Baseball is a game filled with great history and lore. There are many pieces of memorabilia that can be found throughout the history of the game that may have great stories attached to it, but the authentication of that memorabilia can sometimes be in question. In order to reduce the question of authenticity, Major League Baseball has had an authentication representative (often it’s someone with a law enforcement background) on site at games to tag game-used memorabilia to validate its authenticity. This program, which has been in place for several years, has definitely improved the validity of the memorabilia that’s being purchased. The real question is this: is it ruining the lore of baseball and the collecting of game-used items?
For Some, It’s About a Quick Flip For Profitability
One of the things that brought fathers and sons together was their common love of baseball. At an appropriate time, a father would hand over some of his treasured memorabilia to his son as a sort of passing of the guard. For some families, this process has happened over more than one generation. With today’s authentic MLB game jerseys, however, the focus has become almost like ordering from Penney’s.
Major League Baseball doesn’t do much to promote its online auctions. Proceeds go to charities MLB is involved in and after the initial push through its media partners, the auctions come online pretty quietly. A common practice is for a collector to purchase MLB authenticated jerseys via baseball’s auction site and then try to flip them for a quick profit in some way. That might be through online auction websites like eBay, through other retail outlets, or even just a person-to-person sale. Though sometimes these sales are because a collector has just grown tired of an item or it might not hold the same meaning to them it once did, quite often the primary purpose of selling authentic MLB game worn jerseys is for the money involved.
Does the Amount of Authentic Memorabilia Lessen the Game?
Though having authenticated MLB jerseys does help to verify that the memorabilia really is from the player or game discussed, the sheer amount of memorabilia does seem to be flooding the market and making it less important overall. Much of the value of memorabilia is certainly in its rarity, yes, but also the stories behind the memorabilia itself. The MLB authentication program not only reduces the overall rarity of items, but it also in many ways reduces the story of the memorabilia too.
Some used to complain about the “high prices” for Yankees game-used memorabilia charged by Steiner Sports, but keep in mind they were an official partner of the club recognized as a world-wide brand. Items used in a Yankee game are going to be in demand and the right to sell those pieces doesn’t come cheap. You’ll also be safe in knowing that it’s the real deal thanks to Steiner and MLB holograms.
What’s the Best Part About the Program?
The best part about getting MLB authenticated jerseys today is that there is little doubt you’ve got the real deal. In the past, the only way to really get authentic items from your favorite team or player was to go to a game and hope that you could get something autographed or given to you. Today you’ll get the certification that the item you’re purchasing is authentic directly from the source.
Does the elimination of the chase lessen the fun of owning MLB game worn jerseys? Maybe… maybe not. And if you can buy them at a bargain and build a bigger collection, most collectors wind up happy. You can click here to see MLB Authentic game worn jerseys and other game used memorabilia on eBay.
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