why is practice material valued less than game used?

[mbenga28]

can someone explain why practice items are generally seen as lesser value to the items used in actual games?

[AWA85]

Practice ?!?!?! We talking about PRACTICE?!?!?!? Not a game..... We talking about PRACTICE.

[slam]

Have you ever heard that so and so is the all time practice home run leader or they are the all time touchdown passing practice leader and they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame because of their practice stats? In short practice doesn't count.

[legaleagle92481]

can someone explain why practice items are generally seen as lesser value to the items used in actual games?

Practice is not competition. No stats are kept and you play against your own teammates most of the time out of the public view.

[punch]

Going along with this topic, why do people think their "Home run batting pratice" balls are worth money? I see "home run BP game used" balls pop up and I never see them sell.

Sellers think they can make a few bucks off these things?

[Jeffredsfan]

Practice ?!?!?! We talking about PRACTICE?!?!?!? Not a game..... We talking about PRACTICE.


Thanks for your two cents A.I. :p

[joelsabi]

can someone explain why practice items are generally seen as lesser value to the items used in actual games?

Is your name Coach Larry Brown?

[cliffjmp33]

I think Legal put it well earlier that the stuff doesn't count towards actual stats, but I think there is still value.

There is something to the practice items as it does connect/belong to a certain player and that does hold some weight. Maybe not used socks etc, but a basketball practice jersey, or a batting practice baseball jersey are cool in my eyes. It affords collectors who can't buy a specific jersey because of price to still get an item associated with their favorite player.

A good example is the Staubach practice jersey GF just auctioned. Was it game used, no, but it was photomatched to practice/photo shoot and still sold upwards of $4G.

When it comes down to it from the financial aspect, 10, 20, 30 years from now a game used jersey is going to sell for more because it can be associated to actual stats, but a practice jersey will hold some value, especially if it's a major star or future HoFer.

What it comes down to as a lot of people say, collect what you like. And if you asked me would I like to own Albert Pujols' batting practice jersey or a GU card that has a swatch the size of my thumb nail, I'm going to take the practice jersey everytime.

[otismalibu]

I think Legal put it well earlier that the stuff doesn't count towards actual stats, but I think there is still value.

As far as hoops, you have warm-ups, shooting shirts, etc. that are worn during the game, but not 'during' the game. They still seem popular, even though no stats were earned while wearing them.

Not sure how it works these days, but for older hoops shoes, you'd have to assume they were worn both in games and in practice. And unless you can somehow photo match older shoes, there's no way to know if NBA Star wore them in game, practice or grocery store.

[joelsabi]

I think Legal put it well earlier that the stuff doesn't count towards actual stats, but I think there is still value.

There is something to the practice items as it does connect/belong to a certain player and that does hold some weight. Maybe not used socks etc, but a basketball practice jersey, or a batting practice baseball jersey are cool in my eyes. It affords collectors who can't buy a specific jersey because of price to still get an item associated with their favorite player.



Some of the coolest thing I seen recently was a Jordan Farmar high school jersey lot. The problem was I couldn't locate a photo of the jersey from photos of Farmar from high school. I did however find a photo of the jersey worn by his teammate in the background at a press conference when Farmar switch high school and it was a style match. I concluded that it might be a practice jersey instead. I asked the seller if it was double sided jerseys which is common for practice jersey in high school and colleges and it was.

[Mulligans]

I don't really think 4K is the norm though....GF also sold a perfectly matched P. Manning practice Jersey for a couple hundred bucks and Mears has an Elway that hasn't even hit $150 yet with the auction ending soon???

[Klattsy]

I've always been tempted by BP jersey's, but never bought one. After watching a few "Clubhouse Tours" on YouTube i've realized that they wear these things more than I thought. But since I have limited funds, i'd rather spend it on something that was used in an actual game. Having said that, some MLB BP jersey's are used in ST games...

[cliffjmp33]

I don't really think 4K is the norm though....GF also sold a perfectly matched P. Manning practice Jersey for a couple hundred bucks and Mears has an Elway that hasn't even hit $150 yet with the auction ending soon???

Fully agreed! The Staubach is more the exception, than the rule.

[mlupo]

Practice used does nothing for me, mostly because it's not used in a game, you don't see the items when you watch TV...to me owning a practice jersey is like owning the blue jeans that Justin Verlander was wearing when he got his superstitious taco bell dinner the night before his no hitter(either one) :) obviously I'm joking, but to me practice items are as useless as a players street clothes or the t-shirt they wear to work out in duing the off season, just my 2 cents

[joelsabi]

Fully agreed! The Staubach is more the exception, than the rule.

That Staubach Navy Midshipmen Practice Jersey is a thing of beauty. Get this from the auction description: "This jersey comes to us with no provenance and was originally sold on eBay." Wonder where it came from.
The description also says that Staubach is the last player from a military academy to win the Heisman Trophy. Pretty cool imho.

[coxfan]

BP balls would have some value because they're more easibly obtainable than g-u balls (More abundant and less competition.) If one doesn't sell on the Internet, it's likely related to authenticity concerns.

The Charlotte Knights are the AAA club of the White Sox. They sell g-u International League balls at the finale of every homestand, but occasionally a few White Sox BP balls are mixed in the box at the same $6 price as the Knights' g-u ones. The reason is that the g-u balls were used for BP before going to the store, and some balls sent from the White Sox were also used for Knights' BP. Whoever gathers them for sale just puts them in the same box. And they'll sell there, because many Charlotte fans will pay $6 for a White Sox team-used item, rather than more for a White Sox ball that's harder to get.

Regarding authenticity issues, the South Carolina Gamecocks have refused to buy the final ball used in the dramatic walkoff win for the 2010 National Championship. This ball was also the last used in a College World Series after 61 seasons at old Rosenblatt Stadium, thus has much historic significance. But the ball was kept by a UCLA player for so long that the Gamecocks don't trust its authenticity.