Things that factor into a jerseys value or interest

[wooten]

Since i've pretty much only gotten jerseys of hometown guys I like, I've never given much thought before about the broader reasons of what affects a jersey's value or interest to another collector. Obviously a HoF guy is going to be pricey, or a fan favorite or a photo matched jersey from an important game or event, but what about the less obvious reasons? What affect does a C or A have on value to you as a collector? Or a patch from a special event or one game wonder? What does wear do for you, or no wear? Are rookie numbers interesting to you, or would you rather have numbers better associated with the player?

Just curious what helps everyone decide value on gamers. I tend to value rookie jerseys and whether they have a letter on them. I also kind of like special event jerseys, even one game wonders. I'd like to know the player had at least a point or lots of PIMs in a one gamer though, but it really doesn't matter too much.

[CJ Matthews]

I don't have any gamers, but I like to think that if a player was really well known for wearing one letter, be it a C or and A, and you can get a jersey with the letter he's less known for (Adam Graves with a C, Jagr with an A) then it's something a little out of the ordinary that people don't usually see at games. I'm actually trying to find a Reebok Liberty jersey to make with Dan Girardi's rookie number.

[rob77ta]

I would guess that everyone is going to have a different response to this question. For me, it's always cool to get a game worn jersey with the A or C. It does not always make them worth more than a jersey without the letter though. Looking at MeiGray you will see that a player may wear the "A" for one set and not the next. The price is usually the same. So I don't think the "A" in their eyes affects the price. Captains jerseys are almost always the most expensive but can be worth less than a decent scorer or goalie. Wear is important to most collectors. For me I just want the jersey to remain in tact. Repairs, stick marks, and unrepaired holes are good. It is usually a good indication that the jersey saw it's fair share of action. Nowadays, with the teams wearing so many sets, its hard to find a jersey with good wear. That is why some of my older game worns are cooler than the newer ones. A SCF game worn jersey or one with patches are also high up on my list. These tend to be more unique in my view even if they did not see a ton of action. To me it's all about picking up players that I liked growing up or in some cases filing in holes in my collection. Now...I really need to find that double patched 91-92 Flyers gamer!

[The Russian Rocket]

Any sentimental value of the jersey outweighs any patch or letter IMO. I recently purchased Sergei Shirokov's Away Manitoba Moose Set 1 because he set the club record for longest point streak in it. During this 12 game span he also scored the OT winner in Abbotsford and gave me his stick after the game. The jersey and stick look great together, especially since I have photos of the two from the game

[Shenanigans]

I don't have many gamers, but the ones I do I value because they are of my favorite players. Regardless of if they wore it for just one game, or 50, so long as it's theirs I appreciate it. It's always nice to have noticeable wear for photomatching. And I definitely go after rookie numbers. To me (rookie jerseys, even if they aren't gamers) that really shows that you didn't just bandwagon a player after they became popular.

How do you guys feel about pre-season gamers? I think they can have a certain coolness to them as they usually have obscure numbers or are from before a player really made it. I know some people don't like them because they aren't from an official NHL game but they are still worn, nonetheless. Does that make them any less interesting to have?