Hi, I'm a long time fan of the NHL and over the years have purchased a few GW jerseys, but recently have picked up interest.

I have a few questions from a collector standpoint, so here we go:

1. Does it matter how much wear the jersey has on it from a collector standpoint? More wear=better?

IE, if looking at some GW goalie jerseys, one is set one with a ton of wear, and one is set 3 with just a little wear, which one would be better? Seems like it could go both ways, both are game used (confirmed), one is in better shape and certainly would look better in a glass case, while the other shows some grit and personality.. Any opinions you can give me on this would be great!

2. What about ones that appear to be slightly discolored for some reason, ie I saw an 08-09 lighting away (white) that looked discolored and ugly, but it is game worn... others that I saw in the lot were not discolored.. is this going to hurt the collectibility?

3. Game worn VS Game issued VS made up for the guy but he never wore it (IE someone that was called up, etc.)

Prime example, the Tampa Helenius goalie jersey that is currently up on ebay for $1200 VS a jersey he wore only in warm-ups. Sure the one on ebay is his NHL Premier, but what about one that he wore his first season? What about a star player that was injured and never wore the set 3 jersey vs one with a lot of wear? I've also seen some of these issued with a "game used" certificate also, even if the player just sat on the bench with the jersey on.

4. Where do you guys get the pictures that show the markings on the jersey, more specifically how do you find them and buy the rights to them? Prime example, I have a hawks khabibulin jersey, and the only pics I can find of him wearing it (and I can match it up with) is from Gettyimages, and they want ridiculous money for just one photo.

5. Is there really a market for jerseys of star players that become journeyman at the end of their career for the team that they don't produce with.. and I'm not talking about big stars, but, again, going with the lightning here... Kolzig (2-6 season with them), Tampa Rechhi, Halpern, etc... just using Tampa since I know that team the best

Thanks for all your help in advance!

Some good questions and all of them will generate opinions rather than facts for answers. Here are mine:

1)More wear usually translates to a higher price. Collectors of high end jerseys want to know the shirt they are buying has tremendous use. All jerseys used to be beat to hell from Bob Journeyman to Wayne, Mario and Gordie. You used Tampa jerseys, I'll use my Sami Salo Collection. I bought one of his Senators jerseys and it has over 25 separate repairs all over the shirt in 3 different colors and sizes from an inch to 7 inches. Now when I find a repair on a Sami Salo Canucks shirt from the last 3 years, I feel like I won something Jerseys are made of the Edge material now and have even less wear than before on average. I'd also argue that a shirt that was trashed has better eye appeal on a wall displayed because everyone who sees it will say "Wow! That's game worn isn't it?" Rather than "Nice Authentic jersey"

2) Discoloration could be from washing, accidentally sun bleaching etc. Be careful it was from the team and not some klutz fan dropping bleach or trying to get stains out of it.

3) The terms Game worn/used in the hobby covers a heck of a lot of stuff. Obviously if a player wore the shirt all season. Generally, the term is used in hockey for say a Set 1 meaning on the ice for a dozen games 25+ minutes a game and it has stick and puck marks, board burns and repairs. However, some people also consider it game worn if it was worn 4 times. Others argue it's game worn after one shift. Most call these shirts "one game wonders" but still game worn. Only a goalie who sits on a bench normally has a shirt with minor wear but never used in a real game, just pregame warmups. This is where the term gets a little sketchy. MeiGray calls it Bench worn and that has become somewhat popular but teams and eBay sellers consider that "game worn" Game issued means it was made up for use by the player, given to the team for use but never worn. People like to think getting a shirt made up a the ice rink means its GI, it's not. GI should have paperwork from the team or MeiGray saying it came from them, otherwise it's just a store bought authentic. Some collectors consider them the same anyway. GI is a good way to get a superstar's jersey on a budget. Good example: Meigray has white Liberty Rangers GI Gretzky jerseys for $3000. That's like 10% of a game worn version.

4) Getty images are expensive. Most people download the small version for free and put it on their webshots. The watermark is hard to remove so most people just leave it. If the shirt is authenticated through MeiGray they has a deal with Getty to furnish the photomatch in the form of an LOA. Look through Google Images, Yahoo, nhl.com etc. Also, look on eBay for cards and photos, I found one once that way. (I'm sure others will offer other sites) Or you can post a thread in the Photomatch folder on this site and your fellow collectors may be able to help.

5) Yes, there is a market for high end guys on their swan song or teams they aren't known for. Trevor Linden is a Canuck but his Montreal, Islander and Capitals jerseys still sell at about 80%+ value of say an Orca jersey. Yes Skate Logo versions are still higher but it's not like his Montreal jersey is selling at $250 (If it was, JamieD, please send it my way) So while Olie's most in demand shirts are his Caps, he has fans so there is a market for his Tampa shirts as well.

Hope this helped and I'm sure others will chime in to. Welcome.

Good stuff, thanks for the info! I am enjoying this hobby, but am finding that it can be very expensive, lol...

just my 2 cents: i would try to have a focus and stick to it, especially if you're on a budget.

i see jerseys i love every single day, but if they dont really fit my collection, i have to pass...otherwise what usually happens is as soon as you commit to a jersey you really dont need, another one that you would love to have pops up.

so yeah, focus and patience

Some good responses here.

The main thing to remember is if you have any questions whatsoever about value, authenticity, dealers, other collectors, etc, never be afraid to ask a specific question here. Most people on this board are very helpful. Could save yourself lots of money and hassle.

Just want to thank everyone who responded... Gingi, ferro, and Pang, great info guys!!! I'm new to the hobby and appreciate the help!

Now if I could just convince my wife that this is a great hobby, I'd be set!!

You are welcome Khabbi.

When my fiance was just a girlfriend, she asked why I had these beat up shirts hanging on the walls. I told her they were game worn and showed her some CBC HNIC games of my Canucks. They are now Our Canucks. After 3 years, she dropped over $2k on a Luongo jersey. I wasnt until my buddy Jon sold me his Pavel Bure that I spent that much!

If she isn't in to sports and doesn't understand your interest, do what most guys do. Lie, hide the MeiGray boxes and spend 50% of what you did on a jersey to buy her jewelry.

quote:

Originally posted by gingi79:
You are welcome Khabbi.

When my fiance was just a girlfriend, she asked why I had these beat up shirts hanging on the walls. I told her they were game worn and showed her some CBC HNIC games of my Canucks. They are now Our Canucks. After 3 years, she dropped over $2k on a Luongo jersey. I wasnt until my buddy Jon sold me his Pavel Bure that I spent that much!

hahhaaha....me too!! My girlfriend (fiancee as of last Tuesday) calls them our canuckies and actually likes talking about gw jerseys (i had her try on my new kasparaitis and had the ring hanging from the tie-up on the front of the rangers jersey). She can call them whatever she wants as long as I get to watch the playoffs and collect!! She has pitched $$ for 2 of my 5 jerseys (I guess our jerseys now) and hopes to get a Luongo some day as well.

I'll pass on a note from her....Go Pens!!

I don't want to hijack, so I will give an opinion on question #1. For what it's worth, I like the jersey to have enough wear to conclusively photomatch and love repairs but don't need it to be hammered with stick marks, I like the front to be relatively clean or have one matchable mark!

I've learned that it is all about moderation. Or at least the illusion of it. I'm at the point where my closet is already full of jerseys. She doesn't really notice when more are added unless she sees the box or I show them to her. She appreciates that I really enjoy jerseys and won't give me a hassle unless she thinks I am spending too much.

I have been spending too much. I get around this by being the one who picks up the mail and because I live in an apartment building with a front desk I just head right down to the basement, take the jersey out of the box, put it in my work bag, and then it goes into the closet when she isn't paying attention. It works like a charm.