In many of the jerseys that I have examined and categorized as Unable to Authenticate (UTA), I often site issues with the tagging. This is usually based on signs that a tag has been reapplied. One of things you will want to look for in this regard is the presence of open seam holes.
What you will see in these examples of Rawlings tags is there is some slight size variation with how much material extends out past the information contained on the tag. There is also no same exact measurement in width and height…these examples are within about ¼” in variance. In looking at tags, I make a subjective assessment as to if the tag appears to have been trimmed. I say subjective, because unless the tag is cut or cropped extremely close to the lettering, then it is subjective based on what I have seen in other examples by year, team, and manufacturer.
Often this trimming this done to mask the open seam holes that exist when a tag has been removed and reapplied to another jersey. There are a number of reasons that a tag has been re-applied to a jersey:
1. It has been placed on an altered product by the same manufacturer and the tagging has been re-applied to give the appearance that it is the size commonly associated with the player the jersey is to have been worn by.
2. It has been placed on an altered product by a different manufacturer and the tagging has been re-applied to give the appearance that it is the size and manufacturer commonly associated with the player the jersey is to have been worn by.
3. It has been placed on a replica product and the tagging has been re-applied to give the appearance that it is the size and manufacturer commonly associated with the player the jersey is to have been worn by.
While signs of a tampered tagging are usually sufficient to categorize a jersey as UTA, I always assume the person sending the jersey in may not have known what to look for so my opinions don’t stop there. If the tagging is bad, there are usually other things you can identify as well and I want collectors to know in the future what to look for. Consider our three situations above.
1. It has been placed on an altered product by the same manufacturer and the tagging has been re-applied to give the appearance that it is the size commonly associated with the player the jersey is to have been worn by. What you will most often find here is that tagged size does not match the actual measured size of the jersey. This is why this step and these measurements are a standard part of the MEARS process and recorded on the worksheet. Some jersey forgers are better than others with respect to masking the swapping of tags. Remember if the jersey was the proper size, era, and manufacturer to begin with then the tag swap would not be required.
2. It has been placed on an altered product by a different manufacturer and the tagging has been re-applied to give the appearance that it is the size and manufacturer commonly associated with the player the jersey is to have been worn by. I have written on any number of occasions about the value of knowing and looking for manufacturers’ or team characteristics by years or eras. The perfect swap job of a Rawlings tag on a jersey with MacGregor style buttons is but one example I have seen. Other manufacturers’ or team characteristics can include font and numeral style and size as well as supplemental tagging and player identification. Another manufacturers’ characteristic has to do with how and where the tags are applied.
3. It has been placed on a replica product and the tagging has been re-applied to give the appearance that it is the size and manufacturer commonly associated with the player the jersey is to have been worn by. These are usually the easiest to spot because of material and construction issues. The other thing I often find is the use and wear is contrived. In the other two cases, the jersey often started out as a period or vintage piece.
Although the examples I have shown and talked about are baseball jerseys, the concept is applicable to other sports and other uniforms as well. What does all this mean to you the collector? I would offer that holes in tagging can lead to holes in a seller’s story and can avoid a hole in your wallet…just something to think about.
As always, collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.
MEARS Auth, LLC