Collector washed jerseys

[legaleagle92481]

Hi everyone,

There is a jersey that I am interested in that was washed by the current owner. It had been unwashed before that. What effect does this have on the value and collectibility of the jersey? I have a few washed jerseys but they were all team washed. Thanks and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

[metsbats]

Personally I would not like a collector washed jersey. Team washed is ok but when someone other than the team washes an unwashed jersey it will certainly lessen the value and collectiblity. I think anytime a collector alters an item it'll lessen the value because it was is now not in the original state that it was when it left the team. (perhaps an exception would be cracked and repaired bats which could go either way depending on preference)


Kudos to the seller for even telling you he washed it though.

Happy Holidays!

[spartakid]

I agree, I was actually offered a jersey that was washed by the collector and I passed on it for that sole reason. I don't want something that was altered after it came out into the market.

[Mulligans]

If it was a high profile football player who plays hard and it shows, I would seriously question the persons motivation and definitely not buy it.

The other 3 sports, I personally could care less.

[jppopma]

Unless it was a museum piece, I don't see how washing it would affect anything.

If people want to get all high and mighty about altered jersey; remember that everyone's home has it's own distinct smell to it that will get onto the jersey. Does that mean that everyone is altering the jerseys by having air fresheners, cooking, or personal laundry?

I am talking normal everyday smells; not the ones that come smelling of smoke, mildew, moth balls, or sitting to close to another funky jersey -- those ones go straight in the wash for me.

[G1X]

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!:eek:

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.

[flaco1801]

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...

[sox83cubs84]

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

[both-teams-played-hard]

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.

[Falcon]

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.

[Falcon]

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.

[mdube16]

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

[legaleagle92481]

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.

[jppopma]

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.

[Falcon]

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.

[G1X]

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.

[SSB15]

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.

[both-teams-played-hard]

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.:)

[Rickphils1]

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.

[mbenga28]

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

[godwulf]

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

Somebody had to finally say it. Thought it was going to be me, but I was wrong. :D


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

I only have a few sets of spikes in my collection, and they're all pretty dirt-encrusted. A set of Charles Brewer spikes I bought the other day has a ton of dirt and a wad of gum on them. I can't imagine cleaning them, as long as nothing appears to be living in there.

[Neely8]

I hope all those who adamantly oppose washing jerseys are also against getting them signed because to me getting a game worn jersey autographed affects the value much more than a simple washing.

[both-teams-played-hard]

I hope all those who adamantly oppose washing jerseys are also against getting them signed because to me getting a game worn jersey autographed affects the value much more than a simple washing.
ding, ding. Give this man a prize.

[legaleagle92481]

I don't like signed gamers either. I had a couple from NFL Auctions but sold them for that reason. I like them as they came off the field not washed or signed or otherwise altered. I don't collect as an investment I just enjoy having them because I am a rabid football fan. I realize older jerseys are pretty much all washed but I don't collect those because they are harder to find and I am not comfortable in determining what is real or not.

[solarlottry]

"I hope all those who adamantly oppose washing jerseys are also against getting them signed because to me getting a game worn jersey autographed affects the value much more than a simple washing."-posted by Neely8.

Why the "anti-autograph" stance? I like my gamers autographed especially when I am present and can see the players reaction to the shirt.

Some players genuinely enjoy holding and signing their old GU items. John Taylor, Jerry Rice and Rod Woodson all liked seeing their old gamers. On the other hand some could care less or, for some reason did not want to sign what I requested on their GU jersey.

Woodson was about to sign my Raiders gamer of his "game worn 2003" until his agent told him not to!!! Woodson gave his agent a funny look and told me sorry but could not sign it that way. He did say that it was his game worn jersey though which was good enough for me!

I know that having a signature on gamers is a very personal issue but does it really detract from a GU items value?

Personally I would never wash a GU football jersey. The Frank Gore that "Mulligans" was nice enough to part with, was the worst smelling jersey I have ever owned!!! An edict was issued by my wife that it was not to be brought into the house until it was "decontaminated". Well a week on the terrace, in the sea breeze, helped but it still stinks!

As for a change in value, that would be up to the purchaser. If it was a player I needed to complete an aspect of the collection, I would still buy the shirt although, depending on what was "washed out" (if the jersey showed considerable use and the majority of the dirt, hits, field paint etc was washed out) my offer would be somewhat decreased. If my lower offer was going to result in a sale to another collector I would then reconsider and up my offer.

Always buying 49ers gamers and ALL 1994 49ers GU items! Paying a finders fee as well.

Paul
garciajones@yahoo.com

Merry Christmas!!!
Go 49ers!!!!

[both-teams-played-hard]

I realize older jerseys are pretty much all washed but I don't collect those because they are harder to find and I am not comfortable in determining what is real or not.
Legal,
A modern jersey is a quadzillion times harder to authenticate than a vintage one.

[legaleagle92481]

Legal,
A modern jersey is a quadzillion times harder to authenticate than a vintage one.

It depends on what you buy. If you buy from NFL Auctions or from a team such as the Packers its already authenticated for you. If your buying from Joe seller who got it from a "team source" then I agree with you.

[both-teams-played-hard]

"I hope all those who adamantly oppose washing jerseys are also against getting them signed because to me getting a game worn jersey autographed affects the value much more than a simple washing."-posted by Neely8.

Why the "anti-autograph" stance? I like my gamers autographed especially when I am present and can see the players reaction to the shirt.


I think Neely8 is referring to those opposed to altering a jersey from its original game used condition.

[Falcon]

Paul: I'm just curious if you ever showed a nasty smelling unwashed gamer to a player and what was his reaction? I would think they'd be a little uncomfortable knowing that smell came from them! Lol

I'm an absolute crazy Atlanta Falcons fan and for that reason, I prefer to not have to worry about my jerseys smelling up the house or making my kids sick if I want to pull them out and let them hold them up to themselves.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[solarlottry]

Hi Kyle (Falcon) Mele Kalikimaka bradah! GO FALCONS!

I have presented a # of GU unwashed jerseys to their former wearers, but by the time they were signed, the shirts did not smell all that bad. I always air out any unwashed jersey on my lanai for about a week, which usually does a fairly decent job of making the smell bearable.

The Gore still has a fairly pungent scent so it will be interesting to see his expression if i ever get a chance to get it signed.

I see Neely8's point about a signature altering a gamer from its pure form. I guess I am of the faction that believes that the player's own signature does not alter the item enough to detract from its value. In fact I think a nice autograph or inscription can enhance the value of some things.

On the other hand illegible or sloppy autographs or a misspelled or incorrect inscription can most definitely detract from an item.

I am not a fan of religious notations thus a jersey with such a notation would lose value in my book. But if it was a player I have been searching for unsuccessfully for an extended period of time I would still buy the shirt.

Always buying 49ers gamers!
Paul
garciajones@yahoo.com

[slam]

This thread got me thinking, what if you had a pair of gu Ryan Braun pants. Would you wash them? :eek:

[legaleagle92481]

This thread got me thinking, what if you had a pair of gu Ryan Braun pants. Would you wash them? :eek:

Lol. I draw the line at jerseys. No desire to own another man's pants.

[mbenga28]

those who do wash their jerseys, what's the best way to approach this if the jersey has a hologram or sticker on it? is there an easier way to remove the hologram without tampering it, or do you just leave it on while washing?

[cohibasmoker]

Gee, I can't imagine the mold, mildew and other bacteria that can and will grow on a "unwashed" game worn item especially if its placed in a plastic bag, sealed frame and/or in a nice warm and dark closet. Has anyone ever wondered why equipment guys wear gloves while handling game used equipment.

For those of us who are married, our better half's are tolerant but their tolerant has its limits - especially if we try to store some smelly, stinky item in our home.

Just an opinion,

Jim

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.

[quiggle28]

Gee, I can't imagine the mold, mildew and other bacteria that can and will grow on a "unwashed" game worn item especially if its placed in a plastic bag, sealed frame and/or in a nice warm and dark closet. Has anyone ever wondered why equipment guys wear gloves while handling game used equipment.

For those of us who are married, our better half's are tolerant but their tolerant has its limits - especially if we try to store some smelly, stinky item in our home.

Just an opinion,

Jim

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.

you have a nice game used football collection right cohibasmoker? have you had any problems with dirt and grass on the footballs and has any of the leather molded?