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Authentic vs. Replica Jerseys

themetfairy Feb 24 2009 02:55 PM

What are the differences between the authentic jerseys sold by mlb.com and the replica ones? Some time this summer I plan on purchasing a personalized jersey for MK (either as his 13th birthday present or as a Bar Mitzvah gift - likely the former), and he does not want the Domino's Pizza patch. If they come out with a jersey with the alternate patch, that would work for us. Alternatively, I see that they have replica jerseys that can be personalized. They have no patch, which we see as a plus rather than a minus as compared to the authentic jerseys. Are there other differences?

Gwreck Feb 24 2009 03:09 PM

[u:mop05vxk]Authentic:[/u:mop05vxk] Exactly what the players wear. Numbering and lettering on back of jersey is the three-color, blue with orange border and black drop shadow. Number also appears on front of jersey Mets logo patch on left sleeve Inaugural season patch on right sleeve MLB logo patch at neckline on back of jersey Costs about $250 [u:mop05vxk]Replica:[/u:mop05vxk] Not authentic. Might use slightly different polyester material (not exactly sure about that). Minimal visual difference (if any) in my opinion. The numbering and lettering on the back used to be one color only (blue on the white jerseys, white on the black jerseys). But now it apparently will have the same three-color scheme that the authentic lettering did. No numbers on the front of the jersey No Mets patch on left sleeve No Inaugural season patch on right sleeve No MLB logo patch at neckline Costs about $100

themetfairy Feb 24 2009 03:11 PM

Thanks Gwreck - I appreciate the analysis.

batmagadanleadoff Feb 24 2009 05:49 PM

These days, jerseys come in all price points. The teams try to accomodate every budget. Authentics represent the top of the line in retail and are very close to what the players actually wear on the field. The material, lettering and numbering is exactly what the pros wear. Pros jerseys are available in every even numbered size from 40 on up. (Theoretically, a pro could wear a size 38, or even smaller, I suppose, but I've never seen a pro jersey in a size below 40) Retail authentics however, are available only in every other even numbered size. So 40, but not 42; 44 but not 46, and so on. Pro jerseys, unlike retail authentics are ofter custom tailored to the players own personal tastes. These alterations come in the form of tapering at the stomach area, sleeve lengthening, extra shirt length to tuck in, or backs that are longer than the front. None of these alterations are available at the retail level. Also, the tagging on authentics is slightly different than on the game used shirts; anyone armed with this knowledge can easily distinguish an authentic from a "gamer". This is all sort of nitpicking, though. Authentics are terrific looking shirts in their own right, and look like the real thing to anyone who isn't trying very hard to distinguish the authentic from a game used. Nothing even close to an authentic existed when I was a kid. I sure would've liked going around in an authentic Milner jersey, or a Wayne Garrett jersey, when I was young. Good luck with whatever you select.

themetfairy Feb 24 2009 06:46 PM

Thanks batmag, for the info and the good wishes. The plan was to buy the kid an authentic, personalized black jersey last year with the Shea final season logo, and a white pinstripe personalized jersey this year. But the Domino's logo is making us reconsider getting another authentic jersey. The kid's birthday is in August, so we have some time to mull this one over.

metsguyinmichigan Feb 24 2009 08:45 PM

I only buy the authentics because I'm a stickler. But I'd have really good luck with eBay. I got a black Santana home jersey last year for about $50, and it's the real deal. And there are others on there, too. Patience is the key with ebay, of course.

themetfairy Feb 24 2009 08:51 PM

True. But that doesn't work for a personalized one (the kid's name, as opposed to a player's name).

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 24 2009 08:54 PM

It does if your last name's Martinez or Cedeno.

themetfairy Feb 24 2009 09:07 PM

True - we could just change his name ;)

batmagadanleadoff Feb 24 2009 09:08 PM

="metsguyinmichigan":su1ipn29]I only buy the authentics because I'm a stickler. But I'd have really good luck with eBay. I got a black Santana home jersey last year for about $50, and it's the real deal. And there are others on there, too. Patience is the key with ebay, of course.[/quote:su1ipn29] Your experience is the exception. Most of the (un)authentics on ebay that claim to be of very recent vintage are counterfeit. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 24 2009 09:35 PM Like anything else, spend enough time and attention on it, and you find a nice deal-- grabbed an authentic (BN w/ tags) pinstriped 2006 Beltran (no last-season Shea patch) and Mitchell-and-Ness 1986 Mookie over the last month for 90 between the two. metsguyinmichigan Feb 24 2009 10:23 PM ="batmagadanleadoff":1n5l2uny] ="metsguyinmichigan":1n5l2uny]I only buy the authentics because I'm a stickler. But I'd have really good luck with eBay. I got a black Santana home jersey last year for about $50, and it's the real deal. And there are others on there, too. Patience is the key with ebay, of course.[/quote:1n5l2uny] Your experience is the exception. Most of the (un)authentics on ebay that claim to be of very recent vintage are counterfeit.[/quote:1n5l2uny] Sure, on ebay, you always have to be careful. But if you know what to look for, you can do OK. batmagadanleadoff Feb 24 2009 10:35 PM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":14ly9gy8]Like anything else, spend enough time and attention on it, and you find a nice deal-- grabbed an authentic (BN w/ tags) pinstriped 2006 Beltran (no last-season Shea patch) and Mitchell-and-Ness 1986 Mookie over the last month for 90 between the two.[/quote:14ly9gy8] Sometimes, good deals can be had. I picked up an uncustomized 1995 Mets authentic on ebay a few months ago. I'd like to customize it, but don't know where to take it to get the proper '95 Mets specs lettering and numbering. If I wrote that most of the recent vintage authentic ebays are unauthentic, I'd say that just about every Mitchell & Ness (any year) on ebay is counterfeit. Eighty-six style Mets M&N jerseys are very popular on ebay. The very few legit ones I've seen on ebay over the last two years were selling for close to $200. One of the problems in discerning the authenticity of these jerseys on ebay, where you don't get to touch the item, and are limited to whatever photos the seller decides to provide is that it's easier to prove a counterfeit than it is to determine whether the jersey is legitimate. If I can see a flaw in the jersey, I can determine that the jersey is a fake. But a jersey isn't necessarily legitimate just because I can't detect a problem by browsing the item: the defect might not be visible. Anyway, I think that I always see a flaw in the M&N's. Also, those jerseys retail for, sometimes more than $300. A buy it now on one of those for $50 or so would make me skeptical, if anything. I'm not trying to imply that your M&N is a fake; I assume you found a good one. I'm just sharing some general observations. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 24 2009 10:55 PM ="batmagadanleadoff":2jeqh1yk] If I can see a flaw in the jersey, I can determine that the jersey is a fake. But a jersey isn't necessarily legitimate just because I can't detect a problem by browsing the item: the defect might not be visible. [/quote:2jeqh1yk] Ah, but if I cannot detect a flaw, to me, is the flaw really there? If an 0-2 curveball bends in, but nobody's around to watch it, does a 2007 season really end? It's entirely possible Mookie is a fake; then again, it compares pretty favorably to any other M & N product I've ever had the pleasure of running under my fingers (went to school in Philly, and was lucky enough to work near the M & N store, so I've clocked plenty of lunch-break drool time over double-knit), and the same seller relisted the jersey a few times when it didn't draw the big opening bids he seemed to be soliciting (150-plus, then 125-plus). Then again AGAIN, though-- and this is my real point, I think-- if it feels legit enough to me, and the flaws are imperceptible, it's worth the bones. Unlike the killjoy who speculates in Star Wars figures, I'm buying to enjoy. Centerfield Feb 25 2009 08:06 AM Good luck with getting that name printed on the back. Even Kelvin found it hard to get that done. batmagadanleadoff Feb 25 2009 08:42 AM ="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":2c3a88u8] Ah, but if I cannot detect a flaw, to me, is the flaw really there? If an 0-2 curveball bends in, but nobody's around to watch it, does a 2007 season really end?[/quote:2c3a88u8] Ask the pitcher that pitched the 0-2 curve. Fman99 Feb 25 2009 08:51 AM I have two replicas that I got on special, one black and one white/pinstripes. Each of them cost me $20 or so. The white was is a Beltran jersey -- the letters/numbers are just blue. It's clearly a knockoff but I don't care. The black one is a BP jersey, no number or name on it. batmagadanleadoff Feb 25 2009 09:09 AM ="Fman99":2orau98g]I have two replicas that I got on special, one black and one white/pinstripes. Each of them cost me $20 or so. The white was is a Beltran jersey -- the letters/numbers are just blue. It's clearly a knockoff but I don't care. The black one is a BP jersey, no number or name on it.[/quote:2orau98g] MLB makes Mets jerseys with blue numbers on the back. So that alone wouldn't automatically mean that your jersey is a knockoff. MLB licensed Met shirts come in many, many styles and at various price points. I used the term counterfeit (and its synonyms) in reference to bootlegged jerseys made without the consent of MLB. The top of the line legit retail authentics sell for anout $250.00. So there is a huge price range below that, for the counterfeiters to exploit. They'll sell you a $50 jersey that might not look right and might not survive more than a few washes.