Hurricane Sandy and Sandy Hook Elementary School don't just share a name. They share a call to our collective consciousness as 2012 comes to an end.
I don't often share my social and political views publicly, although those close to me will certainly tell you I am not afraid to discuss them privately. But I cannot close the year, and MeiGray will be closing today for the New Year holiday before reopening on Wednesday, January 2, without mentioning that I don't consider the two Sandys just a coincidence.
Our world is changing. Sometimes it changes by the whims of Mother Nature, sometimes it changes because of the work of our darkest and neediest souls, and sometimes it changes simply because nothing ever stays the same.
We need to be more unselfish. We need to be more vigilant. We need to be more compromising. We need to recognize that a polarized culture contributes to divisiveness, which more often than not leads to more pain. I don't profess to have the answers. I just know we have to start dealing more reasonably with the questions.
Our Game-Worn Hobby reflects much of the best of our society and provides parallels. It's a hobby that enjoys sports, that provides a diversion from life's every day stresses, that relies on us working together to properly authenticate and collectively .... collect.
Happy New Year, everybody.
-----
The charity auction to help Wheeling Nailers power forward Chris Kushneriuk with his medical bills while he battles cancer ended last night. Thanks so much to all of you who bid.
For Chris' two 2011-12 Wheeling Nailers jerseys, which had been available for nearly a year on our website at $295 each, we raised $1,337.
His black jersey sold for $797
His white jersey sold for $540.
MeiGray will be sending a check for $1,337, with heartfelt hope from the game-worn collecting community, to help with Chris' exorbitant medical bills.
This is what makes our game-worn community great.
Thanks again,
Friday, December 28, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
If it's too good to be true ...
Scams are on my mind today.
I know someone who was victimized recently by a phone call solicitation scam.
I've been reading on another sports memorabilia Forum of a major sportscards scam.
The game-worn jersey hobby is still recovering from the damage done by a years-old fake game use scam.
The easiest way to avoid being scammed is by staying vigilant, staying skeptical, and asking questions. For years MeiGray has begged collectors to ask the tough questions. We believe that answering the tough questions with sensible and legitimate answers is the only way to gain credibility.
That and a money-back guarantee. That and a system that proves reliable. That and a reputation that is enhanced transaction after transaction after transaction.
We believe that collectors can sift through the fraudulent merchandise being offered by asking the questions and listening to the answers.
The answers don't sound legit, odds are the memorabilia won't be legit, either.
We understand that many protential "finds" make it hard not to take chances. But we also know that if something sounds "too good to be true" it usually is.
Now enjoy the Holiday Season. We will break until after the New Year.
Happy Holidays to all of you from all of us at MeiGray.
I know someone who was victimized recently by a phone call solicitation scam.
I've been reading on another sports memorabilia Forum of a major sportscards scam.
The game-worn jersey hobby is still recovering from the damage done by a years-old fake game use scam.
The easiest way to avoid being scammed is by staying vigilant, staying skeptical, and asking questions. For years MeiGray has begged collectors to ask the tough questions. We believe that answering the tough questions with sensible and legitimate answers is the only way to gain credibility.
That and a money-back guarantee. That and a system that proves reliable. That and a reputation that is enhanced transaction after transaction after transaction.
We believe that collectors can sift through the fraudulent merchandise being offered by asking the questions and listening to the answers.
The answers don't sound legit, odds are the memorabilia won't be legit, either.
We understand that many protential "finds" make it hard not to take chances. But we also know that if something sounds "too good to be true" it usually is.
Now enjoy the Holiday Season. We will break until after the New Year.
Happy Holidays to all of you from all of us at MeiGray.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Talking Tebow ... Everyone Else Does
I grew up loving Joe Namath and the NY Jets.
So even though I gravitated to the NY Giants when my son Dave (known as The Professor in Section 137 for his football acumen) started loving football in the late 1990s and we started going to all the Giants games, I can't let a Jets QB Controversy go without a few thoughts..
Especially when I can mix business (MeiGray sold one 2012 NY Jets white Tebow game-worn jersey for $7,000) with the pleasure of following NFL football.
I understand the fascination with Tebow, the absolute joy he brought fans (including my nephew Cullen) in Florida throughout his college career as a Gator. I understand why collectors would spend $5K, $10K, $15K on a jersey Tebow wore in college, or during his scintillating 2011 season in Denver.
What I cannot understand is how and why the NY Jets spoiled a season by bringing Tebow in and disrespecting a good player and a good man by the way they handled him all year long.
Tebow is a polarizing athlete. He does not possess prototypical QB skills. He throws poorly, does not have an NFL-caliber arm. But he runs well, has terrific football instincts, and he wins. He has won throughout his career.
What were the Jets thinking in 2012? No matter whose call the addition of Tebow was _ ownership to add juice to the off-season and sell tickets; the GM to give head coach Rex Ryan a unique weapon, or Ryan himself to push QB Mark Sanchez _ the personnel move was atrocious because it exposed the Jets' two biggest problems:
1. Poor management
2. Poor coaching
You cannot add a player whose very addition to the locker room adversely affects your starting quarterback.
You cannot add a player whose abilities are not maximized by the offensive coordinator and the playbook.
You cannot go 15 weeks into an NFL season, spending $2.668,750 against the salary cap for a player you won't use as your No. 2 quarterback despite being No. 2 on the depth chart, and who offensive coordinator Tony Sparano can't incorporate into an offense that is starving for creativity.
And if this coaching staff had any read on their incumbent No. 1, Sanchez, they should have known that Tebow over his shoulder was not going to improve his play. And that's what happened.
Benching Sanchez for the final two games of a forgotten season and giving the starting job to the No. 3, second-year QB Greg McElroy, was insulting to Tebow. It was unfair. It sends a message to the Jets' players that anybody could be unceremoniously discarded
Tebow is better than McElroy. Tebow took the 2011 Denver Broncos to the playoffs and shocked the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first NFL playoff start. I don't care if Tebow can't throw well, or can't read defenses well, or won't ever win a Super Bowl. He earned the right to start Sunday because of the honorable way he handled a horrible situation.
Is Rex Ryan afraid Tebow would do well and make him look bad? If so, he is not an NFL-caliber head coach ... which I believe he is not. He's a great defensive coordinator who is in over his head as a head coach.
Is the personnel department legitimately assessing that Tebow is not as good as Greg McElroy? If so, why was he on the team all season?
Either way, the Jets botched Tebow Time. After they release him, or trade him for a seventh-round draft choice, they had better hope he doesn't lead the 2013 Jacksonville Jaguars to the playoffs.
So even though I gravitated to the NY Giants when my son Dave (known as The Professor in Section 137 for his football acumen) started loving football in the late 1990s and we started going to all the Giants games, I can't let a Jets QB Controversy go without a few thoughts..
Especially when I can mix business (MeiGray sold one 2012 NY Jets white Tebow game-worn jersey for $7,000) with the pleasure of following NFL football.
I understand the fascination with Tebow, the absolute joy he brought fans (including my nephew Cullen) in Florida throughout his college career as a Gator. I understand why collectors would spend $5K, $10K, $15K on a jersey Tebow wore in college, or during his scintillating 2011 season in Denver.
What I cannot understand is how and why the NY Jets spoiled a season by bringing Tebow in and disrespecting a good player and a good man by the way they handled him all year long.
Tebow is a polarizing athlete. He does not possess prototypical QB skills. He throws poorly, does not have an NFL-caliber arm. But he runs well, has terrific football instincts, and he wins. He has won throughout his career.
What were the Jets thinking in 2012? No matter whose call the addition of Tebow was _ ownership to add juice to the off-season and sell tickets; the GM to give head coach Rex Ryan a unique weapon, or Ryan himself to push QB Mark Sanchez _ the personnel move was atrocious because it exposed the Jets' two biggest problems:
1. Poor management
2. Poor coaching
You cannot add a player whose very addition to the locker room adversely affects your starting quarterback.
You cannot add a player whose abilities are not maximized by the offensive coordinator and the playbook.
You cannot go 15 weeks into an NFL season, spending $2.668,750 against the salary cap for a player you won't use as your No. 2 quarterback despite being No. 2 on the depth chart, and who offensive coordinator Tony Sparano can't incorporate into an offense that is starving for creativity.
And if this coaching staff had any read on their incumbent No. 1, Sanchez, they should have known that Tebow over his shoulder was not going to improve his play. And that's what happened.
Benching Sanchez for the final two games of a forgotten season and giving the starting job to the No. 3, second-year QB Greg McElroy, was insulting to Tebow. It was unfair. It sends a message to the Jets' players that anybody could be unceremoniously discarded
Tebow is better than McElroy. Tebow took the 2011 Denver Broncos to the playoffs and shocked the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first NFL playoff start. I don't care if Tebow can't throw well, or can't read defenses well, or won't ever win a Super Bowl. He earned the right to start Sunday because of the honorable way he handled a horrible situation.
Is Rex Ryan afraid Tebow would do well and make him look bad? If so, he is not an NFL-caliber head coach ... which I believe he is not. He's a great defensive coordinator who is in over his head as a head coach.
Is the personnel department legitimately assessing that Tebow is not as good as Greg McElroy? If so, why was he on the team all season?
Either way, the Jets botched Tebow Time. After they release him, or trade him for a seventh-round draft choice, they had better hope he doesn't lead the 2013 Jacksonville Jaguars to the playoffs.
Monday, December 17, 2012
I Once Designed a Hockey Logo
Icethetics.info is a great website, a great blog that does an excellent job on hockey jerseys. They mention MeiGray from time to time, and we appreciate it.
This morning, they posted their Top 10 NHL logos of all time:
1. Hartford Whalers
2. Minnesota Wild
3. Montreal Canadiens
4. Colorado Avalanche
5. St. Louis Blues
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Boston Bruins
8, Chicago Blackhawks
9. Colorado Rockies
10. Philadelphia Flyers
I like most of the choices, but my point here is not to quibble. Their selection of the Hartford Whalers logo as the best of all-time due to the subtly of the logo and the use of every inch of negative space reminded me of my first and only experience with logo design.
It was entirely by accident.
It was the Summer of 1980. I had just finished my rookie season as a hockey writer at the Binghamton Sun-Bulletin, covering the American Hockey League's Broome Dusters.
The Dusters franchise had been purchased by Howard Baldwin and the Hartford Whalers, and the big discussion publicly and behind the scenes was what to call the new team.
Binghamton, NY first got a hockey team in 1973-74, when Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena was built and the blue-collar city that sat on the Southern Tier of NY State joined the North American Hockey League. They named their team the Broome Dusters. Professional cartoonist Johnny Hart created the first logo using the character from his caveman comic strip, B.C., which many people thought stood for the prehistoric calendar but also stood for the initials of Hart's hometown Broome County.
Anyway, the Dusters' name and logo were iconic in minor-league circles, and the city was torn. Should the new owners of the team keep the name, or create a new National League identity by going with Binghamton Whalers?
Being young, although I had lived in Binghamton through four years of college and my first year in the business, I thought the team deserved a fresh identity. I also thought the city of Binghamton needed a little name recognition. I wrote that in the paper.
A few of the veteran reporters, including my competitor on the rival Binghamton Press, a great guy named Charlie Jaworski, hoped the team would maintain tradition and stay named the Broome Dusters. The city, the Whalers' ownership and the two papers all agreed to hold a public Name The Team contest, allowing fans to cast ballots.
On the day both papers began printing the ballot, I had a brainstorm. I won't deny I had a little help from someone I can't remember. The brainstorm was to flip the Hartford Whaler logo on its side. By rounding out a few of the angled edges, the H became a B, the whale tail remained and ... Presto ... identifiable logo with a link to the parent club, but a fresh and original look.
The town went for it. The new name won in a landslide. And I still have a home and road game-worn jersey from the only team for whose logo I am partially responsible.
This morning, they posted their Top 10 NHL logos of all time:
1. Hartford Whalers
2. Minnesota Wild
3. Montreal Canadiens
4. Colorado Avalanche
5. St. Louis Blues
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Boston Bruins
8, Chicago Blackhawks
9. Colorado Rockies
10. Philadelphia Flyers
I like most of the choices, but my point here is not to quibble. Their selection of the Hartford Whalers logo as the best of all-time due to the subtly of the logo and the use of every inch of negative space reminded me of my first and only experience with logo design.
It was entirely by accident.
It was the Summer of 1980. I had just finished my rookie season as a hockey writer at the Binghamton Sun-Bulletin, covering the American Hockey League's Broome Dusters.
The Dusters franchise had been purchased by Howard Baldwin and the Hartford Whalers, and the big discussion publicly and behind the scenes was what to call the new team.
Binghamton, NY first got a hockey team in 1973-74, when Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena was built and the blue-collar city that sat on the Southern Tier of NY State joined the North American Hockey League. They named their team the Broome Dusters. Professional cartoonist Johnny Hart created the first logo using the character from his caveman comic strip, B.C., which many people thought stood for the prehistoric calendar but also stood for the initials of Hart's hometown Broome County.
Anyway, the Dusters' name and logo were iconic in minor-league circles, and the city was torn. Should the new owners of the team keep the name, or create a new National League identity by going with Binghamton Whalers?
Being young, although I had lived in Binghamton through four years of college and my first year in the business, I thought the team deserved a fresh identity. I also thought the city of Binghamton needed a little name recognition. I wrote that in the paper.
A few of the veteran reporters, including my competitor on the rival Binghamton Press, a great guy named Charlie Jaworski, hoped the team would maintain tradition and stay named the Broome Dusters. The city, the Whalers' ownership and the two papers all agreed to hold a public Name The Team contest, allowing fans to cast ballots.
On the day both papers began printing the ballot, I had a brainstorm. I won't deny I had a little help from someone I can't remember. The brainstorm was to flip the Hartford Whaler logo on its side. By rounding out a few of the angled edges, the H became a B, the whale tail remained and ... Presto ... identifiable logo with a link to the parent club, but a fresh and original look.
The town went for it. The new name won in a landslide. And I still have a home and road game-worn jersey from the only team for whose logo I am partially responsible.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Help A Collector Recover from Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy devastated the Rockaway Point, New York, home of one of our fellow collectors. He’s trying to rebuild his life, and we’d like to help.
Luckily, not all of his game-worn jerseys were lost in the storm and subsequent fires that ripped through his neighborhood. After he dug out the jerseys that were not lost or damaged, he asked us to help him sell what he recovered from his collection.
Please help by purchasing one of these. We have priced them very reasonably so that they will sell quickly, so that the collector will have the money he needs to recover from the storm’s damage.
These jerseys are available on-line at www.meigray.com. They are categorized by team, and are listed with double asterisks after the player’s name.
Thanks for helping ...
_________________
Speaking of helping, the charity auction to help Chris krush Cancer, the auction for ECHL forward Chris Kushneriuk, is off to a fantastic start thanks to the generous bids of several collectors.
With 13 days to go, Kushneriuk's black Wheeling Nailers jersey is at $555. His white Nailers jersey is at $500. All proceeds from the sale of these two jerseys Chris wore last season will go toward the colossal medical bills Kushneriuk is facing as he battles the disease.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
How Many Is Too Many? How Many is Not Enough?
Got into an interesting conversation with an Orlando fan Saturday night between periods at Amway Center.
She wanted to know how many different jerseys the team would be wearing that season. I told her that besides the two homes and two roads (first half and second half), the old alternate, the opening night special set with the unique Opening Night patch, the team would also be announcing a variety of special one-night jerseys.
1. Military Night, the camouflage jersey worn Nov. 10 and 11 and auctioned last Saturday.
2. Hockey Fights Cancer, a pink jersey.
3. Vintage Jersey
4. Old Time Hockey Jersey
5. St, Patrick's Day Jersey
6. Shirts Off Their Backs
While this might seem like a lot of different fabric, I pointed out that that Solar Bears Care, the team's lucky ticket holders, and a variety of charities will benefit from this inventory.
And I pointed out that in this era of collecting, there is a benefit to balancing the supply-demand ratio. I told her that if the team only wore one or two special jerseys, the auctions might bring crazy results from deep-pocketed fans who would outbid everyone else to get one of these rare sweaters.
And that's the key ... recognizing the balance between too few (which could prompt a dramatic increase in the price of one) and too many (which would flood the market).
MeiGray carefully ponders this with each team we partner with ... based on the size of the fan base, size of the collector base, and the charitable component of each deal.
She wanted to know how many different jerseys the team would be wearing that season. I told her that besides the two homes and two roads (first half and second half), the old alternate, the opening night special set with the unique Opening Night patch, the team would also be announcing a variety of special one-night jerseys.
1. Military Night, the camouflage jersey worn Nov. 10 and 11 and auctioned last Saturday.
2. Hockey Fights Cancer, a pink jersey.
3. Vintage Jersey
4. Old Time Hockey Jersey
5. St, Patrick's Day Jersey
6. Shirts Off Their Backs
While this might seem like a lot of different fabric, I pointed out that that Solar Bears Care, the team's lucky ticket holders, and a variety of charities will benefit from this inventory.
And I pointed out that in this era of collecting, there is a benefit to balancing the supply-demand ratio. I told her that if the team only wore one or two special jerseys, the auctions might bring crazy results from deep-pocketed fans who would outbid everyone else to get one of these rare sweaters.
And that's the key ... recognizing the balance between too few (which could prompt a dramatic increase in the price of one) and too many (which would flood the market).
MeiGray carefully ponders this with each team we partner with ... based on the size of the fan base, size of the collector base, and the charitable component of each deal.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Let's all help Chris krush Cancer
MeiGray is standing up for Chris Kushneriuk And we're asking our great hobby to help by bidding heavily in a charity auction hosted by MeiGray and NHL Auctions.
Here's the link:
http://auction.nhl.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/User?id=meiECHL2&wl=12717464&type=L
Kushneriuk is a 25-year-old power forward from Ottawa who played last season for the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers.
Late in the 2011-12 season, after battling an injury, the Robert Morris University grad got the news that no one wants to hear. He was diagnosed with cancer. Although it appeared that he had beaten it, the recent news hasn't been as positive, and Chris has found himself in yet another upward battle.
However, Kushneriuk remains upbeat that he will come out on top once again. To do so he must now travel to Indianapolis in order to receive treatments that will ultimately save his life.
Unfortunately with no insurance in the United States his medical expenses will be extraordinarily large, therefore needing all the financial support he can get.
Chris turns 26 on Christmas Eve. We'd like to give him a great birthday present from our collecting community by auctioning off his home and road Wheeling Nailer game-worn jerseys from the first half of the 2011-12 season, his Set 1s.
MeiGray is donating these jerseys, with the proceeds from this charity auction going to help fund Chris' medical expenses.
Please help by bidding aggressively. Chris is an aggressive forward who is going to aggressively fight his disease. Let's help him fight.
Here's the link:
http://auction.nhl.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/User?id=meiECHL2&wl=12717464&type=L
Kushneriuk is a 25-year-old power forward from Ottawa who played last season for the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers.
Late in the 2011-12 season, after battling an injury, the Robert Morris University grad got the news that no one wants to hear. He was diagnosed with cancer. Although it appeared that he had beaten it, the recent news hasn't been as positive, and Chris has found himself in yet another upward battle.
However, Kushneriuk remains upbeat that he will come out on top once again. To do so he must now travel to Indianapolis in order to receive treatments that will ultimately save his life.
Unfortunately with no insurance in the United States his medical expenses will be extraordinarily large, therefore needing all the financial support he can get.
Chris turns 26 on Christmas Eve. We'd like to give him a great birthday present from our collecting community by auctioning off his home and road Wheeling Nailer game-worn jerseys from the first half of the 2011-12 season, his Set 1s.
MeiGray is donating these jerseys, with the proceeds from this charity auction going to help fund Chris' medical expenses.
Please help by bidding aggressively. Chris is an aggressive forward who is going to aggressively fight his disease. Let's help him fight.
Monday, December 10, 2012
The 2013 NHL Season?
With today's word that the NHL has cancelled games through December 30 due to the lockout, it seems as if any season, if there is a season, will begin in January 2013.
The first NHL lockout of commissioner Gary Bettman's tenure occured in 1994, and the 1994-95 NHL season was truncated to 48 games with a schedule that began on January 20, 1995.
That's the night the New York Rangers raised their first banner in 54 years.
The Los Angeles Kings won the 2012 Stanley Cup five months ago and are anxiously waiting to raise their first Stanley Cup banner ever, the first in their 45 years of existence. Will they get to do it in 2013?
Time's running out ... but here's one prediction: This lockout, despite the breakdown last week, and despite the enmity between the sides, is going to be settled in time to save the season.
I have no inside information, no sources telling me so. I just have a gut feeling, a hunch, that the intelligent people on both sides of the issue understand the consequences of cancelling an entire season in this economic climate.
There's a deal to be struck that enables both sides to benefit financially ... if they work quickly.
The first NHL lockout of commissioner Gary Bettman's tenure occured in 1994, and the 1994-95 NHL season was truncated to 48 games with a schedule that began on January 20, 1995.
That's the night the New York Rangers raised their first banner in 54 years.
The Los Angeles Kings won the 2012 Stanley Cup five months ago and are anxiously waiting to raise their first Stanley Cup banner ever, the first in their 45 years of existence. Will they get to do it in 2013?
Time's running out ... but here's one prediction: This lockout, despite the breakdown last week, and despite the enmity between the sides, is going to be settled in time to save the season.
I have no inside information, no sources telling me so. I just have a gut feeling, a hunch, that the intelligent people on both sides of the issue understand the consequences of cancelling an entire season in this economic climate.
There's a deal to be struck that enables both sides to benefit financially ... if they work quickly.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Live from Orlando: My Favorite Type of Auction
ECHL Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program Director Jason Rubin and I will be in Orlando, Florida tomorrow night, hosting our first live Solar Bears-MeiGray Program Game-Worn Jersey Auction in Amway Center when the Solar Bears meet the Fort Wayne Komets at 7 pm.
The game-worn military-themed Camouflage Jerseys (worn on November 10 and 11 by the Solar Bears) will be on the concourse throughout the evening, on display and up for bid.
In-arena auctions are my favorite. For a number of reasons.
1. The jerseys are all on display, available for examination.
2. The collectors are there to place their bids on a clipboard bearing each player's name. Bidders can ask questions, get answers, and consider their strategy throughout the night without the pressure of a hammer ending the auction.
3. The final minutes after the game ends when bidders surround the clipboards on the tables and place their final bids makes for some exciting last-second decisions.
It makes for a very fair, reasoned, and entertaining evening. With 20 jerseys up for bid, collectors who might not win their first choice have other options. And for every collector thinking he or she can hide a clipboard to discourage other bids (tee, hee), there are watchful eyes everywhere making sure the auction is fair and square.
It's a lot of fun. See you tomorrow.
The game-worn military-themed Camouflage Jerseys (worn on November 10 and 11 by the Solar Bears) will be on the concourse throughout the evening, on display and up for bid.
In-arena auctions are my favorite. For a number of reasons.
1. The jerseys are all on display, available for examination.
2. The collectors are there to place their bids on a clipboard bearing each player's name. Bidders can ask questions, get answers, and consider their strategy throughout the night without the pressure of a hammer ending the auction.
3. The final minutes after the game ends when bidders surround the clipboards on the tables and place their final bids makes for some exciting last-second decisions.
It makes for a very fair, reasoned, and entertaining evening. With 20 jerseys up for bid, collectors who might not win their first choice have other options. And for every collector thinking he or she can hide a clipboard to discourage other bids (tee, hee), there are watchful eyes everywhere making sure the auction is fair and square.
It's a lot of fun. See you tomorrow.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
We're Learning, Too
MeiGray entered the hobby in 1997, and began our NHL-MGG Authentication Program in 2002-03.
In the 10 years since, we've learned plenty about what hockey collectors are looking for in terms of authenticity. We know that game use and the number of times a jersey is worn is one of the most important factors in the value and desirability of hockey jerseys.
Now that we've struck deals with the NFL's San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins, we are offering unwashed jerseys worn in specific games for the first time since 2003. That year, we offered the unique set of patched jerseys worn by the Philadelphia Eagles in their Inaugural Game at Lincoln Financial Field and they sold out immediately.
We're wondering if football collectors value game use as much as historical significance? What's more important, seeing the jersey pounded with use, or seeing the player's productivity in the jersey. Is it whether the team won or lost? Stats? Grass stains?
Let us know. We're learning, too.
-----
If you have not checked out gameusedcollector.com yet, go directly to their website and join. It's an exciting new website that offers collectors new and old, experienced and novice, a chance to interact with fellow collectors. Good luck, GUC.
-----
The last 48 hours have been full of intrigue, as the NHL and NHLPA have spent hours and hours trying to hammer out a new CBA. Like the rest of the hockey world, we're keeping our hopes up that there will be a 2012-13 NHL season.
-----
In the 10 years since, we've learned plenty about what hockey collectors are looking for in terms of authenticity. We know that game use and the number of times a jersey is worn is one of the most important factors in the value and desirability of hockey jerseys.
Now that we've struck deals with the NFL's San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins, we are offering unwashed jerseys worn in specific games for the first time since 2003. That year, we offered the unique set of patched jerseys worn by the Philadelphia Eagles in their Inaugural Game at Lincoln Financial Field and they sold out immediately.
We're wondering if football collectors value game use as much as historical significance? What's more important, seeing the jersey pounded with use, or seeing the player's productivity in the jersey. Is it whether the team won or lost? Stats? Grass stains?
Let us know. We're learning, too.
-----
If you have not checked out gameusedcollector.com yet, go directly to their website and join. It's an exciting new website that offers collectors new and old, experienced and novice, a chance to interact with fellow collectors. Good luck, GUC.
-----
The last 48 hours have been full of intrigue, as the NHL and NHLPA have spent hours and hours trying to hammer out a new CBA. Like the rest of the hockey world, we're keeping our hopes up that there will be a 2012-13 NHL season.
-----
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Got three different jerseys from three different collectors for authentication today.
Jersey 1, purchased off ebay, no other information provided by collector submitting for authentication. He received no provenance from the seller, no supporting documents, nothing but a shirt with no evidence that it was used in a National Hockey League game.
Jersey 2, purchased with a batch of jerseys years ago, with no other information provided by the collector submitting for authentication. He received no provenance from the seller, no supporting documents, nothing but a shirt with glaringly fraudulent game use, no other marks, no evidence it was used in a National Hockey League game. The jersey looked very much like a jersey sold in a popular retail store that also customizes jerseys for NHL teams.
Jersey 3, acquired as a gift from a player, with a dated letter from the player. Characteristics of the jersey look consistent with a game-worn jersey. Reputable player, reputable story on the letter, quite likely at first glance a game-worn jersey.
My reason for describing these three? Supporting information does matter. When you buy a jersey, ask about the jersey. Ask questions of provenance, obtain supporting information. Letters of authenticity are as good as the information and warranties contained within them.
Jersey 1, purchased off ebay, no other information provided by collector submitting for authentication. He received no provenance from the seller, no supporting documents, nothing but a shirt with no evidence that it was used in a National Hockey League game.
Jersey 2, purchased with a batch of jerseys years ago, with no other information provided by the collector submitting for authentication. He received no provenance from the seller, no supporting documents, nothing but a shirt with glaringly fraudulent game use, no other marks, no evidence it was used in a National Hockey League game. The jersey looked very much like a jersey sold in a popular retail store that also customizes jerseys for NHL teams.
Jersey 3, acquired as a gift from a player, with a dated letter from the player. Characteristics of the jersey look consistent with a game-worn jersey. Reputable player, reputable story on the letter, quite likely at first glance a game-worn jersey.
My reason for describing these three? Supporting information does matter. When you buy a jersey, ask about the jersey. Ask questions of provenance, obtain supporting information. Letters of authenticity are as good as the information and warranties contained within them.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Into The Belly of the Beast
As a Washington Redskins partner, I felt honored to be invited onto the field and into their VIP Partner Hospitality Room prior to Monday Night's game with the New York Giants.
As a NY Giants fan, it was quite a night at FedEx Field.
MeiGray would like nothing more than to see its partners succeed, and here's to hoping the Redskins make the playoffs. As the NFC East champion? As an NFC wild card?
As a NY Giants fan, it was quite a game at FedEx Field.
The interest in and the value of Robert Griffin III's game-worn jerseys seem to go up and up and up each week, with the way he's been playing and the way the Redskins have been winning.
Alfred Morris, Pierre Garcon, London Fletcher ... rookies and vets helping to turn the fortunes of one of the NFL's greatest franchises. MeiGray's glad to be a part of it, and hope to be for years to come.
As a NY Giants fan, it was quite a schizophrenic trip home from FedEx Field.
As a NY Giants fan, it was quite a night at FedEx Field.
MeiGray would like nothing more than to see its partners succeed, and here's to hoping the Redskins make the playoffs. As the NFC East champion? As an NFC wild card?
As a NY Giants fan, it was quite a game at FedEx Field.
The interest in and the value of Robert Griffin III's game-worn jerseys seem to go up and up and up each week, with the way he's been playing and the way the Redskins have been winning.
Alfred Morris, Pierre Garcon, London Fletcher ... rookies and vets helping to turn the fortunes of one of the NFL's greatest franchises. MeiGray's glad to be a part of it, and hope to be for years to come.
As a NY Giants fan, it was quite a schizophrenic trip home from FedEx Field.
Friday, November 30, 2012
How Long Must an NHL Season be to be Relevant?
I covered the 1994-95 NHL season for the New York Daily News.
It was the 48-game season that began on January 20, 1995 after the first NHL lockout with the New York Rangers raising their first Stanley Cup banner in 54 years, and ended the night the New Jersey Devils won their first Stanley Cup.
I covered the Devils as they earned the Eastern Conference's fifth seed in that abbreviated regular season by going 10-5-3 in their last 18 games.
After the Devils walloped the Boston Bruins (in five), the Pittsburgh Penguins (in five), the Philadelphia Flyers (in six) and the Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings (four straight) there was much chatter that this was not a legitimate Stanley Cup champion because of the shortened season.
Nonsense then. And it would be nonsense now to suggest that if the NHL plays an abbreviated schedule, the Stanley Cup tournament will be tainted.
Whatever happens to the season, and in 1994-95 the conferences only played among themselves to limit travel and keep rivalries hot, the playoff season should not and will not be altered. And as we all have seen over the years, the four-round road to the Stanley Cup is the toughest road for any pro team to travel for any title.
So there is time for the NHL and NHLPA to settle this current mess. As long as they can find common ground over the next 4-6 weeks, we can salvage a credible regular season to nominate playoff teams for the real season, the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It was the 48-game season that began on January 20, 1995 after the first NHL lockout with the New York Rangers raising their first Stanley Cup banner in 54 years, and ended the night the New Jersey Devils won their first Stanley Cup.
I covered the Devils as they earned the Eastern Conference's fifth seed in that abbreviated regular season by going 10-5-3 in their last 18 games.
After the Devils walloped the Boston Bruins (in five), the Pittsburgh Penguins (in five), the Philadelphia Flyers (in six) and the Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings (four straight) there was much chatter that this was not a legitimate Stanley Cup champion because of the shortened season.
Nonsense then. And it would be nonsense now to suggest that if the NHL plays an abbreviated schedule, the Stanley Cup tournament will be tainted.
Whatever happens to the season, and in 1994-95 the conferences only played among themselves to limit travel and keep rivalries hot, the playoff season should not and will not be altered. And as we all have seen over the years, the four-round road to the Stanley Cup is the toughest road for any pro team to travel for any title.
So there is time for the NHL and NHLPA to settle this current mess. As long as they can find common ground over the next 4-6 weeks, we can salvage a credible regular season to nominate playoff teams for the real season, the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Every so often I get a call that goes like this:
"Barry, you're the expert. You've been in this hobby for 20 years. I'm just starting out. What should I collect?"
I always chuckle, because my answer is easy. My answer starts with questions.
"What do you like about our hobby? What sports/teams/players do you like? Are you collecting to furnish a room, or pay for your kid's college tuition, or simply for the fun of it?"
In other words, there is no correct answer. Everybody collects for a reason, and with a specific goal in mind. Even if the goal is not to have a goal.
I began collecting in 1978, when I began my first career as a sportswriter. I was a college senior at the State University of Binghamton, interning for the Binghamton Evening Press, covering a junior hockey league team called the Binghamton Barons in the New York-Pennsylania Major Junior Hockey League.
When the season ended, the team folded. I thought it would be cool to own a jersey from every team I covered, since I planned to become a pro hockey writer. I bought a jersey from the soon-to-be defunct team for $40.
And a hobby was born.
Now? I have close to 250 gamers, and my area of interest are my favorite hockey team, the New York Rangers, the teams I covered during my 18 years as a sportswriter, and all New York hockey teams. My favorite rare hockey jerseys were worn by Long Island Ducks, NY Golden Blades, and NY Raiders.
I love my favorite teams' championship seasons, which is why I have the jersey worn by Johnny Sample of the NY Jets in Super Bowl III and the jersey worn by Craig MacTavish in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. I loved the old World Hockey Association and grew up when the NHL expanded from the Original 6 to 12 teams. So I have jerseys worn in the late '60s by the LA Kings, St. Louis Blues, California Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota North Stars, and jerseys worn in the early '70s by the Ottawa Nationals, LA Sharks and Alberta Oilers, to name just a few.
Why do I collect? The memories. There is nothing better than looking at a shirt and remembering the game from years ago ... or weeks ago. There is nothing better than watching a video clip and knowing a snapshot of the clip sits in my collection ... at least until my kids finish college.
"Barry, you're the expert. You've been in this hobby for 20 years. I'm just starting out. What should I collect?"
I always chuckle, because my answer is easy. My answer starts with questions.
"What do you like about our hobby? What sports/teams/players do you like? Are you collecting to furnish a room, or pay for your kid's college tuition, or simply for the fun of it?"
In other words, there is no correct answer. Everybody collects for a reason, and with a specific goal in mind. Even if the goal is not to have a goal.
I began collecting in 1978, when I began my first career as a sportswriter. I was a college senior at the State University of Binghamton, interning for the Binghamton Evening Press, covering a junior hockey league team called the Binghamton Barons in the New York-Pennsylania Major Junior Hockey League.
When the season ended, the team folded. I thought it would be cool to own a jersey from every team I covered, since I planned to become a pro hockey writer. I bought a jersey from the soon-to-be defunct team for $40.
And a hobby was born.
Now? I have close to 250 gamers, and my area of interest are my favorite hockey team, the New York Rangers, the teams I covered during my 18 years as a sportswriter, and all New York hockey teams. My favorite rare hockey jerseys were worn by Long Island Ducks, NY Golden Blades, and NY Raiders.
I love my favorite teams' championship seasons, which is why I have the jersey worn by Johnny Sample of the NY Jets in Super Bowl III and the jersey worn by Craig MacTavish in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. I loved the old World Hockey Association and grew up when the NHL expanded from the Original 6 to 12 teams. So I have jerseys worn in the late '60s by the LA Kings, St. Louis Blues, California Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota North Stars, and jerseys worn in the early '70s by the Ottawa Nationals, LA Sharks and Alberta Oilers, to name just a few.
Why do I collect? The memories. There is nothing better than looking at a shirt and remembering the game from years ago ... or weeks ago. There is nothing better than watching a video clip and knowing a snapshot of the clip sits in my collection ... at least until my kids finish college.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Unwashed is the new game use ... if you can stand the aroma.
As many of you know, we landed new NFL deals this season with the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins.
Those agreements identify jerseys worn in particular games by particular players. As part of the authentication process, the jerseys are individually bagged and identified by the club immediately after the game, in the exact condition they came off the field.
Between the grass stains or turf burns, the rips and tears, the hit marks from jersey against jersey and jersey against helmet, the blood, and the general filth from a three-hour NFL struggle, the jerseys look amazing for collectors who love game use.
MeiGray occasionally has provided unwashed gamers for hockey, too. We have offered right off the ice after the event special one-game jerseys, All-Star and Skills Competition jerseys, and jerseys with unique Commemorative Night patches.
Not only are they jerseys easily photo-matched to game action, but they become eye-catching examples of the best aspects of our hobby ... the one-of-a-kind, unique relics of a professional sport.
As many of you know, we landed new NFL deals this season with the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins.
Those agreements identify jerseys worn in particular games by particular players. As part of the authentication process, the jerseys are individually bagged and identified by the club immediately after the game, in the exact condition they came off the field.
Between the grass stains or turf burns, the rips and tears, the hit marks from jersey against jersey and jersey against helmet, the blood, and the general filth from a three-hour NFL struggle, the jerseys look amazing for collectors who love game use.
MeiGray occasionally has provided unwashed gamers for hockey, too. We have offered right off the ice after the event special one-game jerseys, All-Star and Skills Competition jerseys, and jerseys with unique Commemorative Night patches.
Not only are they jerseys easily photo-matched to game action, but they become eye-catching examples of the best aspects of our hobby ... the one-of-a-kind, unique relics of a professional sport.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
I've Got an Idea To Help Settle The NHL Lockout
Everyone else has offered an opinion, vented frustration, expressed disappointment with the NHL Lockout.
Here's mine.
I've tried to look at the dispute with both sides equally in mind. It doesn't help to take sides, because taking one side or the other only adds to the enmity ... and there's more than enough of that to go around.
I tried to come up with something new, something different. The more I looked at the problems, the more it kept hitting me that the disparity between large-revenue and small-revenue clubs, the salary cap, and the way Hockey Related Revenue keeps growing is part of the problem, but can be part of the solution.
With the last CBA that was written in 2005 after a one-season lockout, the salary cap was determined by a percentage of HRR, with a floor and a ceiling. The problem has been that the clubs that contribute an inordinate percentage of the revenue have made it harder for the small-market clubs to profit since the salary cap is determined by a percentage of the whole pot of revenue.
What if each team's salary cap number was based on its individual HRR, plus an agreed-upon revenue sharing system that included revenue earned through national TV and sponsorships? In other words, the Toronto Maple Leafs' salary cap would be much larger than the Florida Panthers' salary cap, but not that much larger than the floor-ceiling range.
Could the Panthers compete if they couldn't pay as much as the Leafs? If they didn't have to? Well, NHL teams that spend to the floor have competed well with the clubs that spend every penny. It could work.
My idea would mean NHL owners would have to agree to increase their revenue sharing pool, but not so much that they could not improve their chances for fair profit.
It would mean NHL players would have to agree to decrease their overall take, but not so much that they would not see salaries continue to rise as long as the game keeps growing.
Just an idea. One I haven't seen before.
Here's mine.
I've tried to look at the dispute with both sides equally in mind. It doesn't help to take sides, because taking one side or the other only adds to the enmity ... and there's more than enough of that to go around.
I tried to come up with something new, something different. The more I looked at the problems, the more it kept hitting me that the disparity between large-revenue and small-revenue clubs, the salary cap, and the way Hockey Related Revenue keeps growing is part of the problem, but can be part of the solution.
With the last CBA that was written in 2005 after a one-season lockout, the salary cap was determined by a percentage of HRR, with a floor and a ceiling. The problem has been that the clubs that contribute an inordinate percentage of the revenue have made it harder for the small-market clubs to profit since the salary cap is determined by a percentage of the whole pot of revenue.
What if each team's salary cap number was based on its individual HRR, plus an agreed-upon revenue sharing system that included revenue earned through national TV and sponsorships? In other words, the Toronto Maple Leafs' salary cap would be much larger than the Florida Panthers' salary cap, but not that much larger than the floor-ceiling range.
Could the Panthers compete if they couldn't pay as much as the Leafs? If they didn't have to? Well, NHL teams that spend to the floor have competed well with the clubs that spend every penny. It could work.
My idea would mean NHL owners would have to agree to increase their revenue sharing pool, but not so much that they could not improve their chances for fair profit.
It would mean NHL players would have to agree to decrease their overall take, but not so much that they would not see salaries continue to rise as long as the game keeps growing.
Just an idea. One I haven't seen before.
Monday, November 26, 2012
A Word About Provenance
MeiGray receives a high volume of consignment collections at this time of year. Collectors looking to bid in auctions, or take advantage of sales, or just make a little money, often move pieces of their collections in November and December in order to add something else to their collections.
When we accept a jersey on consignment, we start by asking questions of authenticity and provenance. Authentication is our area of expertise. Provenance should be each collector's area of expertise when it comes to the item he or she owns. But too often it is not.
Provenance is an important part of the authentication process, but too many collectors do not keep track or do not ask questions when they acquire jerseys. Too often we hear, :"I got this from a guy on ebay," or, I won it in an auction," or "I made a trade," without knowing anything about a jersey's history.
The path a jersey took to your collection is imporant. Knowing that history can enhance, or at the very least protect, your jersey's value. It can help close a sale. It is why MeiGray keeps a record in its database of every jersey it sells.
We see too many collectors and dealers moving jerseys through the hobby without passing along provenance. It's short-sighted to not do that little bit of homework and it hurts the seller, the buyer, and the jersey.
Conversely, knowing where a jersey originated ... team, dealer, collector, whatever ... can help a jersey's desirability in the hobby. And it doesn't take much time or effort to ask the basic questions that will benefit you and your jersey down the road.
When we accept a jersey on consignment, we start by asking questions of authenticity and provenance. Authentication is our area of expertise. Provenance should be each collector's area of expertise when it comes to the item he or she owns. But too often it is not.
Provenance is an important part of the authentication process, but too many collectors do not keep track or do not ask questions when they acquire jerseys. Too often we hear, :"I got this from a guy on ebay," or, I won it in an auction," or "I made a trade," without knowing anything about a jersey's history.
The path a jersey took to your collection is imporant. Knowing that history can enhance, or at the very least protect, your jersey's value. It can help close a sale. It is why MeiGray keeps a record in its database of every jersey it sells.
We see too many collectors and dealers moving jerseys through the hobby without passing along provenance. It's short-sighted to not do that little bit of homework and it hurts the seller, the buyer, and the jersey.
Conversely, knowing where a jersey originated ... team, dealer, collector, whatever ... can help a jersey's desirability in the hobby. And it doesn't take much time or effort to ask the basic questions that will benefit you and your jersey down the road.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
I'm Still Here ... The Blog is Back
Hi everybody,
I'd like to tell you that Hurricane Sandy and the loss of power for 11 days at MeiGray's offices were the reasons why I haven't been blogging, but blogs don't lie ...
My previous post was on May 30 ... so all I can say is we got busy, I got busy, and now I'm back and eager to blog.
So what's been happening (besides two weeks without power??)
1. The NHL Lockout prompted me to look towards the NFL, and MeiGray was proud to be selected as official game-worn jersey partners for the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins.
2. We kicked off a humongous Holiday Sale a week early to help collectors starved for hockey find some fantastic deals. And that sale will be running until just before Christmas ... so help yourselves to some great savings.
3. We've been procuring some amazing jerseys for retail sale that we will be introducing in the coming weeks.
So thanks for your patience, and for not losing faith. As an old school journalist who spent 18 years at the New York Daily News before I founded MeiGray in 1997, blogging is not exactly how I was raised.
But I'm all in now.
Have a great Thanksgiving weekend everybody,
Barry
I'd like to tell you that Hurricane Sandy and the loss of power for 11 days at MeiGray's offices were the reasons why I haven't been blogging, but blogs don't lie ...
My previous post was on May 30 ... so all I can say is we got busy, I got busy, and now I'm back and eager to blog.
So what's been happening (besides two weeks without power??)
1. The NHL Lockout prompted me to look towards the NFL, and MeiGray was proud to be selected as official game-worn jersey partners for the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins.
2. We kicked off a humongous Holiday Sale a week early to help collectors starved for hockey find some fantastic deals. And that sale will be running until just before Christmas ... so help yourselves to some great savings.
3. We've been procuring some amazing jerseys for retail sale that we will be introducing in the coming weeks.
So thanks for your patience, and for not losing faith. As an old school journalist who spent 18 years at the New York Daily News before I founded MeiGray in 1997, blogging is not exactly how I was raised.
But I'm all in now.
Have a great Thanksgiving weekend everybody,
Barry
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Welcome to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final: LAK-MGG vs. NJD-MGG
After one of the greatest Stanley Cup Conference tournaments in recent memory, here at MeiGray we know one thing ... We will win our second straight Stanley Cup!!
One year after the Boston Bruins brought MeiGray its first Stanley Cup champion since 2004, when the NHL-MGG Program worked with the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Stanley Cup Finalist Calgary Flames, MGG has two teams in the Final again. It's the first time in eight years I will be running back and forth between locker rooms in the Final.
And we couldn't be prouder of the playoff runs of the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils.
I will be at Prudential Center all day today, authenticating and logging the Set 1 Final jerseys that will be worn by the Kings and Devils.
For those of you not familiar with MGG's Stanley Cup Final procedure, MGG program teams wear two new sets of home and two new sets of road jerseys in the Stanley Cup Final, all with the unique Stanley Cup Final patch.
Set 1 Final in each color is worn by the program teams until one team in the series reaches three wins. Once a potential clinching game occurs, program teams switch to Set 2 Final. And that set, in each color, is retained by the team.
I can confirm that both teams have prepared an extra jersey for presentation to the Hall of Fame: Kings captain Dustin Brown and Devils captain Zach Parise will wear an additional jersey in warmup only to be donated by the teams and MGG to the Hall of Fame for their annual Stanley Cup display.
After the game, I will be in both locker room areas confirming the jerseys worn throughout the game, and completing our normal post-game authentication.
Stay tuned here throughout the Finals, as I will try and report on all the great jersey nuances that will occur throughout the Stanley Cup Final.
Good luck to the Devils and Kings. Here's hoping it's a great series.
One year after the Boston Bruins brought MeiGray its first Stanley Cup champion since 2004, when the NHL-MGG Program worked with the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Stanley Cup Finalist Calgary Flames, MGG has two teams in the Final again. It's the first time in eight years I will be running back and forth between locker rooms in the Final.
And we couldn't be prouder of the playoff runs of the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils.
I will be at Prudential Center all day today, authenticating and logging the Set 1 Final jerseys that will be worn by the Kings and Devils.
For those of you not familiar with MGG's Stanley Cup Final procedure, MGG program teams wear two new sets of home and two new sets of road jerseys in the Stanley Cup Final, all with the unique Stanley Cup Final patch.
Set 1 Final in each color is worn by the program teams until one team in the series reaches three wins. Once a potential clinching game occurs, program teams switch to Set 2 Final. And that set, in each color, is retained by the team.
I can confirm that both teams have prepared an extra jersey for presentation to the Hall of Fame: Kings captain Dustin Brown and Devils captain Zach Parise will wear an additional jersey in warmup only to be donated by the teams and MGG to the Hall of Fame for their annual Stanley Cup display.
After the game, I will be in both locker room areas confirming the jerseys worn throughout the game, and completing our normal post-game authentication.
Stay tuned here throughout the Finals, as I will try and report on all the great jersey nuances that will occur throughout the Stanley Cup Final.
Good luck to the Devils and Kings. Here's hoping it's a great series.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
We'll be in Staples Center for Game 3-Check out our Game-Worn Jersey Exhibit: History of Kings' Playoff Moments
Ohhhhh baby.
The Kings are making playoff history game-by-game, and MeiGray will be in Staples Center tomorrow for Game 3 of the Western Conference Final vs. the Phoenix Coyotes. Come say hello to me when we introduce a new Game-Worn Jersey Exhibit, A History of Kings Playoff Moments.
We will be displaying a few of the great moments in Kings' Stanley Cup history with the actual game-worn jerseys from those great moments. Deadmarsh, Taylor, Lessard, Stoll ...
The best part of the exhibit is what's to come ... some of the best moments in Kings' playoff history are being made now ... and MeiGray will be there to bring them to you collectors throughout the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
We'll be on the Main Concourse near Section 109, by the Guest Services window. Some please come over, say hello, and share in some of the great moments of the Kings' past ... while we all are witnessing the great moments of the present.
The Kings are making playoff history game-by-game, and MeiGray will be in Staples Center tomorrow for Game 3 of the Western Conference Final vs. the Phoenix Coyotes. Come say hello to me when we introduce a new Game-Worn Jersey Exhibit, A History of Kings Playoff Moments.
We will be displaying a few of the great moments in Kings' Stanley Cup history with the actual game-worn jerseys from those great moments. Deadmarsh, Taylor, Lessard, Stoll ...
The best part of the exhibit is what's to come ... some of the best moments in Kings' playoff history are being made now ... and MeiGray will be there to bring them to you collectors throughout the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
We'll be on the Main Concourse near Section 109, by the Guest Services window. Some please come over, say hello, and share in some of the great moments of the Kings' past ... while we all are witnessing the great moments of the present.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Don't Jinx Your Team by Worrying About Jinxes
This is the time of year when everybody's worrying about jinxing their team.
Don't worry.
It doesn't matter what jersey you're wearing, or what you ate, or where you parked outside the arena ... because everybody else is worried, too. I got a chuckle this weekend as the LA Kings finished their sweep of the St. Louis Blues. Once a MeiGray program team reaches the Stanley Cup semis, we get a flood of requests for Finals jerseys.
And virtually every request we got last night said the same thing ... "I don't want to jinx them, but ..."
Think about it. The only jinx that matters is the one about being worried about jinxes. I didn't say the word no-hitter for the first 40 years of my life, and the New York Mets, my beloved baseball team, still has not thrown one in nearly 8,000 games of their existence.
Now I say no-hitter during every game after a Met gets a 1-2-3 first inning ... and they still haven't thrown one. I'm starting to believe I have nothing to do with it.
If you requested a Finals jersey for the Bruins last season after they won Game 7 vs. Tampa Bay, how did that work out?
By the way, I had planned to blog this on Saturday ... but I didn't want to jinx the Kings yesterday.
Don't worry.
It doesn't matter what jersey you're wearing, or what you ate, or where you parked outside the arena ... because everybody else is worried, too. I got a chuckle this weekend as the LA Kings finished their sweep of the St. Louis Blues. Once a MeiGray program team reaches the Stanley Cup semis, we get a flood of requests for Finals jerseys.
And virtually every request we got last night said the same thing ... "I don't want to jinx them, but ..."
Think about it. The only jinx that matters is the one about being worried about jinxes. I didn't say the word no-hitter for the first 40 years of my life, and the New York Mets, my beloved baseball team, still has not thrown one in nearly 8,000 games of their existence.
Now I say no-hitter during every game after a Met gets a 1-2-3 first inning ... and they still haven't thrown one. I'm starting to believe I have nothing to do with it.
If you requested a Finals jersey for the Bruins last season after they won Game 7 vs. Tampa Bay, how did that work out?
By the way, I had planned to blog this on Saturday ... but I didn't want to jinx the Kings yesterday.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Where is the Civility?
Game-worn jerseys collectors are a passionate bunch.
Hockey fans are a passionate bunch.
Game-worn jersey collectors who are hockey fans are a very passionate bunch ... but it makes no sense to cross the line and it diminishes us all when somebody personally insults and attack another person for his opinion.
It happens too often. And it happened again today on gameworn.net when two people disagreed on the Penguins and Sidney Crosby.
I don't care which side of any hockey argument anyone falls on ... there is no excuse for name-calling. Two people who live hundreds of miles apart and share a passion for collecting jerseys and watching hockey should be able to argue all the time about who is the better player, which is the dirtier team, who should be suspended, who should win the Cup ... whatever.
Without somebody saying someone is an idiot. C'mon everybody. Smarten up.
------------------------
Playoffs start tomorrow. My first-round predictions:
Rangers over Senators in 6
Devils over Panthers in 7
Penguins over Flyers in 5
Bruins over Capitals in 5
Canucks over Kings in 7
Predators over Wings in 5
Blackhawks over Coyotes in 6
Sharks over Blues in 5
---------------------------
MeiGray is delighted that 6 of our 8 program teams made the Stanley Cup playoffs. We know how to pick 'em, don't we!!!
MGG is now taking pre-orders on the playoff sets the Bruins, Flyers, Devils, Capitals and Kings will be wearing. The Predators are retaining the sets they are wearing in the playoffs.
But all 6 of our program playoff teams will wear two new sets of home and two new sets of road jerseys if they reach the Final. It's too early to start preparing those jerseys, but here at MGG we start thinking now about when to order the additional 60 home and 60 road jerseys we will need two months from now if one or two of our teams makes it. We don't like to jinx anything ... but you can never be too prepared!!!
Hockey fans are a passionate bunch.
Game-worn jersey collectors who are hockey fans are a very passionate bunch ... but it makes no sense to cross the line and it diminishes us all when somebody personally insults and attack another person for his opinion.
It happens too often. And it happened again today on gameworn.net when two people disagreed on the Penguins and Sidney Crosby.
I don't care which side of any hockey argument anyone falls on ... there is no excuse for name-calling. Two people who live hundreds of miles apart and share a passion for collecting jerseys and watching hockey should be able to argue all the time about who is the better player, which is the dirtier team, who should be suspended, who should win the Cup ... whatever.
Without somebody saying someone is an idiot. C'mon everybody. Smarten up.
------------------------
Playoffs start tomorrow. My first-round predictions:
Rangers over Senators in 6
Devils over Panthers in 7
Penguins over Flyers in 5
Bruins over Capitals in 5
Canucks over Kings in 7
Predators over Wings in 5
Blackhawks over Coyotes in 6
Sharks over Blues in 5
---------------------------
MeiGray is delighted that 6 of our 8 program teams made the Stanley Cup playoffs. We know how to pick 'em, don't we!!!
MGG is now taking pre-orders on the playoff sets the Bruins, Flyers, Devils, Capitals and Kings will be wearing. The Predators are retaining the sets they are wearing in the playoffs.
But all 6 of our program playoff teams will wear two new sets of home and two new sets of road jerseys if they reach the Final. It's too early to start preparing those jerseys, but here at MGG we start thinking now about when to order the additional 60 home and 60 road jerseys we will need two months from now if one or two of our teams makes it. We don't like to jinx anything ... but you can never be too prepared!!!
Monday, April 2, 2012
It's Already Playoff Time!!
The NHL has one week to go, but at MeiGray, it's already playoff time.
Program teams are preparing their playoff sets, and planning for when the sets will hit the ice.
Although we work closely with our program teams, we make it our business NOT to get involved in hockey decisions. If a team likes to wait until the Trade Deadline for making its Set 2s, we wait until the trade deadline. If a team likes to wear its Set 3, the playoff set, late in the regular season to break them in, that's fine with us.
This season, the Washington Capitals have prepared their third home red set so that they can break them in before the playoffs begin ... if the Caps make it. The New Jersey Devils broke out their home red and road white Set 3s in late March. The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers plan to start their playoff sets in Game 1 of their respective series.
If the Los Angeles Kings make the playoffs, and what a race that is out in the Pacific Division, they will start the playoffs in new Set 3s.
On the ice, it figures to be a great final six days before the season ends with all 30 teams playing on Saturday, April 7. At least one or two playoff spots might be up for grabs on that final day of the regular season.
By the way, we expect Washington and Philadelphia's Set 1s by the end of the regular season, so we will start closing out and shipping those jerseys in time for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Program teams are preparing their playoff sets, and planning for when the sets will hit the ice.
Although we work closely with our program teams, we make it our business NOT to get involved in hockey decisions. If a team likes to wait until the Trade Deadline for making its Set 2s, we wait until the trade deadline. If a team likes to wear its Set 3, the playoff set, late in the regular season to break them in, that's fine with us.
This season, the Washington Capitals have prepared their third home red set so that they can break them in before the playoffs begin ... if the Caps make it. The New Jersey Devils broke out their home red and road white Set 3s in late March. The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers plan to start their playoff sets in Game 1 of their respective series.
If the Los Angeles Kings make the playoffs, and what a race that is out in the Pacific Division, they will start the playoffs in new Set 3s.
On the ice, it figures to be a great final six days before the season ends with all 30 teams playing on Saturday, April 7. At least one or two playoff spots might be up for grabs on that final day of the regular season.
By the way, we expect Washington and Philadelphia's Set 1s by the end of the regular season, so we will start closing out and shipping those jerseys in time for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Are We Ready to Advertise our Jerseys?
There's been a lot of chatter lately regarding the pros and cons of adding advertising to major-league jerseys. We saw them in major league baseball earlier this week with the As-Mariners series in Japan. We've heard an influential and incredibly prescient owner like the Dallas Mavericks' Mark Cuban weigh in with his favorable views.
Is it inevitable?
Nobody doubts there will be millions, probably tens of millions, of dollars in revenue for teams if the leagues begin allowing it. Nobody doubts there will be a flood of major sponsors eager to slap their logos on the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL jerseys that have been traditionally free of any commercial emblems.
Now let's take a little closer look. In truth, there have been ads on jerseys. For years, the manufacturers have slapped their small logos on sleeves, hems, or anywhere they could get away with it. In the NHL, the local customizers who slapped names and numbers on the jerseys added their names (Cosby's, Eagle, Eastside, Gunzo's, Steichen's, Syosset Sports to name just a few) in the late '80s until the NHL banned the practice for the 1988-89 season, when the league did its first big jersey deal with CCM.
We all know what ad-spangled jerseys look like in European soccer, in foreign elite hockey leagues, and in the minor leagues on this continent. They range from the interesting to the ridiculous.
Major-league sports has shifted the line recently, as professional football and hockey teams do have practice jersey sponsors. MeiGray is proud to be the Official Practice Jersey Sponsor of the Los Angeles Kings, and I can tell you we have gotten some nice publicity ... even if our patch does need a little adjustment to its size and shape!!
I think ads on jerseys in our four major sports is inevitable. I think it's 5-10 years away. I still want the crest front and center and not relegated to thumbnail status. As long as we don't turn our athletes into billboards, I'll be OK with it.
***
Finally, in the spirit of tonight's big news around the country ...
MeiGray would like to announce our 2012 MegaMillions Sale ...
Any MeiGray customer who wins the grand prize of the MegaMillions lottery tonight can take 50% off an order of $2,000,000 or more.
If MeiGray wins the MegaMillions lottery grand prize tonight, we will announce that victory on Monday. And then after that announcement, every MeiGray customer can take 99% off any jersey in stock and they can purchase Stu's file cabinet with all his MeiGray Vintage information neatly organized (in seven-foot piles on his desk) for an additional 50 cents.
In that case, please expect 1-2 years for shipping since we will all be sailing to the Caribbean beginning Tuesday morning.
Good luck winning the second place prize, everybody!!!
Is it inevitable?
Nobody doubts there will be millions, probably tens of millions, of dollars in revenue for teams if the leagues begin allowing it. Nobody doubts there will be a flood of major sponsors eager to slap their logos on the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL jerseys that have been traditionally free of any commercial emblems.
Now let's take a little closer look. In truth, there have been ads on jerseys. For years, the manufacturers have slapped their small logos on sleeves, hems, or anywhere they could get away with it. In the NHL, the local customizers who slapped names and numbers on the jerseys added their names (Cosby's, Eagle, Eastside, Gunzo's, Steichen's, Syosset Sports to name just a few) in the late '80s until the NHL banned the practice for the 1988-89 season, when the league did its first big jersey deal with CCM.
We all know what ad-spangled jerseys look like in European soccer, in foreign elite hockey leagues, and in the minor leagues on this continent. They range from the interesting to the ridiculous.
Major-league sports has shifted the line recently, as professional football and hockey teams do have practice jersey sponsors. MeiGray is proud to be the Official Practice Jersey Sponsor of the Los Angeles Kings, and I can tell you we have gotten some nice publicity ... even if our patch does need a little adjustment to its size and shape!!
I think ads on jerseys in our four major sports is inevitable. I think it's 5-10 years away. I still want the crest front and center and not relegated to thumbnail status. As long as we don't turn our athletes into billboards, I'll be OK with it.
***
Finally, in the spirit of tonight's big news around the country ...
MeiGray would like to announce our 2012 MegaMillions Sale ...
Any MeiGray customer who wins the grand prize of the MegaMillions lottery tonight can take 50% off an order of $2,000,000 or more.
If MeiGray wins the MegaMillions lottery grand prize tonight, we will announce that victory on Monday. And then after that announcement, every MeiGray customer can take 99% off any jersey in stock and they can purchase Stu's file cabinet with all his MeiGray Vintage information neatly organized (in seven-foot piles on his desk) for an additional 50 cents.
In that case, please expect 1-2 years for shipping since we will all be sailing to the Caribbean beginning Tuesday morning.
Good luck winning the second place prize, everybody!!!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
We Call it Progress, Part 2
Sold an Oilers' Khabibulin jersey today to a collector who attended a game on the road in St. Louis where Khabby played. The collector wanted this particular jersey because he attended the game, and when I described the extensive game use, he knew exactly the stick and puck marks to which I was referring.
That's the beauty of this hobby. We can go to games, watch our jerseys, and then own them ... with photo evidence to back the jersey. It reminded me of something I used to wonder about in the late 1990s, when I was a collector, before I started this company, when authenticity and legitimacy was so speculative.
The conventional wisdom back then was teams wore very few jerseys. Another mantra echoed by veteran dealers and collectors 15-20 years ago was that photo-matching "was a needle in the haystack" endeavor. One dealer said that exact thing to me in 1997.
I wondered how these two contradictory theories could both be true. If teams wore very few jerseys, why wasn't it easy to photo-match? It's not like teams did not take pictures of their players then. It's not like video did not exist. When MeiGray acquired the New York Rangers Collection in 1997 and we began pulling jerseys out of boxes to inventory them, we photo-matched them within seconds from the media guide, programs, and videotapes.
The simple truth is, this hobby has made tremendous progress. Today's hobby is so much more professional than it was in the '90s because a guy in St. Louis can watch a Blues-Oilers game, check out the game use on a Khabibulin jersey, order it from MeiGray, and know exactly the jersey he is getting.
That's the beauty of this hobby. We can go to games, watch our jerseys, and then own them ... with photo evidence to back the jersey. It reminded me of something I used to wonder about in the late 1990s, when I was a collector, before I started this company, when authenticity and legitimacy was so speculative.
The conventional wisdom back then was teams wore very few jerseys. Another mantra echoed by veteran dealers and collectors 15-20 years ago was that photo-matching "was a needle in the haystack" endeavor. One dealer said that exact thing to me in 1997.
I wondered how these two contradictory theories could both be true. If teams wore very few jerseys, why wasn't it easy to photo-match? It's not like teams did not take pictures of their players then. It's not like video did not exist. When MeiGray acquired the New York Rangers Collection in 1997 and we began pulling jerseys out of boxes to inventory them, we photo-matched them within seconds from the media guide, programs, and videotapes.
The simple truth is, this hobby has made tremendous progress. Today's hobby is so much more professional than it was in the '90s because a guy in St. Louis can watch a Blues-Oilers game, check out the game use on a Khabibulin jersey, order it from MeiGray, and know exactly the jersey he is getting.
We Call it Progress, Part 1
Here’s how the Game-Worn Jersey hobby has grown over the last 15 years …
Fifteen years ago, teams like the Philadelphia Flyers weren’t highlighting Fan Appreciation Nights like the Flyers did after Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Montreal by holding and televising a Shirts Off Our Back ceremonies in which the players stripped down to their shoulder pads to hand a sweaty gamer to a lucky fan. But there we were at Wells Fargo Center, sponsoring one of the coolest new traditions in hockey. Stu Oxenhorn was snapping photos, Joe Manley was handing out Flyers-MGG Letters of Authenticity, and I stood at the Zamboni entrance like a proud papa as each Flyer smoothed out his jersey on one of those great MeiGray presentation boxes being held afloat by each winning fan, so he could sign the back number while taking a picture with the lucky fan.
And I wasn’t halfway home driving north on I-95 when I got a text (No, I don’t text while driving … I pulled over to read it!!!) from one of our clients (a Canadiens fan) telling me he was watching the telecast and saw my between-periods interview. It prompted him to jump on our website and order a jersey that happened to be a New Arrival, simply because the player who wore this jersey shared his last name. “See, your appearance has already paid off,” he wrote.
Now this jersey happened to be a jersey here on consignment, which meant that the collector who hired us to sell it for him was pretty happy this morning to see his jersey no longer on our website for sale. Considering I picked out an orange tie to wear with my tan/brown plan sports coat in honor of the Flyers-MGG Program, I called Saturday night a win-win for all concerned.
Why am I telling this story? Because it’s important to keep a perspective on how our hobby is changing … for the better. It’s easy to talk, as some old-time collectors do, about there being too many sets worn by teams, and how nobody buys and trades like in the old days. But I think that view ignores what’s really going on: The Game-Worn hobby has gone mainstream. Casual fans and hardcore collectors both appreciate _ for very different reasons _ that you can own a jersey directly off a player’s back.
There are more jerseys than ever being worn, but there are more collectors than ever wearing them, too. Ever look around at an NHL rink? Each night there’s a sea of (pick your team’s color). There are more jerseys because there are more collectors and more fans to understand why this is the coolest hobby around.
Chara's Playing in His 1,000th Game
Bruins captain Zdeno Chara played his 999th NHL game last night in San Jose. Big Z's 1000th NHL game is tomorrow night in Los Angeles. And the Bruins-MGG Game-Worn Program is prepared. The Bruins equipment staff has packed three fresh white jerseys for Chara to wear in his Milestone Game: One for Chara, one for the Bruins, and one to be marketed by Bruins-MGG. Congrats Z ...
If you plan to watch or listen to the Flyers playing host to the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow night in Philly, which is Fan Appreciation Night, don't go away during the intermissions. I'll be taping a TV spot before the game and I will be interviewed on radio during the first intermission. We'll be talking about the Flyers-MGG Game-Worn Jersey Program and discussing Shirts Off the Players' Back Night.
On Photo Matches and Blood
We're often asked about our photo-matching service, and how we can be so certain that clean jerseys without distinctive stick marks are matched. The next time you acquire a game-worn jersey, take a look at the crest and notice imperfections in the stitching. Then take a look at the sewn-on numbers and name plate and take a look at the threads and other imperfections.
Using the photo services with which we subscribe, and using our team licensed deals to acquire other high-resolution photos, it's not difficult to blow these photos up 10X and 100X and focus in on one number, one stitch mark, one imperfection. When we match 4 or 5 of these unique areas of a shirt, and couple that with the authentication information we receive from a team, we can be certain the jersey is the exact one in the photo.
Now a few words about blood ... We know all about how the Devils-Rangers line dance on Monday juiced the game-worn hobby, after Ryan Carter's jersey ended up blood-stained. Nowadays, seeing remnants of that blood still present when we acquire the jersey is rare. That's because health concerns, NHL recommendations, and modern cleaning chemicals enable equipment managers to rid any garment of blood within minutes. Each team carries strong enzyme-based fluid that cleans a soaked jersey beautifully. Not what fighter collectors want to hear, but that's what usually happens.
To Wash or Not Wash?
The washing/not washing of special set jerseys we pick up live reminded me of a night in 2003 when I authenticated a set of LA Kings jerseys for the NHL-MGG Vintage Program and brought them back to my hotel room.
Oh, the fragrance!! I ended up bathing each jersey for five minutes in cold water and then finding 25 hangers so I could get a night's sleep and pack the damp but not soaking wet jerseys in a bag for the flight home. It was then that I realized how a quick rinse in cold water without detergent would serve to freshen the jerseys without sacrificing stick or puck marks.
Congratulations to the Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk for scoring his 400th NHL goal last night in Ottawa. We have authenticated and secured the Milestone Jersey, Kovy's White Set 2. That's the set the team has been wearing since February 4, and will wear for a few more games while Set 3 is being prepared. Kovy 400 is headed to a great home, to a collector who has secured many NHL milestone jerseys and equipment over the last five years.
Devils' Retros In the House
Devils fans will be happy to know that not only did we authenticate and pick up last Saturday the Third Annual Retro Set that is currently up for auction, but we also grabbed the Scott Niedermayer Set that the Devils wore the night they retired his number 27. Stay tuned for details ... Drew Wojciechowski, who directs our MGG-Devils Program, had the pleasure of waiting in the laundry room for the basket of sweaty garments to roll in for inventory, authentication, and packing ... When MGG grabs a set of special jerseys directly after a game, we do not wash them. You'd be surprised how many collectors prefer it that way!!!
And we're heading back to Newark tomorrow to pick up another batch of game-used equipment: Sticks, skates and gloves from the current season ...
It isn't often that we acquire a jersey of a player whose name has never hit our database ... but we have just authenticated a road blue WHA Birmingham Bulls jersey from 1977-78 worn by that famed goon and legendary wildman, Steve Durbano. The jersey was previously owned by a collector who told us he bought it in the late '70s from the team. Durbano jerseys are so hard to find because fighter collectors loved him, and this one shows serious fighter use. It'll hit the website if it makes it past the request list ...
We're in Philly Saturday for Fan Appreciation Night. If you're going to the game, good luck becoming one of the 20 fans who wins a gamer right off a Flyer's back. I'll be handing out the LOAs that go with the jerseys ...
Farewell, Mr. Mace.
The hobby lost a giant yesterday.
Ken Mace was a great guy, a good friend, a collector with a passion for the hobby matched by his knowledge and common sense. Hammered Hockey, he called himself on the Forum. He enjoyed the cyber-battles, but he was wise enough to know not to ever take them personally. He fought his dastardly illness hard, stayed positive, and lived a great life. He leaves us all feeling better for having known him. He will be missed.
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