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.
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