Brady on eBay

[respo]

what do you all think of this? its obviously a custom made jersey? Brady never wore a size 50, and the sleeves look altered. Is it me or does the jersey look too dazzly as well?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200859084547?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[DoctorLoomis]

Never ever issued to or for Tom Brady.

[HassanWM]

It looks legit based on the premise it's a team issue in case he wanted to wear a size 50. Those sleeves look right, based on what I've seen.

[NEFAN]

Is making a gamer a size bigger normally done by a team?

[NEFAN]

It looks legit based on the premise it's a team issue in case he wanted to wear a size 50. Those sleeves look right, based on what I've seen.

Is making a gamer a size bigger normally done by a team?

[HassanWM]

Is making a gamer a size bigger normally done by a team?

Not to my knowledge.

[HassanWM]

Here's someone with a supposed GI that is size 44 and it's going for 500 at the moment.

[HassanWM]

Can't believe I forgot the link. At 589 now. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-England-Patriots-Tom-Brady-Authentic-Game-Issued-Cut-un-worn-Jersey-/110988037347?pt=US_Football_Fan_Shop&hash=item19d7670ce3

[respo]

what do you guys think of this one now on ebay? looks legit : http://www.ebay.com/itm/321050263807?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[respo]

wonder what it will go for

[MichaelofSF]

It's a nice game style jersey but I am not sure that it was ever issued to Brady to wear in a game. In 2011 the Patriots wore the MHK patch for one, second, Brady jerseys I believe were shortened more around the waist (notice the difference in the length of the jersey below the numbers). The white jersey is from Hunt's Super Bowl auction and features a Brady jersey from the Cowboys game.

http://www.huntauctions.com/LIVE/img35/1b1.jpg
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/2011-TOM-BRADY-NEW-ENGLAND-PATRIOTS-UN-USED-GAME-ISSUED-PRO-CUT-REEBOK-JERSEY-/00/s/MTYwMFgxNTQy/$T2eC16F,!y8E9s2fjEp-BQ5PL-Ose!~~60_57.JPG

[trsent]

what do you guys think of this one now on ebay? looks legit : http://www.ebay.com/itm/321050263807?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Yes, as the seller I'll clearly state - The jersey is a 100% legitimate Reebok Game Issued Pro-Cut Jersey.


It's a nice game style jersey but I am not sure that it was ever issued to Brady to wear in a game. In 2011 the Patriots wore the MHK patch for one, second, Brady jerseys I believe were shortened more around the waist (notice the difference in the length of the jersey below the numbers). The white jersey is from Hunt's Super Bowl auction and features a Brady jersey from the Cowboys game.

I don't know what the white jersey you post has to do with the jersey in my listing. My jersey has a custom elastic hem, just as made for Brady in 2011 for home games.

As for the patch, the description clearly states the jersey was made without any custom team patches added to the jersey. We disclosed this in our description.

The jersey is 100% original and authentic right from Reebok. Nothing more than that. Issued as game jerseys are issued with everything original from Reebok.

[MichaelofSF]

Joel,
I don't doubt that this came from Reebok. What I was stating is that from my knowledge (which is not the end all be all by any means) more recent Brady jerseys are custom shortened even more than just having elastic in the waistband. I will attach a photo of the 2010 Brady jersey that Jeff had won from NFL auctions as another reference for what actual jerseys issued to Brady to wear in a game from the Patriots look like. I know that that is a 2010 and not 2011 jersey, but the picture of the 2011 white jersey that I posted earlier also has similar length to the 2010 jersey as well.

Is the jersey from Reebok made by them for the Patriots? Sure, don't see why not. Was it actually in the Patriots possession at one point in time? I don't know, maybe, maybe not, I have no idea. I was merely saying that I don't believe that the jersey was ever ISSUED from the Patriots to Tom Brady to wear in a specific NFL game (consistent with my definition of game issued). We might just vary in our definitions of game issued, I would say it is more of a possible team issued or game style/cut jersey. That is just MY definition and no one has to follow it. Either way it is a very nice jersey that I and many others would like to have in my collection.

[trsent]

Joel,
I don't doubt that this came from Reebok. What I was stating is that from my knowledge (which is not the end all be all by any means) more recent Brady jerseys are custom shortened even more than just having elastic in the waistband. I will attach a photo of the 2010 Brady jersey that Jeff had won from NFL auctions as another reference for what actual jerseys issued to Brady to wear in a game from the Patriots look like. I know that that is a 2010 and not 2011 jersey, but the picture of the 2011 white jersey that I posted earlier also has similar length to the 2010 jersey as well.

Is the jersey from Reebok made by them for the Patriots? Sure, don't see why not. Was it actually in the Patriots possession at one point in time? I don't know, maybe, maybe not, I have no idea. I was merely saying that I don't believe that the jersey was ever ISSUED from the Patriots to Tom Brady to wear in a specific NFL game (consistent with my definition of game issued). We might just vary in our definitions of game issued, I would say it is more of a possible team issued or game style/cut jersey. That is just MY definition and no one has to follow it. Either way it is a very nice jersey that I and many others would like to have in my collection.

Ok, game issued means issued as if for game use by the proper manufacture in my book. Doesn't mean anything more than that. We can debate definitions all day and never settle on that subject.

No big deal. Your jersey from 2010 was made in an entirely different factory (I believe New York) than the Patriots jerseys were made in 2011 (Made in Berlin, WI). I posted a picture with my listing of a game image with Tom Brady wearing a longer jersey.

[MichaelofSF]

Joel,
I agree that we don't need to argue definitions as we can decide for ourselves what we want to define things as. As for the picture you posted on your auction that you reference as Brady showing a longer jersey, I am guessing that you are referencing Getty Image 122891737?
http://cache4.asset-cache.net/gc/122891737-football-new-england-patriots-qb-tom-brady-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=CSIMBv%2faraCCLNLdbJQvXpyxcdovdvnFwHyLvrMvbOxGGu FTVcuIKqcnJGKo%2bgdh9HR%2fkYjeMEkva47grag0brcorzgp 7Rhr%2f9rYOdCRSfQ%3d
If so, that is from the Bucs-Pats preseason game on 8/19/2011. In that game Brady wore a jersey that was actually consistent with what he has been wearing as far as I know which is a shortened waist. On the jersey on ebay the amount of length past the numbers is approximately 1.5 times the length of the front numbers. On the previous pictures of jerseys that I have posted of actual game used Brady jerseys as well as the jersey from the Bucs game his length of jersey past his front numbers is actually equal to or less than the length of one of his numbers. On the close up shot you can see the seam of the shortened waist where the arrow is. (Is it possible that Brady switched jerseys during the game? yes, but I am not aware that he practices this). I know it is a different year and different manufacturer this year but also his Nike jersey up for auction on NFL auctions shows a similar if not ever more shortened waist. I also will include a picture of Brady, the very week before the Bucs game from 2011 also wearing a shortened jersey where the seam is also very visible (perhaps the same one?) (Getty 121256478).

I believe the goal of this site is to educate collectors so that we can make the most informed collecting decisions possible. I don't believe there is any wrongdoing here, in fact I applaud you for responding to the posts as a seller, thank you.

I just want Brady and Patriots collectors to have some knowledge about what his jerseys are actually like so collectors can make the most informed decision that they can make down the road.

[paul457]

As somewhat of a newbie to the whole game issued / team issued / game cut / whateverthehellyou want to call it jersey scene, I have some observations that I’ll voice to spark (hopefully) some banter that will educate me, and hopefully others.

I’ll start with my assumption of what the process might look like, for a player to get their jersey.
1.Equip manager goes over jersey configuration with player. Player says ‘I want a size 48, fit for X type of pads, an extra 4” in body length, with X type of sleeve’.
2.Equip manager orders that jersey configuration from Reebok / Nike.
3.Reebok / Nike makes a handful of said jersey configuration - name, numbers, and specified customizations in place. Ships jerseys to the team.
4.Player gets jersey. He likes it, wears it, doesn’t need to change a thing. Game over. OR
5.Player gets jersey. He doesn’t like X aspect of jersey, informs equipment manager.
6.Equipment manager has new jerseys made (start over at step 2), or has existing batch altered locally (let’s say).
7.New or altered jerseys are received by the team. Start process over again at step 4.
8.Commerative or special patches… I would guess these are added by the team, as they change so often?

Now – this is only my assumption, and it’s based on 2 things. 1) Living my life playing sports and going through phases of this, and 2) seeing the number of different configurations for ‘game cut’ or ‘team issued’ jerseys out there. I may be way off...

I have seen game cut Brady jerseys spanning from size 42 to size 50, with a standard length, a shortened length, an increased length, with different style sleeves, etc. I know forgeries exist, but how can one tell what is real, and what is fake? Said another way, what’s to say a jersey wasn’t team issued because it doesn’t match the configuration of the jersey an athlete is wearing in a picture? Using the scenario above, I'd assume these jerseys can make their way into public or out the back door at any point in the scenario? It's not like people are purchasing them from the Patriots or Reebok / Nike, correct? Even pictures of a player from the same year, sometimes show different jersey configurations, and some pictures (for me) are hard to decipher – are the jerseys shortened, or are they tucked in and pulled up so the fold overlaps the player’s belt line? Are the sleeve cuffs loose, or elastic? Maybe the player changed pads for a game and it makes the sleeves look different? Maybe a vendor changed and the player had to go up / down a size due to manufacturing variations?

Personally, if I were buying a 2011 Brady game cut / team issued jersey, I would want the configuration to match exactly to a picture, for peace of mind; but if it didn’t I wouldn’t necessarily write it off. But that might just be my newb-ness rearing its ugly head. It seems to be a very grey area, and with all the forgeries out there you definitely have to keep a good eye on things, probably the more cautious the better. Maybe it’s more of a gut feel thing?

Again, I’m a newb, so I bring these questions up for educational purposes. There may not be a right or wrong answer. I came from collecting retail jerseys, those are all long gone so now I’m getting into game cut and game used stuff. Collecting retail jerseys was easy, as a fake can be spotted a mile away. But (in my eyes) it seems with these ‘game cut’ or ‘team issued’ jerseys there is a lot of grey area, so would just like a little insight from those with more experience, so I (and others) don't make a costly mistake. I've been digging through the forums here... but it's a lot of digging!

Fire away!

[paul457]

Just re-read my post - Michael, hope I didn't come off doubting your research. If I did I apologize, that wasn't my intention - I enjoy your posts and you obiously have a wealth of knowledge, far beyond what I can provide to the community.

I'm probably playing the devil's advocate role here, but overall I'm really just hoping to gain some insight into this slice of the GU hobby.

[MichaelofSF]

Paul welcome to the forum
Great question/theory. This is why the forum exists, to explore these ideas. It doesn't matter if you are new to the hobby or a veteran, we can all learn and we can all contribute and we can all be incorrect at times. What we can do is learn from each other to make the best possible educated decisions when we purchase items.

What I know is from known jerseys since 2007, and likely before but not documented by me, until now Brady has been wearing shortened jerseys. I know of 5 legit Brady jerseys:
1) 2007-08 season, the HOF has a Brady jersey from the Super Bowl, shortened waist, size unknown (picture attached)

In 2008 Brady played 1 quarter, I do not know of any jerseys surfacing

2) 2009, NFL auctions auctioned off the Brady game worn AFL jersey from the Broncos game, shortened waist, size 48 (picture attached)

3) 2010, NFL auctions auctioned off the Brady jersey that Jeff won, worn in the Ravens game, shortened waist, size 48 (previously shown on this thread)

4) 2011, NFL through Hunt's Super Bowl auction game worn jersey against the Cowboys, shortened waist, size 48 (previously shown on this thread)

5) 2012, NFL auctions currently has a Brady jersey up worn against the Seahawks, shortened waist, size 44 (Nike, previously shown on this thread)

So, that is 5 jerseys that we know are good jerseys (assuming the HOF one is good). All have a shortened waist. All of the known Reebok sizes are size 48, the one Nike is 44. We can make any conclusions we want from that when we purchase something. To me that shows that Brady has been pretty consistent and not really tinkering with his jerseys. Could he have other sizes that we don't know about? absolutely, but I am not going to buy something on a what if. That is just my personal buying philosophy, you can choose what is right for you. The truth is that unless we are fortunate to get a game used jersey straight off a players back (Steelers25), then we are just making educated guesses. I hope that helps answer something for you