So you are eyeing that special game-worn jersey, but what are you really buying? Whether you have a $300 or a $3000 budget, here are the first 4 things you should consider before buying a game-worn jersey.

1. Authentication  

When you first start collecting game-worn jerseys things like Letter of Authenticity (LOA) and Certificate of authenticity (COA) can give a collector a sense of relief knowing the item is authentic. In a sense, a LOA or COA can legitimize a jersey proving its provenance and the jerseys’ history. Collectors still need to be careful when buying a game-worn jersey with a LOA or COA.  Make sure that the entity issuing the letter or certificate is legitimate and a trusted source in the hobby.  Letters directly from professional teams, letters from well renowned collectors, third-party authenticators or even from major auction houses are usually...

As soon as I walked into the hallway of the Windsor Hotel and saw the sign commemorating the foundation of the National Hockey League right there in one of the hotel’s restaurants, I knew it was going to be a great evening.

The All-Star Event was a charity fundraiser for the Vladislav Tretiak and Max Pacioretty Foundations.  The event took place last Friday February 3rd, and Classic Auctions was there.

The evening helped raise a total of more than $100,000.  The event allowed more than 500 guests to meet numerous hockey legends and active players including Vladislav Tretiak, Max Pacioretty, Alex Ovechkin, P.K. Subban, Lars Eller, and Peter Budaj, among others.  All were real gentlemen and true pros.

I have never met Mick Jagger or any other rock star, but I can now say that I've met Alex Ovechkin.  Does that count? I was backstage when Ovechkin arrived at the event and it really felt like a rock star's entrance.  I honestly don’t know how a player like that would be able to play for the Montreal Canadiens.  The Habs might not have a large enough security budget!

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When we did our Top 10 Most Expensive Jerseys sold by Classic Auctions a couple of weeks ago, we unfortunately missed 3 important jerseys that should have been included.

Here is an updated version of the impressive list of game-worn jerseys sold by Classic Auctions over the last 15 years.  We decided to keep the original list and simply add the three jerseys we had left out.  We now have a Top 13!  All of them were sold for more than $45,000 us.

1. Paul Henderson "The Goal" 1972 Canada-Russia Series Game-Worn Jersey

Price realized: $1,275,707 us

Auction: June 2010

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Alex Ovechkin is an intense player.  Who would disagree with that?

If you haven’t really taken the time to watch a Washington Capitals game, then you may only know Alex Ovechkin as that guy who scores a ton of goals.  But seriously, I don’t think that I have ever seen a player with such a presence on the ice.  With those bright yellow laces on his skates, Ovechkin just seems to be flying out there!  Watching him fall to his knees but then get back up with the puck still cradled on his stick before firing off a wrist shot at lightning speed is just amazing.  I’m pretty sure that his backhand is harder than my slap shot.

What I find incredible about Alex is his passion for the game, his intensity.  And these days, intensity in hockey often manifests itself in the form of body checks.  The NHL’s first overall pick in the 2004 draft is not known for backing...

Which was the greater hockey story, the 1972 Summit Series or the 1980 Olympics’ “Miracle on Ice”?

Do we really need to choose?  Is it possible to say that both of these great hockey tales hold the same kind of sway over Canadians and Americans, respectively, though in two completely different contexts?

The eight games played between Canada and the U.S.S.R. in 1972 – forever known as the Summit Series - ended up being one of the greatest international hockey competitions ever contested, and certainly Canada’s definitive sporting event.  Games 6, 7 & 8 in Moscow were among the most exciting hockey games that I have ever seen!  Even 40 years later you can still feel the tension just pulling out the DVDs and watching these legendary Canadian and Russian competitors getting crushed up against the wire fence (!) atop the boards surrounding the ice.

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“Herb Brooks was smart like a fox […]”, said the more than friendly Ken Morrow.

I got a feeling while interviewing the legendary Ken Morrow that Walt Disney Pictures didn’t exaggerate in 2004 when they reproduced the famous speech from coach Brooks before the February 22nd game. The moment must have been magic. Just unrealistic.

I say that because, even though Team USA realized a miracle on the ice that day, Ken Morrow seems to be certain that their coach was really the one that elevated them to a level where the Russians couldn’t reach them. High as a bird if I may say. As he said himself, “It was a feeling of disbelieve” while talking about the Russian game.

Pretty easy to understand when you think that the Russian team was considered the best team in the world at that time. It was also composed of legends that the American...

Game-worn jerseys are not made of gold and diamonds.  Most of the time, they are in a pretty bad shape.  Sometimes they even smell bad… but they are still one of the most wanted collectibles out there.

Jersey collectors know that when you are buying a game-worn jersey, you are actually buying the feeling that the player had when he wore it on the ice.  You are buying the emotions.  You are buying the impregnated sweat and blood that reflects what it means to play professional sports.  And some jerseys have more to say.

Here’s a list of the 10 most expensive game-worn jerseys ever sold in a Classic Auctions’ online auction.



1.      Paul Henderson "The Goal" 1972 Canada-Russia Series Game-Worn Jersey

Price realized:      $1,275,707 us

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The days and weeks surrounding Christmas and the New Year’s Eve have given us a lot of precious moments over the last 100 years.

Here’s a quick look at a few magic sports moments that filled the Holiday Seasons and made history.

December 24th 1969

Unhappy with his team’s decision to trade him to the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals’ centerfield Curt Flood writes a letter to the MLB commissioner to protest.  In his historic letter, Flood, a three-time All-Star and seven-time Golden Glove winner, was challenging the baseball’s so-called reserve clause preventing players from moving to another team unless they were traded.

The US Supreme Court finally ruled against Flood in 1972.  Flood had already retired from baseball in 1971.  Two years after the court’s decision, the verdict was reversed and the reserve clause was abolished.  Modern...

Detroit is Hockeytown.  True or false?

Well it’s hard to tell the 700,000+ people living in the 18th most populous city in the United States that they are wrong when you look at the stats and history of their team…

Not only that the Detroit Red Wings registered the trademark Hockeytown, they also registered the victories on the ice over the last decades.  As we say, ‘’Detroit Rocks’’.   The Red Wings have made the playoffs in 25 of the last 27 seasons, including the last 20 in a row (1991–2011)!  At the time we are writting these lines, they hold a 21-11-1 record, comfortably sitting in 5th place in the Western Conference.

 



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Want to know how one collects such a great quantity of quality items?

That’s exactly what we asked Scott Peters from Vancouver, who gave us the immense pleasure of handling the sale of his comprehensive collection of historic hockey publications.  Please read further for the interview.

Perhaps the most complete and significant collection of its kind in existence, it includes programs and tickets from nearly every Stanley Cup Final between 1926 and 1972, most of them from the Cup winning game; All Star Game programs from 1948 to 1979; rare guides and yearbooks; early hockey magazines; programs and tickets from dozens of historic and record setting NHL games; championship team autographed programs; vintage scrapbooks and more.

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