Mastro Auctions provides its own Letters of Authenticity for all of the game used equipment that appears in the company’s auctions. Additionally, it’s significant to note that virtually every one of the game used jerseys and helmets in our special Legends sale has been specifically photomatched to verify that the style of the item corresponds directly to its stated period of game action. To a greater degree than is the case with other sports, photomatching — and the painstaking research that accompanies those methods — is particularly important in the football collecting realm.
The diligence required to ascertain precise matching (and explain occasional anomalies) sometimes yields unexpected rewards, too.
As an example, the 1966 Jim Taylor Green Bay Packers game used jersey in the Legends sale was found, upon deep investigation, to differ from the style the Packers wore through December 18, 1966 (the date of the final game of that year’s regular season). In fact, it is an exact match of the style worn by Taylor in Super Bowl I … and it could very likely be the actual jersey he wore in that historic game!
Be sure to watch our website as the exciting Legends sale approaches. We’ll be adding more and more photographic documentation (including intensive visual corroboration of the Taylor discovery) as the date of event nears, and this information will be of substantial value to serious bidders.
The photomatching process — and our standard diligence in validating authenticity — is a time-consuming effort. This is especially pertinent in consideration of the fact that doing proper justice to more than 200 quality items in “Legends of the Gridiron” required an exhaustive and lengthy expenditure of resources!
Anticipation for the “Legends of the Gridiron” event continues to build in the industry as December 8 comes closer … we hope to see you there!
Please note: The Guide to Prospective Bidders in our Legends Live catalog contains an erroneous statement. In the section dealing with Game Used Jerseys, the text states that PSA/DNA is involved in the authentication process. THIS IS INCORRECT. PSA/DNA is not now, nor has it ever been, involved in any way in the authentication of the game used jerseys we offer. This misprint is the result of a regrettable administrative mistake. Please disregard this error.
