I noticed a Aaron Sele 99 Rangers jersey with an additional Meigray tagging on E-Bay.Did all the Rangers jerseys get bought up my Meigray in 99?The reason I am asking is I am looking at a 99 Palmeiro from a reputable dealer, that does not have the Meigray tagging.???? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks for your question.
When we made our first deal with the Texas Rangers, we were contractually obligated to tag the jerseys after we acquired them.
We acquired every jersey they had in stock, and they warranted to us in our contract that this was their complete collection.
But did jerseys slip out before our deal? Probably. How many, or which ones, nobody will ever know for certain.
Is this jersey you are looking at an actual game-worn jersey? All I ever say to collectors buying jerseys without absolute provenance or authenticity is be careful, ask questions, and feel free to check with us to compare any information you are told.
And experience has told us if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.
At the end of the 2001 season, MeiGray bought the entire team stock (or what was left) from the Texas Rangers (years 1996 through 2001). All of these jerseys had the extra MeiGray tag added (MeiGray would not sell them before every single jersey from the purchase was tagged). Then, they made a second purchase (years 2002 and 2003) and then a third purchase (year 2004). After 2001, they stopped putting the extra tag on as their were mixed reviews. Some collectors liked them and felt they added extra security to knowing the jerseys were real and authentic. Other collectors did not like them (for the same reason that a lot of collectors can't stand the tacky shiny hologram stickers that are unbelievably popular these days - can you tell how I feel about shiny hologram stickers?). So, none of the jerseys from 2002-2004 have that tag. However, for Texas jerseys from MeiGray prior to 2002, they all do. Regarding the 1996-2001 purchase: the more recent the year, the more complete the team stock that MeiGray got. For example, they got the vast majority of the real jerseys from 2001 (though some were kept by players and others slipped through the cracks due to other reasons)...but if you go back to 1996, there were not a ton of 1996 jerseys left (and so MeiGray did not get a ton of 1996 gamers). You are asking about a 1999 jersey. It is very likely that several real 1999 Rangers jerseys are out there that never made it to MeiGray. I have two 2001 Pudge jerseys, for example. Both are hammered and both have the exact same pattern of wear (truly sweet). One came from MeiGray with the extra tag and one came from Melvin Nieves (former MLB player who was/is very close friends with Pudge). They are both real as can be, but I don't think there are too many 2001 jerseys that did not make it to MeiGray (not too many real ones, any way). The one thing I can tell you is that if it came from MeiGray, then you know it's real (which is a nice feeling to have when you're spending a bunch of money). If it did not, then you really need to do your homework on it. There are clearly tons of extras that were ordered by certain Rangers players over the years to be sold privately through their own websites or through private companies ... BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL ABOUT THOSE ... one big hint: If you see set 3, run as fast as you can as I doubt the vast majority of them (if not all of them) ever saw field play (the Rangers did not order any set 3 jerseys from the years 1996-2003 from what I've seen). I've seen several of these set 3 jerseys up close and I've viewed photos of tons of them. They all look stiff as a board and the ones I've seen even smell new! If you want to point me to the Palmeiro, I'll take a look at it if you like (rgf2@hotmail.com). I have what I consider to be Palmeiro's finest road jersey from 2003 (set 1; his 500 HR year) and yes, I inspected both of his roads from that year very closely before I purchased it. Good luck.
