Originally Posted by Mark17
True with bats. I've had a few Twin players tell me they used other guys bats, and I owned a couple examples of clear game use (distinctive, identifiable numbers written on knobs) by players other than the names burned on the barrel.
I know nothing about post 1971 jerseys, when the knit era began, and I suspect there could be many shirts since then that were made to pro specs but not GU.
Flannels are a whole different story. When I have a jersey with appropriate use and even fading, correct and complete tagging which often includes: manufacturer tag, wash instructions tag, size tag, set tag, and stitching that often includes players' name, set number, uniform number, I'm pretty confident.
Then when an expert with a table lamp and black light (like Dave Grob - the best in the business) evaluates and says the stitching is correct, the numbers and logos are original and were not replaced, and the shirt matches known exemplars in every respect, I have certainty.
When numbers or logos are replaced on a flannel jersey, for example a number change, there will be evidence of sun fading, or stitch lines, or uneven puckering of the numbers/logos. The thread might be different, or stitching. In short, there are a couple dozen things that have to be exactly right for a jersey to pass such inspection.
Shirts get reused and sent to the minors for later use, after their primary use in the big leagues is complete, but if a shirt is made for a specific player during a specific year, and he was with the club (not traded before the season began) then it's almost certain the shirt was used by him. His number on it, his name possibly on it, made to his size..... It's not at all similar to a guy borrowing another players bat, liking it, and asking to keep it.
And yes, flannel jerseys are way undervalued. Bats too, especially vintage.
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