Posted By:
martindlLee said
"I think anyone buying "game used", "authentic" or what ever you want to call them item are taking a serious gamble with there money because if you did not get it personally i don't believe anyone can be absolutely sure it is what they say it is."
Buying and collecting game used equipment is no more of a gamble than collecting early cards, provided you do what David said above and make sure you're educated. If you spend enough time and energy studying whatever it is you collect, then the bad stuff becomes fairly obvious. If your passion is spending money to get things but do no homework, then whatever you collect, you'll get burned.
The biggest problem in the game used arena are the claims of use, not that the item is used. The Dimaggio streak bat is a prime example - it is clearly a Dimaggio game used bat and worth a nice sum in its own right, but once it attracted the moniker of "streak bat" it took off to another stratosphere. I'd stay away from anything that is claimed to be used in a certain signature moment unless there is absolute ironclad evidence, and there rarely is.