A question for EVERY single member of this forum

[jboosted92]

As of right now, I own 0 pieces of game used equipment and/or jerseys.

But I will say right now, that the second I do own a GU jersey...I'm tryin' that bad boy on lol

Like it's been said (and is immortalized in my sig lol)...it's mine, I paid for it

Would I let anyone else put on one of my GU jerseys? Not in this lifetime. The could "maybe" feel the material...but that's it.


Besides, I plan on having my jerseys framed and hung...once I find the ones I am looking for and buy them

i had some Jordan GU stuff..I put it on...drank some gatorade...drafted Kwame Brown in fantasy draft..then shot myself

[hiramman]

Woe Kyle! I'm suprised you haven't tried it on even once. I'm sure it's been tried on by someone other than Jr before you got it, so what would it hurt. I've got one game-used helmet and I tried it on and it fit pretty good. I think it would do a good job protecting me against one of Roger Clemens fastballs to the head.

[sylbry]

I have a couple jerseys I wear. One is my first game jersey I bought nearly 20 years ago. The other is a 1984 Twins with number 57 on the back. Kind of cool to have a genuine pullover with Santana's number on it. They are both worn & cheap and would never be mistaken for anything of real value.

The rest hang in the closet. I don't think I could try them on if you paid me. True story: I came home from work a couple of months ago to find my wife wearing one of those jerseys, and ONLY one of those jerseys. The sad thing is when I saw her I thought to myself, "why did you have to pick that one."

Bryan

[sportscentury]

Personally, I don't do this. I view these items as American cultural artifacts that should be cared for in the same fashion as important coins, stamps, paintings, etc. However, if you paid your hard-earned money for an item and trying on a jersey or swinging a bat brings you enjoyment (or makes you feel closer to the game), then I don't see a problem with that at all.

Reid

[jon_8_us]

i had some Jordan GU stuff..I put it on...drank some gatorade...drafted Kwame Brown in fantasy draft..then shot myself

Wizards fan????That was hilarious!
jon

[TNTtoys]

I have a few thoughts regarding this topic with varying degree...

I own quite a few game worn jerseys. How I feel about trying them on or even wearing them is very subjective and much related to the individual item and not related to any philosophy.

Here is what I think:

1. Items I would not even go as far as try on/use:

Many of these are from the 70s and 80s where players were umm can you say smaller than they are now. There would be a risk of stretching them, popping a button, etc.

Higher priced items. If you spent half a paycheck for a jersey of your favorite superstar, would you want to take the chance of getting it ruined?

Cracked bats. If the structure of the item has already been compromised, I would not take any chance of holding it in a way that I could do any further damage to it.

2. Middle of the road items:

I might try on that $200 game jersey out of the cabinet that I have always loved -- enough to try on but not wear out of the home.

I'd try on the jersey that can easily be replaced -- take for example a common player from a year where his team wore many sets of 5 different style home & road jerseys

I'd hold that uncracked bat from my closet, as long as I felt that there would be nothing I could do to compromise it.

3. Items I would wear:

I have kept a select few jerseys in my closet that began as game worn jerseys but are legitimate parts of my wardrobe. These normally fall into two categories.

They are usually my favorite style spring training jerseys or BPs of common players or even players that did not make the team. One example is the 1987 Mets BP I wore recently from "unknown player #75" -- I love the year, the style, but wouldn't ever want to wear something of value. This one fits the bill perfectly.

They are sometimes items I have paid miniscule amounts of money for -- that bargain gamer that cost me $50-100 on ebay, etc. Again, not a star player jersey, but I could have also spent that same money on a Majestic Cooperstown Collection replica jersey... why not buy & wear the real thing instead?

Game issued jerseys -- no wear in the first place. If I am to add some "collector wear" to my jersey, no problem. I have not really bought a game worn collectible, so I am not really compromising the piece. I would certainly not pay high for these items either, and find that they are better value items than that Majestic retail authentic jersey on MLB.com that costs more.

One final point -- on the items in this section -- they are not for resale. If I have made a conscious decision to make a collectible jersey part of my wardrobe, it's mine for life.

I also would like to second Rudy's statement that we collectors have the right to do what we do to our items because we are the owners of them. If we entrust them to someone else (to sell on consignment or what have you), we expect that this other party will treat them with utmost care. We are not giving them our endorsement to handle them carelessly.
Could you imagine entrusting your $3,000 jersey to an auction house, that auction house takes it upon themselves to use it in a photo shoot, and somehow something goes wrong during that shoot and it is ripped... or stained... I don't see why anyone would take this kind of a risk with something that is not their own, period.

[metsbats]

I think a "try on" may be ok to some extent but a "wear" taints the jersey forever. If you wear a game used jersey to the ball park, to play ball, a birthday party ,etc the jersey is not what it is anymore. I'm very careful about preserving the original state of my game used jerseys to a point when my mother-in-law and sister-in-law two perfume mongers visit they are not allow in my room! When we cook I close the door to my room. And all these jerseys are in a plastic covering from Bed Bath and Beyond in my closet too.

Sounds like we need to ask sellers about "try on use" too. So here are some guidelines we all should adhere to:

- If the jersey is a pullover this constitutes 100% try on use. No way around it. Sure there may have been the chance that when the seller attempted to complete the try on his big noggin got stuck in the neck hole and he was never able to fully complete the try on, but whose to know for sure. Alway assume 100% try on use with pullovers. Give it a 10.

If the jersey is a button down then the guidelines become more complex.

- If the seller puts the button down on and does not button it rate it a 6.
- If the seller buttons it but does not fasten the velcro strips rate it a 8.
- If the seller buttons it with velcro attached then it's an 10.

Next ask the seller how long was the duration of the "try on"

- Less then 1 minute add 1 point
- Greater than 1 minute and less than 5 minutes add 2 points
- Between 5-15 minutes add 3 points
- "I don't know how long the try on was but when i woke up the jersey was still on me and I was sweating like a pig!" Recommended action: DO NOT BUY THIS JERSEY

David

[TNTtoys]

"I don't know how long the try on was but when i woke up the jersey was still on me and I was sweating like a pig!" Recommended action: DO NOT BUY THIS JERSEY
David

David,

I read this and immediately thought of an episode from the past where a seller was trying to pass a 1990 Scoreboard Jefferies as game worn because "there was evidence of sweat stains in the collar." Maybe the above happened to the former owner of the jersey???

[metsbats]

David,

I read this and immediately thought of an episode from the past where a seller was trying to pass a 1990 Scoreboard Jefferies as game worn because "there was evidence of sweat stains in the collar." Maybe the above happened to the former owner of the jersey???

Nick,

Plus it's a pull over. Assume 100% try on use hence the sweat!

David

[suave1477]

Jon I think the reason for disgust and a point people are missing is this.

Do some collectors try on a Jersey and maybe swing a bat "YES"
But the difference between a Collector Vs. Seller/Auction house is this.

A collector may try on a Jersey for what a mere matter of minutes or swing a bat maybe one or 2 times. But is it really adding any significant use to the item "NO" and you would like to think the collector when they do decide to make use out of a Game Used item is a cheap low end item they are planning to keep for themselves. If they do decide to sell it you would hope they disclose that they themselves have worn it

A Seller/Auction house is purely in anyway not supposed to be trying on and wearing it around or doing anything of that matter with the item.

EXAMPLE if I go to a clothing store to buy a NEW shirt you better beleive there is a good chance some guy may have tried it on before you, But do we still consider the shirt new because it is back on the rack "YES"
But if the salseman himself is wearing the shirt and you want a shirt just like it and he takes off the one hes wearing and hands it to you "Do you still want it?"

Seller/Auction house for anyones info when advertising a shirt / anything else in a photo shoot. You better beleive he is wearing it for a period of time whether its an hour or all day. A photo shoot is not a cut and dry thing, its not 1 2 3 ok take the jersey off. It can take hours or all day and I am sure they are not putting on and taking off the Jersey.

So I think it becomes a turn off when you see it blatantly in your face that the Jersey is being worn or played with for a possible length of time of more then a few minutes by someone else other then the original player who worn/used the item.

So it is a very poor marketing technique to use, to sell these items and as someone else mentioned here I don't understand what message they were trying to get across or sales tactic they were using to show these items being on there bodies for a catalog or used on myspace.

JUST FOR ANYONES INFO I HAVE NEVER EVER TRIED ON ANY OF MY JERSEYS AND OF ALL THE BATS I HAVE I MAY HAVE ONCE OR TWICE SWUNG 1 OR 2 BATS.