Comments on Albert Pujols hat up for auction?

[spartanservitto]

The hat is also sourced from Albert, see the post Jeff Scott posted last year about the Albert signing in December of 2010.

-Tony

[frikativ54]

I think that is a wonderful suggestion .

Btw, here is a link to the item if it helps:

http://8dauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx...Foundation-LOA)

Regards,
Chris

I would trust the 8D Auctions hat much more than that of the seller 13alexrodriguez. A well known glove authenticator once told me that the eBay seller had a very shady history with "game-used" gloves. For that reason, I don't buy anything from 13alexrodriguez.

[frikativ54]

The hand writing is alberts, as is the 5 under the brim. This hat is likely from 2010.

-Tony

"GAME USED" is Pujols's handwriting too? Can you explain why the certification is only for the autograph and not for the hat's being game used? Also, can you give reasons for why it is a 2010 gamer? I am not an expert on Albert's items, so I am interested in a possible explanation.

[spartanservitto]

"GAME USED" is Pujols's handwriting too? Can you explain why the certification is only for the autograph and not for the hat's being game used? Also, can you give reasons for why it is a 2010 gamer? I am not an expert on Albert's items, so I am interested in a possible explanation.

Albert, wrote "Game" on the bottom of his bats in the early days, hence the 2002 gamer owned by a fellow forum member. He also wrote the like you see on the brim of that hat on numerous sam bat/ old hickory bat knobs that he used ( those were the easiest to tell the similarity), but as Jeff Scott and many other Pujols collectors have noted, Albert never had continuity in his bat knobs until Marucci. Here is an example of Albert's handwriting: (I took this picture from a fellow forum member who I consider to be friends with).

-Tony

[rangersfan1214]

Also Spartanservitto, do you think the hat being a size 7 3/8 is no reason to worry? Just curious because most hats I have seen were size 7 1/2 or 7 1/4.

[spartanservitto]

And Again:

-Tony

[spartanservitto]

Also Spartanservitto, do you think the hat being a size 7 3/8 is no reason to worry? Just curious because most hats I have seen were size 7 1/2 or 7 1/4.

I dont really know the specifications of any current hats, pretty much because I haven't seen any for sale. I know Pujols sourced a ton of stuff, and by pure "naked eye" his head does look bigger. But dont trust me on that. I just know his bats and his hand writing.

-Tony

[rangersfan1214]

What do you mean by "sourced" stuff?

[spartanservitto]

What do you mean by "sourced" stuff?

Credit Jeff Scott for this info... (www.birdbats.com)

January 11, 2011. The mystery is over. The company behind the 12/4 Pujols signing is KLF Sports Investments out of Florida, which is run by Kevin Freistat. I spoke with Kevin on the phone last night and he helped clear up the confusion shared my many collectors. For example, KLF is not MLB licensed, so Kevin uses Steiner Sports as his conduit to MLB -- that's why Steiner's name is attached to every item in the MLB database instead of KLF's name. Other tidbits from our conversation:

The new Pujols hologram belongs to Albert and his agent, not KLF (or the Pujols Family Foundation, as discussed yesterday). Not sure who will manage the database of hologram numbers or how that person can be contacted if collectors want to confirm authentication using the hologram number.
KLF's name and contact information is not on any of the LOAs from the signing, which Kevin admitted was an oversight on his part. He also agreed that including the two URLs directing people to the PFF could be misleading.
According to Kevin, the game-used items were supplied by Albert and are now owned by KLF.
Kevin wouldn't confirm amounts, but said there were far fewer than 35 game-used bats signed during the session (so not every bat from FJ 293635-71 is a gamer). He also said the two jerseys were not worn, but that one fielding glove (already sold) was used for an entire season.
KLF is primarily a wholesaler, which is why most of the items signed on 12/4 are being distributed by companies like sportsmemorabilia.com and sportsintegrity.com.
KLF will be doing another session with Albert, though Kevin says that will be mostly balls and photos; no bats.
I assume that should answer most collectors' questions about the signing... The auction items from the upcoming Winter Warm Up have been posted on the Cardinals' website. No Pujols-used jerseys or bats in the live auctions this year. The big-ticket auctions seem to have moved away from high-end memorabilia toward experiences, like "broadcaster for a day" and "guest of the GM." Also interesting how no item is described as "game used," even though many surely are. As we've discussed here before, the team doesn't do LOAs anymore, opting for MLB authentication on everything. And, unless a MLB representative sees the item in use, he cannot call it "game used." So, when you look down the list of auction items, it's probably safe to assume that when you see the word "issued," the item probably was used.

[xpress34]

So, when you look down the list of auction items, it's probably safe to assume that when you see the word "issued," the item probably was used.

Spartan -

No disrespect to you or Jeff, but that last line leaves me scratching my head...

In a hobby where we have just seen 6 dealers charged and where everyone says they need 'iron clad' proof, do you really think it's wise to say,

"it's probably safe to assume that when you see the word "issued," the item probably was used"

I understand these items are from the Cardinals, etc, but the argument has been made that even if it looks Used and MLB tags it as Issued, you can't just claim that it was GU.

Just my opinion....