I collect GU flannels from the late 1950s and 1960s. There are a lot of identifiers on most shirts that need to be correct. On commons, the issue is restorations and I depend on auction houses to describe properly. On big ticket items, I want to see a Dave Grob LOA. He's the best, and his methodology is extremely thorough.
I think, with a common flannel, comparing to exemplars on the internet or my own collection, making sure the wear and fading is even, that all tagging is present and correct, that the seller is a reputable AH or dealer (or the shirt is beyond question) plus holding it in my hands and feeling the softness of it, is enough.
Put another way, if someone wanted to fake an item they could sell for $1,000 or so, they're a lot better off trying to counterfeit a card, or forge an autograph. Stitching together all the tagging, names in collar/tail, etc. on old flannel is just not feasible. As I say, restorations are the only real concern on lower end flannels.
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