

After cresting at $108 million in 1994, sales shrank to $72 million in 1995 before recording a marginal gain to $75 million in 1996, the same total generated in 1993. The company's net income dipped into the red as well, but as management was taking steps to strengthen the company's position for the late 1990s it was hoped the setback during the mid-1990s was only a temporary one. As a foundation for future growth, Score Board continued to hold valuable contracts with numerous sports celebrities and maintain a broad presence in sports and entertainment memorabilia markets, factors the company's management hoped would hold Score Board in good stead as the 21st century neared.

Principal Subsidiaries: Catch-A-Star.




Further Reading:

George, John, "Score Board Expanding Via Showbiz Memorabilia," Philadelphia Business Journal, December 2, 1991, p. S8B.
Joyce, Marilyn, "Consumer Spending is Sluggish? Someone's Buying Sports Cards," Philadelphia Business Journal, May 31, 1993, p. 8B.
Khalaf, Roula, "The DiMaggio Debacle," Forbes, August 16, 1993, p. 64.
Lefton, Terry, "Can Score Board Score as a Corporate Sports Marketer? The King of Memorabilia Forays into Merchandising," Brandweek, June 13, 1994, p. 34.
Leibowitz, David S., "Investing in a Second Childhood," Financial World, July 6, 1993, p. 70.
Macnow, Glen, "Thanks to This Form, Some Ballplayers Get Sore Arms from Swinging Pens, Not Bats," Nation's Business, April 1991, p. 10.
McKee, William, "It's a Clan in Phillies Land That Values Bobby Bonilla," Philadelphia Business Journal, August 22, 1988, p. 1.
Meece, Mickey, "MBNA to Offer Sports Collectibles Mastercard," American Banker, November 15, 1993, p. 15.
Meeks, Fleming, "Mound Merchant," Forbes, April 13, 1992, p. 20.
"Score Board," Fortune, October 22, 1990, p. 110.
Steinbreder, John, "The Goldins Rule," Sports Illustrated, November 1, 1993, p. 7B.
Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 19. St. James Press, 1998.

[kingjammy24]

it would be nice to have a conclusive list of all of the jerseys scoreboard sold. i just remember them hawking wares on either qvc or hsn. two
scoreboard jerseys that seem to constantly pop up everywhere are the 1989 Bo Jackson set 2 home jerseys and 1990 Jose Canseco home jerseys with a strip tag reading "2 90". the thing about them is that at first glance they look good. the bo jackson has a legit-looking vertical arch NOB which is correct. the fonts are correct on both. the '89 jacksons don't use a nameplate which is consistant with their Major League versions, while the '90 cansecos do use a nameplate which is also correct.
the red flag with the '89 jacksons is that they have a 1989 flag tag affixed to a 1990/91 era Rawlings tag. they're the only 1989 royals jerseys i've ever seen that have mis-matched flag/manufacturer's tags. a real royals gamer from 1989 would use a 1988-1989 style manufacturer's tag.
other than that, the tagging on both is correct. when i first saw these specific scoreboard jerseys on the market and i didn't know they were from scoreboard, what made me suspicious was the fact that i had seen tons of them. they were all over the place. it didn't seem likely to me that i could find 20 1989 bo jackson home jerseys labeled as "set 2" and not a single one from set 1 or even a single 1989 road jersey. likewise with the cansecos. how could i easily find 25 different 1990 canseco home jerseys with a "2 90" strip tag but i had never seen a single one labeled "1 90" or any at all from 1991? the sheer numbers alone made it extremely unlikely that they were all legit as the only logical explanations would've been that a) canseco needed a huge amount of "set 2" home jerseys in 1990 but didn't need nearly the same amount of set 1 home jerseys or road jerseys that year. he also didn't seem to need nearly as many jerseys in 1989 or 1991. or b) all of the owners of canseco's 1990 home set 2's decided to sell but almost no owners of canseco's 1989 or 1991 jerseys decided to sell. either scenario is hardly plausible.
inherantly there's little about these jerseys that immediately looks wrong. unfortunately i don't believe they're marked in any way to tell they've come from scoreboard. the '89 bo jackson has mismatched manufacturer and flag tags and that gives it away but the '90 canseco honestly looks good and i think that's why it's fooled so many. it's simply the unrealistic number of them out there that defies likelihood. the market is flooded with them and the only realistic explanation is that they were produced for a mass market rather than a single athlete. i'd love a real 1990 canseco gamer but because of the scoreboard jerseys, i've chosen to entirely stay away from 1990 canseco home jerseys which is unfortunate for the 1 or 2 legit ones that are out there.
a modern example would be the custom-tagged manny ramirez jerseys that manny himself sold. other than the odd tagging, the sheer number of them out there makes you question the entire lot. in 2005, ramirez sold a lot of 25 "game used" jerseys directly to a single dealer. that same year, his website must've sold at least another 25. did he really go through 50 jerseys a year? the quantity (and odd stains) seemed to suggest they were being pumped out like an assembly line. like the scoreboard jerseys.

rudy.

[trsent]

The Scoreboard jerseys were made and sold as autographed jerseys, no one was suspecting these jerseys fifteen years later would be sold as game used in so many places.

Once again, the thought process is forgotten. When these jerseys were made, no one was thinking about this happening and Scoreboard didn't sell them advertising that you can advertise the item as game used somewhere down the road.

[sportscentury]

Joel,

Ken Golden started Golden sports after the fold of Score Board, correct? Is that company still around? I remember Ken used to join the late night boys on Home Shopping Network for the then-outrageous sports collectibles show (I think Saturday Night Live actually did a "bit," based on it).

Reid

P.S. I think the one guy on HSN was "let go" for making outrageous claims about the value of their sale items (e.g., "Folks, there are only three of these Sammy Sosa rookies left ... now is your last chance ever to obtain one of these ... if you are lucky enough to get one, you'll be able to retire soon with the way this thing is skyrocketing in value!!"). Does anyone else remember this?

[both-teams-played-hard]

I remember Ken used to join the late night boys on Home Shopping Network for the then-outrageous sports collectibles show (I think Saturday Night Live actually did a "bit," based on it).



Folks! Talk about a museum piece...Yes! It's a Scottie Pippen Head!

[trsent]

Joel,

Ken Golden started Golden sports after the fold of Score Board, correct? Is that company still around? I remember Ken used to join the late night boys on Home Shopping Network for the then-outrageous sports collectibles show (I think Saturday Night Live actually did a "bit," based on it).

Reid

P.S. I think the one guy on HSN was "let go" for making outrageous claims about the value of their sale items (e.g., "Folks, there are only three of these Sammy Sosa rookies left ... now is your last chance ever to obtain one of these ... if you are lucky enough to get one, you'll be able to retire soon with the way this thing is skyrocketing in value!!"). Does anyone else remember this?

One of the guys in the shop likes to watch old video feeds of HSN with Kenny Goldin all the time. I'll get the link and post it to the feeds.

[sportscentury]

Warren and Joel...

Classic stuff! Joel, I look forward to wasting another few minutes of my life watching the feeds (seriously, I do).

Reid

[both-teams-played-hard]

I'll get the link and post it to the feeds.

PLEASE!

[both-teams-played-hard]

One freighter crate, sealed, untouched with a broken seal....full of gem mint, razor sharp corners, 1993 Shaq gold prism rookie cards! The Next 3 callers get'em. Call now....only 3 crates left. Our distributor is out. Folks-nobody's got these...

http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/7678/goldinff8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[both-teams-played-hard]

Scratch everything from my 2 previous posts...NOT Kenny Goldin. The sports collectible guru that I spent many a night watching in the early 1990s is DON WEST. Don West was the one satired on Saturday Night Live! I just discovered http:www.donwest.org
This is the site with the video clips that I think Joel is referring to...

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/7991/doncheapseats4sb3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Don would lay ungraded baseball cards right on the table, and ask the audience: "What will you give me for this '62 Clemente?" Hard to believe this was less than 15 years ago. This was small-time. I don't believe he was National at that time. Does anyone have any knowledge of the pictured show from "Cheap Seats"? How did I miss it! Inside humor at it's peak...

[trsent]

Isn't Cheap Seats the best show on television today?

Here is the link for Don West videos.

When you play the videos, you'll see he calls Kenny who helps sell the merchandise. Kenny is none other than The Score Board's Ken Goldin. Ken used to be a great customer of mine. He would pay the most for 1986-87 Fleer Jordan rookies because he was selling them for the most. He also bought Griffey, Jr. rookies like no one could imagine.

http://www.donwest.org/

Fun, fun, fun!

[bat_master]

Hey Everyone,

I can say I even remember watching this guy on TV I believe in the late 1990s or so when I was in my early 20s. The thing that amazed me the most is how his voice gets gradually higher in pitch the more excited he would get.

I also watched some of those videos on that website. Absolutely hillarious! Of course some of those are from the early days. I recognize him in his post-moustache years.

Great, great stuff!

Tim Byington
www.tjsportsmn.com (http://www.tjsportsmn.com)

[sportscentury]

Joel and Warren...

Hysterical! That website is worth checking out, as well.

A great place to start is at the bottom of the page:
STILL OFF THE AIR
05-01-2001

Don is still off the air. Read this (http://www.beckett.com/news/?a=1733) if you're unaware of the crisis.
Listen to what the lovely Kearstin at Shop at Home (http://www.donwest.org/mp3/kearstin.mp3) has to say about it.

The call to Kearstin reminds me of a bad Jerky Boys track.

Reid

[sportscentury]

I had forgotten how much Don West sounded like Chris Farley (particulary when Chris played the character Matt Foley, thrice divorced and living in a van down by the river!).

[JasonM33]

I want to ressurect this thread to add a couple thoughts about the Score Board Canseco jerseys. First of all I'm not 100% sure Canseco wore a size 50 in 1990. I have always seen him wear size 46 to 48. I'm not sure I've ever seen an authentic Canseco 1990 jersey though so it's hard to say. Also, I've seen a lot of these 1990 Score Board jerseys and they are all signed in the same area. However, some are signed in blue and others in black. I found that a little odd. It's a shame that these are being mistaken for the game used.

Does anyone own a real game used 1990 Canseco jersey?

-Jason

[mailman93]

does the scoreboard 1990 Canseco jerseys have the velcro inbetween the 2nd and 3rd button? I have a 1990 Canseco jersey that does have the velcro. it would just seem werid, that scoreboard would but the velcro on for a game issued jersey. thanks Dan

[kingjammy24]

dan and jason,

as you both know, those scoreboard 1990 home cansecos with the "2 90" tag are everywhere. there are literally dozens of them out there. most are usually autographed. personally, this fact alone would make me completely avoid any 1990 home canseco with the "2 90" label.

scoreboard made impressively detailed jerseys. their 1989 bo jackson has the perfect vertically arched nob. the cansecos are tagged perfectly. these weren't the standard retail issue. they had pro tags, sewn inside the jerseys. they came from someone with the ability to order such jerseys from rawlings. as such, i believe they were authentic in almost every detail.

jason, i agree that it's unlikely that canseco wore a 50 in 1990. as both you and dan have seen, canseco wore 46's and 48's from the early to mid 90s.

dan you asked about the velcro. it wasn't scoreboard that made these jerseys. it would've have been them that put the velcro on. someone ordered them from rawlings in order to sell via scoreboard. perhaps it was the players themselves or their reps. as i said, the jerseys are pro-spec in practically every sense. therefore, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see velcro.

here is a 1989 scoreboard bo jackson:

www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=27239 (http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=27239)

notice it has the velcro closures.

lelands JUST sold a 1990 "2 90" home canseco:

http://www.lelands.com/bid.aspx?auctionid=611&lot=672

and wow wee, here's yet another one on ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230068423764

the one on ebay notes that it has the velcro fasteners. to answer your question dan, i believe that because these were pro-spec jerseys ordered from rawlings, they did include the velcro closures even though they were being offered for retail sale via scoreboard.

if i was in the market for a 1990 canseco, i'd look for a road jersey.

rudy.

[JasonM33]

For what it's worth, I have a retail A's jersey from that era and it does have the velcro. I wouldn't mind getting one of those ScoreBoard jerseys for my collection until I can find a gamer. I just don't want to pay game used prices. Furthermore it appears the one on ebay has dirt stains on it to simulate game use. So if I bought that one I'd have to have it cleaned.

One more thing. Do the Score Boards have the extra 2 inches of length? I can't tell by the photos I've seen and there's no tag specifying.

-Jason M

[MooseDog]

Does anyone own a real game used 1990 Canseco jersey?

-Jason

Jason - I once owned a 1990 Canseco jersey obtained from a team source. Although it's been a while, I am pretty sure it was a size 50. The only reason I can remember is that it was the biggest baseball jersey I had seen at that time.

[JasonM33]

Thanks MooseDog.

Do you happen to remember what set it was? Was it home or road?

Thanks!

-Jason

[Eric]

dan and jason,

as you both know, those scoreboard 1990 home cansecos with the "2 90" tag are everywhere. there are literally dozens of them out there. most are usually autographed. personally, this fact alone would make me completely avoid any 1990 home canseco with the "2 90" label.

scoreboard made impressively detailed jerseys. their 1989 bo jackson has the perfect vertically arched nob. the cansecos are tagged perfectly. these weren't the standard retail issue. they had pro tags, sewn inside the jerseys. they came from someone with the ability to order such jerseys from rawlings. as such, i believe they were authentic in almost every detail.

jason, i agree that it's unlikely that canseco wore a 50 in 1990. as both you and dan have seen, canseco wore 46's and 48's from the early to mid 90s.

dan you asked about the velcro. it wasn't scoreboard that made these jerseys. it would've have been them that put the velcro on. someone ordered them from rawlings in order to sell via scoreboard. perhaps it was the players themselves or their reps. as i said, the jerseys are pro-spec in practically every sense. therefore, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see velcro.

here is a 1989 scoreboard bo jackson:

www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=27239 (http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=27239)

notice it has the velcro closures.

lelands JUST sold a 1990 "2 90" home canseco:

http://www.lelands.com/bid.aspx?auctionid=611&lot=672

and wow wee, here's yet another one on ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230068423764

the one on ebay notes that it has the velcro fasteners. to answer your question dan, i believe that because these were pro-spec jerseys ordered from rawlings, they did include the velcro closures even though they were being offered for retail sale via scoreboard.

if i was in the market for a 1990 canseco, i'd look for a road jersey.

rudy.

Is this a score board bo jackson?
http://www.historicauctions.com/search/showphotos/auctionid/37393/imageid/13033/

What about these two 1990 Bo Jacksons- the tagging is not the same. perhaps one is a score board?
http://sports.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=707&Lot_No=19446#Photo

http://www.100percentauthentic.com/CertList.asp?SearchStr=bo+jackson&Submit=Go

All three have Lampson letters

[suave1477]

All three have Lampson letters

Well that says it all for me :D

[CollectGU]

Eric,

If you zoom in on the Heritage one, you actually can see a MEARS hologram on the back numeral.

Regards,
Dave

[kingjammy24]

eric,

historic - yes
heritage - i've got my own theories on that one but i can't prove them.
100percent - yes

it seems people pass them around in an effort to find the last few buyers who are unaware that they're scoreboard shirts. it doesn't help when there are dealers like dan ceniceros who sold 10 of them claiming they were acquired "from within the major leagues" and guaranteeing they'd "pass authentication". (i'm still waiting for dan to explain why he guaranteed that a scoreboard jersey would pass authentication if he wasn't trying to mislead people. why would anyone want to get a scoreboard jersey authenticated?!.they might if they didn't know it was a scoreboard shirt and thought it was a real game-issue.).

anyway, add 1990 nolan ryans to the pile. (although, a rawlings ryan would attract suspicion anyway):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270108482609

at least that seller is ethical enough not to concoct some garbage story about "major league sources" and admits she bought it from scoreboard and even includes the original scoreboard LOA. interestingly enough, if you read the scoreboard LOA all they certified was the autograph. they didn't make any claims whatsoever about the jersey being game-issued or even authentic.

rudy.

[suave1477]

why was my post removed?

[Eric]

[quote=kingjammy24;38152](i'm still waiting for dan to explain why he guaranteed that a scoreboard jersey would pass authentication if he wasn't trying to mislead people. why would anyone want to get a scoreboard jersey authenticated?!.they might if they didn't know it was a scoreboard shirt and thought it was a real game-issue.). [quote]

Well, we have proven they DO pass authentication. Lampson apparently doesn't know what a Score Board jersey is- he keep writing game used letters for them with "moderate to light wear"

Eric

[suave1477]

Still would like to know why my post was removed?

[Eric]

Which post was removed?

[suave1477]

Hello Eric,

I wrote something in comment last night about KingJammys comment and it posted and then 10 minutes later it was gone.

So I just wanted to know what happend to it?

[Eric]

Are you sure it wasn't post #24 in the thread?
If not, did you definitely post it? There's no sign of a post having been deleted.

[suave1477]

Hello Eric,

No it was posted right after KingJammy and i checked on it right after i posted and it was there about 10 minutes later I happend to notice the thread showing KingJammy so i thought he was responding to my post and when I looked my post was gone.

[ChrisCavalier]

Hello Eric,

No it was posted right after KingJammy and i checked on it right after i posted and it was there about 10 minutes later I happend to notice the thread showing KingJammy so i thought he was responding to my post and when I looked my post was gone.
Hello Jason,

I checked with the administrators who were on the boards last night and no one seems to know about any posts being deleted. Was it posted last night? If you can send me an email directly to chris_cavalier@gameuseduniverse.com with the content of the post I will look into it further to see if I can find out anything.

Sincerely,
Chris

[BO34]

Hi Guys, I think I might be able to shed some light on the BO JACKSON scoreboard jersey..I remember reading in SCD I don't know if it was Jim Yackel or someone else but they said the scoreboard's were signed with blue ink...

As to King's post regarding " the red flag with the '89 jacksons is that they have a 1989 flag tag affixed to a 1990/91 era Rawlings tag" does anyone have a picture so we can see the difference betwen the 2...

Thanks Guys!

[kingjammy24]

Hi Guys, I think I might be able to shed some light on the BO JACKSON scoreboard jersey..I remember reading in SCD I don't know if it was Jim Yackel or someone else but they said the scoreboard's were signed with blue ink...

As to King's post regarding " the red flag with the '89 jacksons is that they have a 1989 flag tag affixed to a 1990/91 era Rawlings tag" does anyone have a picture so we can see the difference betwen the 2...

Thanks Guys!

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=991

rudy.

[Eric]

Here's a question about the Score Board retail jerseys-

Were they all autographed, or were some sold as Authentic Issued jerseys without the signature?

Thanks
Eric

[gwh11]

My understanding is that with the exception of Gregg Jefferies jerseys, they were all autographed.
Guy

[kingjammy24]

eric,

i'm assuming you're asking because of what lampson says here: http://www.historicauctions.com/files/6C734D58-1111-B1F9-F36C48CCC07A0920/37393.pdf

lampson, as usual, is wrong. (i have no clue what he possibly means by "premium giveaways". since when were these scoreboard shirts "giveaways"?). if you care for proof, just ask dan ceniceros. here are 2 of dan's scoreboard bo jacksons and neither was autographed:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8767712510

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8789595489

dan also had some that were autographed. like this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8760827495

in dan's own words, he "Bought 10 Of These Jersey As Team Issued Pro Models From Scoreboard".

in my own experience, i've seen scoreboard jerseys that were not signed. i noticed a scoreboard jackson at the last national, just hanging on a rack. it was not signed. the dealer wanted something like $70 for it. it was a 1989, set 2, home jersey.

while i'm sure the majority of them were signed, i have to think that several pieces of stock escaped unsigned. leftover pieces perhaps or maybe extras ordered.

it was a nice thought that lampson dreamed up to explain how that particular jackson can't be a scoreboard jersey because of the fact that it's not signed. why didn't lampson ever mention that on the dozens of other home, set 2, 1989 jacksons he's authenticated?

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

as well, if, as he states on the Historic 1989 Bo Jackson, that Scoreboard jerseys were autographed, then why doesn't he mention that fact at all on the LOA for the 1990 Strawberry jersey currently on Historic, which IS autographed and is a known Scoreboard offering? It's handy to bring it up on the Jackson but not on the Strawberry?

rudy.

[Dominic3464]

Hey Rudy, if u wouldn't mind, would u please drop me a line at uneek@usermail.com ...I'd like to ask about the Scoreboard Jerseys issue...thanks much... Dominic

[kingjammy24]

does the scoreboard 1990 Canseco jerseys have the velcro inbetween the 2nd and 3rd button? I have a 1990 Canseco jersey that does have the velcro. it would just seem werid, that scoreboard would but the velcro on for a game issued jersey. thanks Dan

dan and other canseco collectors,

i came across this scoreboard canseco and noticed that in one of the photos, you can clearly see the stitching of the velcro patch in between the buttons. unfortunately the seller doesn't show a photo of the tagging but what you think the odds are that it's a strip tag with "2 90"?

jersey:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120137944768

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7183/cansecorm9.jpg

rudy.

[sox83cubs84]

Despite Lampson's endorsement of this jersey as ganme-used, it is actually a 1990 Score Board tagged retail jersey (the "2 90" strip tag is the giveaway). Can I get a photo or link from someone, please?

Dave Miedema

[Danny899]

Dave,
I have a few Rickey Henderson jerseys from 1990. One (home) has a set 1 flag tag, another (road) has a strip tag of, "1 90" and another (WS road)only has a Rawlings label. Most came from a bulk purchase made by Ball Park Heros. If I'm not mistaken, each of these jerseys has passed before your knowledgable eyes. A road Willie Randolph from 1990 also has a strip tag. Are you now saying in your above post that the A's didn't use strip tags in 1990? As always, I appreciate any insight you can offer. Thanks again, hope you're doing well.

Dan

[commando]

Scoreboard advertisement from a 1991 "Baseball Cards" magazine.

[trsent]

Scoreboard advertisement from a 1991 "Baseball Cards" magazine.

That is an awesome find!

Have all those jerseys gone down in price since that advertisment?

[mdube16]

The 500 HR jersey with Mantle and Williams is probably still worth what it sold for.

[Fraudfinder!!]

Here is the link
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150509402198&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2Fi.html%3F_nkw %3D150509402198%26_in_kw%3D1%26_ex_kw%3D%26_sacat% 3DSee-All-Categories%26_okw%3D150509402198%26_oexkw%3D%26_ad v%3D1%26_udlo%3D%26_udhi%3D%26_ftrt%3D901%26_ftrv% 3D1%26_sabdlo%3D%26_sabdhi%3D%26_samilow%3D%26_sam ihi%3D%26_sadis%3D200%26_fpos%3DZip%2Bcode%26_fsct %3D%26LH_SALE_CURRENCY%3D0%26_sop%3D12%26_dmd%3D1% 26_ipg%3D50%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

[sox83cubs84]

Fraudfinder: Thanks for the link.:)

Danny: Strip and flag tags were both used throughout the 5-year Rawlings contract on Oakland gamers. The telltale sign is such because there are dozens (if not) more of "2 90" strip tagged 1990 home Cansecos in circulation (as the ad posted shows). Unless it had unimpeachable team or player provenance (which hasn't happened yet on any I've sen), there'd be no way to firmly authenticate this specific player/year jersey unless it had a variance in tagging (which none of the Score Board jerseys do).

Dave Miedema

[Danny899]

Thanks again Dave. Always great to hear your insight!
Dan

[petersportsfan@yahoo.com]

Can someone list all the scoreboard jerseys that were made in 1990, and provide photos if possible

I know these were made:
Mets Strawberry
Rangers Ryan
Giants Clark
Phillies Schmidt

I'm pretty sure that there were more than these four

[Jags Fan Dan]

Was Bo Jackson one that was made?

[ironmanfan]

Gregg Jeffries

[TNTtoys]

I believe that this is a complete list...

1. 1989 Mike Schmidt Phillies home pinstripe (his last year as a player).
2. 1989 Bo Jackson Royals home white
3. 1990 Gregg Jefferies Mets home pinstripe
4. 1990 Darryl Strawberry Mets home pinstripe
5. 1990 Nolan Ryan Rangers home white
6. 1990 Jose Canseco A's home white
7. 1990 Will Clark Giants home white
8. 1990 Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners home white

[petersportsfan@yahoo.com]

I believe that this is a complete list...

1. 1989 Mike Schmidt Phillies home pinstripe (his last year as a player).
2. 1989 Bo Jackson Royals home white
3. 1990 Gregg Jefferies Mets home pinstripe
4. 1990 Darryl Strawberry Mets home pinstripe
5. 1990 Nolan Ryan Rangers home white
6. 1990 Jose Canseco A's home white
7. 1990 Will Clark Giants home white
8. 1990 Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners home white

Thanks for the info, and just so I don't have to start a new thread, does anyone know the list of the 1983 wilson prototypes that were released?

[ironmanfan]

Thanks for the info, and just so I don't have to start a new thread, does anyone know the list of the 1983 wilson prototypes that were released?

There was a Ripken orange alternate

[petersportsfan@yahoo.com]

There was a Ripken orange alternate

yeah I believe there was a Palmer orange alternate as well, i would LOVE to get my hands on one of those

[sox83cubs84]

Thanks for the info, and just so I don't have to start a new thread, does anyone know the list of the 1983 wilson prototypes that were released?

Two correcions and two additions to Nick's overall informative list:

Clark and Griffey were 1989.

Reggie Jackson (Oakland home) and a Nolan Ryan similar to the 1990 version also were issued in 1989.

Regarding the tagged Wilson 1983 samples, I know (as far as better names) of a Red Sox road Yaz, a Phillies home Rose, and a Cubs home #15 (a common player in 1983).

Dave Miedema

[Danny899]

Scoreboard also made a 1990 Seaver. It had the interior strip tag below the Rawlings jersey. Then a dealer was selling it as a gamer. Tried to say that Seaver wore it when he was instructor for the Mets. Pretty weak.

[sox83cubs84]

Scoreboard also made a 1990 Seaver. It had the interior strip tag below the Rawlings jersey. Then a dealer was selling it as a gamer. Tried to say that Seaver wore it when he was instructor for the Mets. Pretty weak.

Glad you brought that one up...I remember the jersey being discussed on GUF at the time.

Being reminded of that one caused me to remember another 1989 Score Board item...home Giants Willie Mays.

Dave Miedema

[commando]

Due to popular demand, here is a mostly complete listing of jerseys, bats and sticks sold by the Score Board, Inc. circa 1990-1992. Scans were taken from actual SB advertisements in hobby publications during those years.

From what I can tell, many, if not most of these items are quite accurate in their sizes, styles, tagging, etc. The Joe Montana 49ers helmet even has an American flag decal on the rear! FYI, two different Nolan Ryan Rangers jerseys were made available -- one tagged 1989, the other 1990.

Retired player equipment (Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Rod Carew) is included in the thread, because many of these items have been represented over the years as "spring training" or "coaches" equipment.

[commando]

The scans continue.

[commando]

The scans continue.

[commando]

Other items sold by Score Board, but not pictured, are:

John Elway Broncos Helmet
Joe Montana Notre Dame Jersey (green)

Cecil Fielder Bat

Mario Lemieux Stick
Mario Lemieux Jersey
Jaromir Jagr Stick
Grant Fuhr Jersey

[commando]

More Score Board info can be found here (http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?p=230374&posted=1#post230374).

[sox83cubs84]

On many Score Board jerseys, the tags are the right style but not the normal arrangement or information.

For example, the 1989 Giants Mays and Clark jerseys use a 4-digit year in the strip tag (1989) as opposed to the team norm (89)

Bo Jackson's Royals jerseys from 1989 are missing the embroidered T (tapered) box tag normally found on his gamers.

Schmidt's 1989 Phillies example is missing the normal NIC tag.


Also, all jerseys of each specific player carry the exact same tags. Seeing the 1989 notation on the Nolan Ryan strip tag or the "2 90" strip tag on the Cansecos in 1990 are on all of them...seeing one will alert you to all of them.

The old SCD ads were a nostalgic touch. Thanks for the research, Commando.

Dave Miedema

[commando]

Thanks, Dave. I am building a library of sports card hobby magazines and reference books from the 1980s, and enjoy reading your articles in them. You were a pioneer of game-used information long before the internet was in every home!

You were and are respected by hobbyists in the game used, autograph, and sports card arenas... And if my sources are correct, you were even an autograph guest at one or two card shows back in the day!

[fredskinz]

I have a scoreboard question for you if you dont mind.

I recently purchased a 1989 Royals Bo Jackson jersey... It has the normal tagging inside, but also has a T tag and velcro in the chest under the flap...

From everything I've read this doesn't seem like a Scoreboard jersey... Any thoughts?

Thanks

Fred King
fredskinz@hotmail.com

[commando]

It looks like I forgot to post a copy of the Bo Jackson jersey, so here it is... If your jersey has an autograph in the same spot as the picture, I would be suspicious.

[fredskinz]

My autograph is on the upper left back... I'll get some pics and post them so you can see

[perlman9]

I saw in 2005 American Memorabilia sold a Game Worn 1989 Set 2 White Bo Jackson jersey for $1800. What would the value be on that in today's market? Has Bo gone up or down or stayed about the same?

[sox83cubs84]

Hard to say on that piece, because 1989 found a now-extinct company called Score Board selling tagged retail jerseys of numerous players, one of which was a 1989 Royals home Bo Jackson. AM's jersey authenticator, Lou Lampson, has erred on numerous pieces he's done for them, and has, on numerous occasions, "authenticated" these retail pieces due, apparently, to the existence of tags.

If the jersey is autographed on the front, and does not have an embroidered box tag with a "T" present (for body tapering), it's almost certain to be one of the Score Board retail jerseys, and not a Bo gamer.

Dave Miedema

[commando]

I cannot find a copy of Score Board advertising for the infamous 1990 Gregg Jefferies Mets Set 1 home jersey, so here are a couple of examples that are on eBay right now.

[prichmond]

can someone fill us in on the history of scoreboard jerseys?

thanks

pete

[sox83cubs84]

Score Board was a major company in the hobby/industry in the late 80s and early 90s, and, beginning in 1989 and continuing to 1990, the company made tagged, usually autographed, jerseys for retail sales. The tags caused confusion among novice collectors, as the hobby mantra back then was that tags equalled authenticity. Most can be differentiated from genuine team-issued, game worn pieces based on differences in tagging, All Score Board jerseys were home styles, and all were made by Rawlings. None were marketed by SB of players/teams that wore Wilson home jerseys (i.e., no Don Mattingly, no Wade Boggs, no Dale Murphy). The 1989 editions employed a Rawlings tag designed that began full usage in 1990.

It's late now as I write this, but I will post again on Sunday with the names and teams that I am aware of, and what differences in tagging (if known) that can identify them.

Dave Miedema

[Dach0sen0ne]

Good reference on Scoreboard jerseys.

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=40071

[trsent]

can someone fill us in on the history of scoreboard jerseys?

thanks

pete

Pete, do understand, "Scoreboard" jerseys were not originally sold as game used. No one was thinking they were going to later hit the market as game used jersey so often.

Rawlings or whoever made the jerseys made extra jerseys for bulk wholesale orders that were tagged similarly to what the players actually wore and this is why now, years later, so many of these jerseys are being sold as game used when they were just pro-cuts.

The Scoreboard company was a legitimate autograph company that often sold items through mass markets such as Home Shopping Club and Sports Collector's Digest.

I generally have all signatures I buy with Scoreboard certificates verified by PSA/DNA as their certificates could be copied or used with items they may have not originally be sold with.

[commando]

Well, here are nice photos of a Scoreboard Rose jersey. And, drum roll please.... It still has the SCOREBOARD LOA with it!

[sportsnbikes]

Isn't Ken Goldin a member on this forum who is trying to get more activity on the autograph boards?

Why not just ask him? I think his user name is KGoldin.

[KGoldin]

yeah
that Ken Goldin guy is an active member of game used universe
ask him a question and maybe he can help

i dont see a question..

[sportsnbikes]

Can someone with knowledge of the company explain it here, AND help educate each other on what to look for- certain tags, nameplates, players etc.



This was the question that was asked. I was just trying to help...sorry

[trsent]

Can someone with knowledge of the company explain it here, AND help educate each other on what to look for- certain tags, nameplates, players etc.



This was the question that was asked. I was just trying to help...sorry

The question that was asked around November, 2011?

I think this discussion and the photos people have posted answer the questions of what to look for. This thread is pretty deep.

[KGoldin]

I'll make this easy for everyone
if you ever have a question on an item, post several pictures of it online, and title it 'Ken can you help' and i will reply if it was an ex score board item or not
this includes autographs

if there is an item on EBAY you are interested in purchasing, and want to be sure it is 'legit' and it is possibly a score board item I will let you know if it is legit or not.
i think 99%+ of the time I will remember an item and know from looking at it.

just realize there are times of the year i might not respond in my normal immediate time frame
regards
Ken

[TNTtoys]

Just noticed this now, and it's pretty funny.

The model bat in the photo is not attributed to HoJo (Howard Johnson), but instead is attributed to FLOJO (Florence Griffith Joyner)!!

[TwinLakesPark]

Great thread with a wealth of information. I motion to move this under "Exceptionally Educational Threads".

[TwinLakesPark]

I second this motion.

[beachpetrol]

Came across this McGwire jersey. Anyone know what year this jersey was put out?

http://images.craigslist.org/00505_8FIRtMJKxmm_600x450.jpg

https://images.craigslist.org/00p0p_i5idHGPLhW4_600x450.jpg

https://images.craigslist.org/00J0J_cmbYcdVwRpb_600x450.jpg

[ironmanfan]

Came across this McGwire jersey. Anyone know what year this jersey was put out?

http://images.craigslist.org/00505_8FIRtMJKxmm_600x450.jpg

https://images.craigslist.org/00p0p_i5idHGPLhW4_600x450.jpg

https://images.craigslist.org/00J0J_cmbYcdVwRpb_600x450.jpg


That "COA" looks bogus to me

[KGoldin]

That "COA" looks bogus to me
that is a fake COA
Score Board never had McGwire under contract
Score Board never put out signed McGwire jerseys

[thomaslynch]

And the word "there" on the certificate should be "their"

[beachpetrol]

that is a fake COA
Score Board never had McGwire under contract
Score Board never put out signed McGwire jerseys

OK. Thanks for clearing that up. I thought it was kind of odd it was a certificate for a "baseball" and the specific description was for a "jersey".

[sox83cubs84]

Ken:

Did Score Board issue a signed Rawlings Rangers jersey of Nolan Ryan (or anyone else) in 1991?

Dave Miedema

[KGoldin]

Pretty sure that's a yes to 1991

[KGoldin]

I can confirm that score board had players sign 1991 jerseys especially Nolan Ryan who signed over 1000
Looks like one of them is currently up for auction at an online auction

[sox83cubs84]

I can confirm that score board had players sign 1991 jerseys especially Nolan Ryan who signed over 1000
Looks like one of them is currently up for auction at an online auction


Thanks, Ken.

Dave M.