The first thing you must do when getting into the game used memorabilia hobby is Educating Yourself! I can't make it any more clear than that, depending on the sport you decide to collect you must look for different characteristics. I will try to go over some of the basic characteristics you will find on each jersey in this guide to purchasing and obtaining game used jerseys.

Baseball

When looking at baseball jerseys especially current there are a few surefire signs of wear. The first trait to look for in jerseys from jerseys from 2004-Present, is the tag within the inside seam of the jersey. In Majestic manufactured jerseys, which most MLB jerseys are presently, there should be a tag within the inside seam. If that tag, has '6200' on it, then you are dealing with a retail issue jersey, a jersey you could find in any shop that sells MLB jerseys. However, if the tag has a '0062' tag, that is a pro-coded tag, which means that the jersey could only have been issued to the team for use by the players.

Another sign when looking at a game used jersey is took look for use, specifically piling, which is a term used for fabric that seems to pile up on itself.  This denotes rubbing, which is consistent with use by players. Additionally, when looking for signs of use look for the jersey numbering and the team name to check and see if there is some light fraying of the threads stitching the jersey and team names to the jersey.

Another valuable resource when looking for game used jerseys, make sure and use sites as Getty Images, Corbis Images, etc as references for checking many different features found on jerseys. This can be features such as the font of the jersey, patches found on the jersey, button style and spacing, etc. If you have a chance also try to look for jersey from the same team and season as you may find one with a strip tag or some additional tagging that the team would add in there. This changes on a team by team basis, so if you see one jersey from one team with a certain additional tag, don't assume it will be on another teams jersey even though it was made by the same manufacturer.

Also, when your looking for jersey, if the jersey has a MLB Authentication Hologram, check it within the database on MLB.com, under the Auction section. If you check it within the MLB Database, it may say team issued, however, when Authenicators, Inc. puts a jersey into the database and they do not have a specific date of last use by the player, they list the jersey as team issued, even though it may show signs of game use.

When looking at older jerseys, pre-1987, you can be assured that there were no retail jerseys, as jerseys were only issued to players and not sold through pro shops, etc. before 1987.

Football

When looking at football jerseys, an important characteristic on current jerseys is the 'Made In Berlin, WI' tag. Most NFL jerseys are made in Berlin, WI no matter who the manufacturer's tag lists as the manufacturer, such as Reebok, Russell Athletic, etc. Most jerseys in the NFL are made by Ripon jerseys and then distributed to the larger producers of the jersey (i.e. Reebok, etc.), which then distribute the jerseys to specific teams and retail outlets.

When looking for game used jerseys as opposed to retail there are a few characteristics that differentiate the two. The first is the strip tag, which is present in almost every current NFL jersey. The strip tag is usually in the neck and has the year it was issued followed by the the jersey size, i.e. 02-52 for a jersey issued during the 2002 season that is a size 52 jersey. A trait that is present in the retail jerseys that is not present in jerseys used by NFL players is the NFL Equipment neckline, and in this I mean the fabric sewing the jersey to the neck fabric, not the NFL Equipment Shield on the front collar area of the jersey.

When looking for jerseys, like with baseball jerseys, use sources such as Getty Images and Corbis Images to look for specific traits used by a specific player. Different players like there jerseys certain ways, but for the most part different players on the field have specific alterations that goes along with their position. For example, most quarterbacks have sleeves that are not cuffed with an elastic band, where as most of the rest of the players on the field have cuffed sleeves.

Hockey

Hockey jerseys are a different breed, with a lot more wear to be seen on the jersey since there is a lot more contact present from different sorts of objects in hockey. First, there are board burns, these are normally found along the shoulder lines of the jersey as these come onto jerseys from well, checking another player. If you have a player that you know is a heavy hitter, than you should be looking for these, as there will be quite a few. Another type of mark you will get on hockey jerseys, is a puck and stick mark, these normally come along the chest and back of the jersey as they come from either getting hit with the puck, which is more of a one area black mark. A stick mark is more of a slashing mark, which is thin, but will go a little further in length then a puck mark.

Another trait of hockey gamers is that if they were used for quite awhile they will have a good number of rips, at least 5, which may be repaired by the team. These can happen anywhere throughout the jersey, but are another good sign of game use.

As for differentiating hockey gamers from the retail versions, look inside the jersey. On most retail jerseys you will not find what is called a fight strap. It's a strap that is on the back side of the jersey and helps to keep the jersey on for players during fights, so for the retail version it is not a necessity, but sometimes you will find retail versions with fight straps so it's not always a sure reason to say either a jersey is a game used jersey or just a retail version.

Again, with the other jersey types, you will want to check the jersey your thinking about buying and look at Getty and Corbis Images and search for the patches, etc. Another thing, that is a little easier with hockey jerseys (and or equipment) is to directly photomatch the item to a specific date or game. You can so by matching up a puck mark, team repair, hole, etc. to a picture, which once you do that you should have all the confidence in the world for that jersey as the marks on a jersey are hard to replicate exactly.

Some things to remember

Everything you see here on eBay is not real, in fact a good percentage of the items listed as game used on ebay are in fact not game used. A good number of the jerseys on ebay can be either retail versions, team issued, or could just be plain out remade by someone to resemble a game used jersey. So before you buy any jersey do your research, as when your spending a good amount of money on one item, you do not want to get taken and get some jersey that is just clearly 'wrong'.

If you need additional help

If you ever have a question about an item or want an extra opinion on an item, you can always send the jersey to an authentication company, such as MEARS, which stands for Memorabilia Evaluation and Research Services. This company for a fee, will evaluate your jersey, or other equipment, and give you a full letter about their findings regarding your jersey. They normally get your jersey back to you within about 30 days and then you can have peace of mind, which is always a good thing in this industry.

Additional Guides

Please make sure to check out my other guides that I will be writing in the future. I intend to write guides to help the game used hobbyist and to help improve the game used memorabilia industry.

If you have any questions feel free to ask me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.