Opinions needed - best way to sign a jersey

[sylbry]

Looking for opinions. Where is the best place to sign a game worn baseball jersey. On the front or the back. And what color or type of pen. Basically wondering what will look best for displaying it.

[icollectDCsports]

I'm happy to offer my opinion because I have a very strong preference about this. First, I'm not that into getting game worn jerseys signed. My feeling is that a legit gamer is best left in a condition as close as possible to when it came off the field/ice/court. But, if a jersey is signed, I think it's best done on the tail near the tags. The idea being that the portion of the jersey that was visible when the jersey was worn is unaffected by the signature.

Like I said, just a preference, but a strong one. I don't think I'm alone. I don't obtain jerseys for resale, but if that is something you may do, you should think about these issues as factors which may impact the value of the jersey. For resale, I think an unsigned jersey or one very discreetly signed in the manner I suggest is the best to reduce the odds that you are running against the preferences of potential buyers. I know the placement of autographs is a major factor when I consider buying a jersey.

I'll defer to others on the how to's, but I think most use Sharpies and I think the color is mostly a matter of personal preference.

[suave1477]

Dear Member I kind of agree with the last member about signing a game used jersey but i feel more strongly about that towards the older jerseys then the new ones. I would say 99.9% of the time you want to use a blue sharpie ultra fine, and Prefrence is on the back on the number. Hope this helps

[BaseballGM]

I guess I'll offer the opposing view because I like to have gamers signed. I have seen jerseys signed on the front and back. It kind of depends on how you will display it. Personally, I think silver paint pens (Zig Painty) or Pilot fine points work well on dark numbers, ie. sigs on the back. Sharpies tend to bleed a bit, and the silver sharpie is a little dull in comparison to paint. A laundry permanent pen might be a good choice on white or light colors. On the front, most common are sigs on the chest, near the neck. On the back, numbers are a common signature area.

[suave1477]

Well I have to disagree a bit with BASEBALLGM, I do not suggest silver sharpie as it does actually look the best NOW but it fades the quickest. As I said now it looks good but over the years it will fade. As far as the bleeding of the Blue Sharpie I do agree, that is why I said use the Ultra Fine point. That way if it does bleed it is virtually undetected.

[BaseballGM]

Silver sharpie on material is my last choice. Paint Pen, ie. on a black number, looks good. If you want to see a variety of sigs, and pens used, just do a search on eBay under "Autographed Jersey". Then you'll see the full spectrum.

[GameBats]

I like to have my Jerseys signed on the inside portion of the Tail. This way I have no worries.

[DonFan23]

Another option is inside the collar. I first saw this when I visited Barry Halper and saw his collection, and have used this method for some gamers I've acquired since.

This provides a couple of benifits:

It doesn't disturb the "look" of a just-off-the-field gamer.
For jerseys with a lined collar, there's no chance of the sig. showing through the back of the jersey, so if it bleeds, is smudged, or is just a horrible signature, its not the end of the world.:)R.J. Hinners

Always looking for Don Mattingly and other Yankees items.

[Swoboda4]

I visited member Seth Swirsky's website. He has Seaver's 69 World Series home white jersey. There you can watch a video of Seaver sign the jersey on the tail near the label/tags. Important jerseys must be signed,if at all,-discreetly.
http://www.seth.com/coll_memorabilia_01.html