eBay Met Mystery

Submitted by Jon Springer on Fri, 04/18/2008 - 10:22am

Got the following email recently from reader Steve:

I bought a Rawlings authentic jersey on eBay a few weeks ago. The seller listed it as a Jose Reyes jersey but I knew it couldn't have been because: 1) it's a Rawlings and 2) it just had the "7", with no player name, on the back. So, upon seeing it, I immediately thought it was a '99 Todd Pratt jersey (I was excited someone liked Pratt as much as I did, that they'd actually get a Pratt jersey). That all changed, however, when I got it in the mail.

For starters, the authentic tag is on the inside of the jersey, not the outside, which is where it is when players get them. It also has the "flag tag" hanging from it, indicating size "42", the Rawlings jerseys had tags in the collars with the size. Third, it has the MLB logo sewn on the back of the neck, which wasn't done until 2000. So, all these things made me very confused. So, I got to thinking that maybe this was a minor league issued jersey (maybe the B-Mets) but I just don't know. I was hoping there might be some way you could help. Was there someone on the B-Mets who was small enough to wear a "42" sometime after 2000 and before they started using Majestic?

As I explained to Steve, I'm not an expert at all when it comes to jersey make/models but as he did, I suspect he must have purchased a B-Mets jersey. But I don't know for sure, and I hope you might. To sum up, Steve is looking at a "game-worn" jersey that:

1) No. 7, no name on the back

2) Size 42

3) MLB logo on the back

4) Rawlings make

If you have some ideas as to the origin of this jersey, please share them in the comments section below.

***

Thanks to all who showed up at last night's event at Word Books, where I discussed Mets by the Numbers and Spike Vrusho told tales from his book on baseball brawls, flawlessly brought to life by Caryn of MetsGrrl (who I know must be saddened today by the passing of E- Streeter Danny Federici). The event was a lot of fun, and though we'd missed most of last night's regularly-scheduled Mets game to do the event, the Mets were kind enough to give us plenty of time for drinks and triumphant game-watching afterward at Red Star.

7

The Book

The Uniform

Sounds like a garden variety

Submitted by Bluenatic (not verified) on Fri, 04/18/2008 - 11:10am.

Sounds like a garden variety eBay fraud to me. Happens every day.

I'm the one who bought the

Submitted by Steve (not verified) on Fri, 04/18/2008 - 8:17pm.

I'm the one who bought the jersey and asked that the question be posted here...so let me give you a little more information. I'm well aware that probably 90% of the jersey's on eBay are fakes and, in fact, when I sell one of my own jersey's on eBay I always list ways to spot fakes in my auction listing. I was intrigued by this jersey because it's clearly an authentic Rawlings jersey, snow white, with all the proper tagging. However, the authentic tag is located on the inside, just like the player-issued jerseys. 42 is an akward size, as authentic's that the public can buy are sold as 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, which is what made me think it might be a minor-league issued jersey. The lack of player name, while I initially thought it was a 99, also made me think it was a minor-league issued jersey. So, who knows. Anybody out there that might know anything, it's certainly appreciated and I thank you in advance.

I've seen ebay sellers use

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/19/2008 - 12:16pm.

I've seen ebay sellers use the term "authentic" in different ways. Sometimes, an ebay seller uses the term "authentic" to describe an actual or "legitimate" jersey worn in a professional game. Sometimes, the ebay seller uses the word to describe a brand name, referring to jerseys made for the consumer market that are almost visually identical to the real thing and made of the same fabric, but with small differences such as the tagging, tailoring cuts, etc. Sometimes the seller is vague enough, (intentionally or not) so as to confuse the matter entirely. The size "42" throws this off. If it's a fake, however, then all logic goes out the window, and anything is possible. Maybe the seller made up a size 42 tag, but the jersey itself isn't physically a size 42. Any pictures? Is the auction link still active?

Sounds like a minor league

Submitted by Mark in Shiga (not verified) on Mon, 04/21/2008 - 10:46am.

Sounds like a minor league jersey to me. There are plenty of size-42 guys in the low minors. Does the 7 on the back have the black shadow that the Mets have been using since 1998 or so, or is there a white border around the orange and blue layers like they used in the mid-1990s?

What it sounds like to be is

Submitted by Brian Erni (not verified) on Mon, 04/21/2008 - 11:57am.

What it sounds like to be is a minor league issue jersey. The Mets, as you know, only wore no numbers during the 1999 season and the MLB logo was added to the back neck in 2000. If you look at jerseys that are worn at the end of spring training by players who are playing with the big club but are minor leaguers (example NNOB 96 is one I remember popping up this year at the end of a game in the last week or so of March) those are jerseys that they issue for minor league camps. So that's the most likely occurrence. The fakes are easy to spot on ebay and it sounds like you know the difference. So I think you're spot on with your feeling that it's a minor league issue

Alot of these ebay sellers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/21/2008 - 6:10pm.

Alot of these ebay sellers get jersey numbers that were never used but are team issued. I have never seen this with a baseball jersey but it is common with football.

John, First off, I'd to

Submitted by primosean (not verified) on Mon, 04/21/2008 - 6:46pm.

John, First off, I'd to tell you John that I have bought your book and I find that all the details of the Mets roster numbers are (forgive the pun)Amazin'. As for the jersey being issued for the Binghamton Mets, I can say living in the area for the last 8 1/2 years, that they are not from Binghamton. I took a brief look from my B-Mets programs from 2000-2001, and during that time the B-Mets wore much different uniforms. Even the colors are much different. The B-Mets had two distinct uniforms. The first jersey looks similarly to actually a Yankees jersey (possibly to court Yankees fans up here to see a B-Mets)with navy pinnstripes and the "Buddy the Bee" Binghamton logo on the left breast (logo when pictured is from the right of the buttons. The back has a reddish-orange name on back and reddish-orange number on back. The jersey also has a patch that says "Binghamton Mets" on the left sleeve. The other home jersey from this era, which was worn more often was a Navy blue jersey top with "Binghamton" in a reddish orange "Mets" style script and has reddish-orange number under the Binghamton, all with white trim , where the number is commonly found on the jersey. On the back, it too has a reddish-orange name on back and reddish-orange number on back. The jersey instead of having a B-Mets logo, has the parent club NY Mets skyline logo on the left sleeve. I also used a book called Baseball in Broome County as reference. If I ever get a chance to e-mail you, I might just e-mail a couple of pictures from the book. as for the jeresy it could either be from St. Lucie (A) or Kingsport (Rookie), or perhaps you could have been grifted by a Ebay seller 9which might have happened. Hope the info helps!

These issues are nicely

Submitted by Joe Barrie (not verified) on Wed, 04/23/2008 - 7:34am.

These issues are nicely addressed in "MLB Game-Worn Jerseys of the Double-Knit Era" by William F. Henderson, an excellent CD-ROM presentation. Try www.mlbstyleguides.com.

I have been a collector and

Submitted by Nick (not verified) on Wed, 04/23/2008 - 5:23pm.

I have been a collector and historian of Mets uniforms for many years now. I have a very nice selection of major league and minor league Mets jerseys from the past 30 years. I would be happy to take a closer look at your jersey if you provide photos of it. I can probably provide you a very in-depth history of your jersey based on the manufacturer, tagging, lettering, patches, or any other characteristic on it. I know what to look for in order to differentiate a game worn MLB jersey from a minor league jersey from a retail authentic. I try to help other collectors in some of my spare time, so if you're interested, I'd like to offer my knowledge here. Regards, Nick

Just wanted to thank

Submitted by Steve (not verified) on Sat, 04/26/2008 - 12:09am.

Just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to reply to my message. I do have pictures for those of you who asked and if you e-mail me (Roark601@aol.com) I will happily provide them! Thanks again for everyone's input!!! -Steve

I'm the guy that sold the

Submitted by Eric (not verified) on Mon, 04/28/2008 - 9:26pm.

I'm the guy that sold the jersey to Steve, and I'd be interested in finding out more about it too since I had bought the jersey myself from eBay last year. The only reason why I sold it was because I bought a snow white Johan jersey, so I no longer needed this one... All I know is that it's definitely authentic, but it's definitely a rare breed.

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eBay Met Mystery

Sounds like a garden variety

I'm the one who bought the

I've seen ebay sellers use

Sounds like a minor league

What it sounds like to be is

Alot of these ebay sellers

John, First off, I'd to

These issues are nicely

I have been a collector and

Just wanted to thank

I'm the guy that sold the

Hey guys, if you want, send

It's probably a fool's

It's probably a fool's

This is without a doubt a

This is without a doubt a

No Doubt

Good luck

Minor League

Authentic vs Phony

Not Good. Definately Not Good

I always thought of eBay as

Cheap NFL ,BNA,NHL,MLB jerseys

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