Dear Bidder,
Grey Flannel Auctions is proud to offer in our May 14th, 2008 Summer Games Auction, an impressive array of quality memorabilia, not only from a wide variety of sports, but also from the performing arts and Americana. To those of you who have never visited our showroom in Westhampton Beach, New York, we warmly extend an invitation to visit us and inspect the incredible memorabilia presented in this catalog. We realize this is not always possible, and to those bidders who cannot visit our facility, you can rest assured that each and every lot in this auction is genuine and authentic in all respects. Our commitment to authentication for over a decade has earned us the reputation as "The Standard of the Industry." We are the official appraisers and authenticators for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, and Sotheby's chose us to authenticate the largest and most important baseball uniform collection ever to come up for auction, the Barry Halper collection.
Except in very few instances can the provenance of game-used items and autographed items be definitely traced and attributed to an athlete or individual, even when a letter from a team is provided. The following paragraphs discuss the processes used by Grey Flannel Auctions to authenticate lots in our auction. As a result of those processes, based on the information available to Grey Flannel Auctions, we are very comfortable in stating that "in our opinion" the items in our auction are authentic. Therefore, every lot in this auction will be sold "As Is", no exceptions.
All of our jersey authenticators are under the incredibly discerning eye of Nick Coppola, who has been collecting jerseys over 30 years and has carefully and separately looked at every game-used jersey in this auction. Our jersey authenticating team includes Richard Russek, who has been in the hobby for 20 years, T.J. Favilla who worked at Yankee Stadium for 4 years and our own Michael Russek. Milt Byron, the most recognized game-used hockey expert, has thoroughly inspected every game-used hockey jersey and each will come with his letter. It is understood that every game-used jersey will come with a letter of opinion from Grey Flannel with the exception of lots containing multiple jerseys, as well as jackets, shoes, gloves, pants, caps, helmets, etc. Lots containing multiple bats will be accompanied by one PSA/DNA letter. We will note in the lot descriptions if other letters come in addition to ours. As to the most controversial and vulnerable area of all, autographs, we have taken great measures to protect our clients. We have used the services of James Spence Authentication, Jimmy Spence and Jeremy Kraft. In every lot featuring an item that is autographed, each expert looked at the item independently. With every autographed lot, if any one of our experts were uncomfortable with an item, we removed it from the auction. This was NOT a majority vote. Every autographed lot in this auction will come with a JSA letter. Please note that "CH" within a lot description means an expert has determined it to be of Clubhouse variety. Lots containing multiple items have been reviewed by JSA, however, the possibility for secretarial and otherwise questionable signatures may be included.
Each and every game-used bat was inspected and approved by John Taube and Vince Malta of PSA/DNA, author of "Bats," as well as our own T.J. Favilla. It is understood that every game-used bat will come with a PSA/DNA letter of authenticity from recognized industry experts, John Taube and Vince Malta. In all other cases when there is no letter of authenticity, your invoice shall act as our letter of authenticity.
Our many years of experience have led us to choose all of the above experts. We believe they are the very best that exist. There is very little science to authenticating in this hobby, mostly opinion. If you disagree, we warmly invite you to make arrangements to have your authenticator come inspect any and all items you are interested in before the auction. Once you buy the item you own it. No returns, every lot is sold "As Is." Grey Flannel Auctions cannot be held responsible for changes in the opinions of authenticators beyond 60 days from the close of the auction.
Sincerely,
MICHAEL ROSENBAUM
CEO
Richard Russek
President
BIDDER REGISTRATION - In order to bid in this auction you need to have a bidder I.D. You may obtain a bidder I.D. by calling (631) 288-7800 ext. 223 during our regular business hours. You will be asked to give two hobby references at the time of your registration. If you cannot supply these references, then Grey Flannel Auctions may ask you questions regarding your credit. You will be required to provide a valid credit card number. You will need to register only once, and this will give you a permanent bidder I.D. for Grey Flannel Auctions. Please call to register before 6:00 p.m. ET May 14, 2008. After this time, we will register no more bidders, with no exceptions. Placing a bid constitutes acceptance of Grey Flannel Auctions' rules and Grey Flannel Auctions has the final say in interpreting all rules.
SUBMITTING BIDS - Bidding begins immediately by phone and online. We are interactive online at www.greyflannelauctions. com for this auction. Please check our web site for instructions. No e-mail bids will be accepted. No lot will be closed until the entire auction is over. Please do not ask for an exception to these rules.
9:00PM RULE - The auction will close for initial bidders at 9PM ET on May 14, 2008. If you have not placed a bid on an open lot prior to 9pm ET you will be ineligible to bid on said lot after 9pm. However, any unopened lot can be bid on after 9pm. If you are the only bidder on a lot after 9pm, you will instantly become the winning bidder. Grey Flannel Auctions reserves the right to extend this rule for any reason. For ongoing lots after 9pm ET the 10-minute rule will be applied, meaning the auction will not end until bidding stops for 10 minutes.
MINIMUM BID INCREASE - 10% minimum increase, in whole dollar amounts. There will be no exceptions. Please see Ceiling Bids.
BUYER'S PREMIUM - All winning bids will have a 20% buyer's premium added to the final hammer price. (Example: Your final bid is $1,000. A $200 buyer's premium will be added to your final bid.) All bidders must pay buyer's premiums; no exceptions.
SALES TAX - All State of New York residents will pay sales tax. Since each county is different, the appropriate tax will be included in your final invoice. New York State dealers: if you have a resale number, please make sure that we have it on file or you will pay sales tax.
RESERVES - Please be advised that in a few instances the actual reserve may be lower/higher than that published.
CEILING BIDS - Ceiling bids are simply the highest dollar amount that you would empower Grey Flannel to bid on your behalf for a particular lot. Grey Flannel Auctions strongly encourages you as the bidder to place ceiling bids. This is the easiest and most efficient way to ensure that you get the best possible chance to win your desired auction lot. Ceiling bids are kept in the strictest confidence. First, to place a ceiling bid, it needs to be a minimum of 21% higher than the high bid, which must be your last bid. (Example: Your new bid is $1,000, and the minimum ceiling bid that can be placed is therefore $1,210). Also, Grey Flannel Auctions reserves the right to raise your ceiling bid by a maximum of 10%. (Example: Your ceiling bid is $1,000 and the current bid is $950; we will raise your ceiling bid to $1,045). This ensures that no ceiling bidder will be outbid by less than 10%. If the same ceiling bid is placed on a lot by two or more bidders, the bidder who placed the ceiling bid first will have first priority to that bid amount.
DISCLAIMER - Grey Flannel Auctions is not responsible for computer or human error which may result in any customer dissatisfaction. The stock lots in this auction are: 4, 11, 19, 27, 32, 130, 198, 344, 376, 412, 436, 449, 450, 451, 454, 457, 460, 462, 463, 468, 471, 475, 504, 533, 537, 549, 573, 574, 594, 618, 631, 632, 706, 708, 709, 722, 723, 72, 728, 729, 753, 771, 778, 779, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792, 794, 798, 799, 800, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, 810, 811, 812, 814, 869, 879, 880, 881, 882, 883, 884, 885, 886, 887, 888, 889, 890, 893, 894, 895, 896, 899, 901, 902, 907, 908, 909, 917, 920, 951. The interest lots in this auction are: 6, 25, 40, 57, 87, 94, 103, 104, 115, 116, 188, 189, 190, 200, 246, 264, 312, 325, 333, 336, 341, 348, 349, 400, 427, 433, 435, 441, 442, 443, 448, 517, 550, 569, 575, 597, 602, 611, 621, 663, 671, 677, 683, 692, 717, 727, 732, 733, 736, 750, 758, 762, 764, 773, 782, 816, 817, 830, 837, 841, 845, 848, 849, 863. The implied warrantee's on our LOA's are only in force for the original purchaser from this auction. We reserve the right to accept or reject any and all bids or bidders.
INVOICES/NOTIFICATION - Invoices will be mailed to all winning bidders in the days following the conclusion of the auction. Payment is expected upon receipt of the invoice date. Please do not call to see if you won a particular lot. Auction results will be posted on our web site (www.greyflannelauctions. com) at the conclusion of the auction.
PAYMENTS - Cashier's check, money order, or bank transfer are the preferred methods of payment. These payment methods will allow us to process your items as quickly as possible. Payment by personal or company check will be held for a minimum of 10 business days to clear—no exceptions, please do not ask. No special payment arrangements are available without previous approval by our credit department. Grey Flannel DOES NOT accept credit cards as a method of payment.
CALL BACK SERVICE (PREMIER LOTS) - Grey Flannel Auctions will provide a Call Back Service for this auction's Premier Lots only. In order to receive this service, you must bid on that item prior to 9:00 p.m. on May 14 and request the Call Back service at that time. There is no Call Back Service on non-Premier lots. We strongly recommend that those bidders (of non-Premier Lots) place ceiling bids and check our web site for the current high bids.
PREMIER LOTS - Grey Flannel Auction’s Premier Lots for the May 14, 2008 Summer Games are listed below and are also identified by the wording “PREMIER LOT” as well as by the logo at right. Register in advance with our credit department before bidding on these items. Our credit department must be satisfied with the bidder’s ability to pay. Once approval to bid is granted, you may bid on any Premier Lot up to the amount of your approved line of credit. The Premier Lots are as follows:
SHIPPING - The buyer is responsible for all shipping and insurance costs. Most lots will be shipped via Fedex. This cost will be reflected on your auction invoice. If you need expedited shipping, please call when you receive your invoice so we can make the appropriate shipping adjustments. All international orders will be processed in the full invoice amount, no exceptions. The buyer is responsible for all duty and customs charges. Grey Flannel is not in business to make money on our shipping costs. That being said, many of the lots in this auction, due to their size, weight and/or fragility will be expensive to ship and will require additional packaging and/or freight costs. The buyer will be responsible for all of these additional fees and insurance. Grey Flannel uses an outside shipping/packing company for these items. Our outside vendor sets the prices, so you pay us what we pay him. The charges are not based on a percentage of your winning items but based on the specific item’s dimensions, weight and distance it needs to be shipped. If the item is too large for Fedex, it will need to be shipped via a freight carrier and may require crating. We strongly encourage the winning bidders of these lots to pick up their items in person. They are located at a storage facility in Westhampton Beach, NY. We realize that this may not be possible for everyone so please call 631-288-7800 x221 before placing your bids and inquire about an approximate shipping quote. Our goal is to get your winnings to you in one piece, safely.
RETURN POLICY - ALL LOTS ARE SOLD AS IS. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. NO RETURNS. Each and every lot in this auction has been viewed by a minimum of two hobby experts. Many of our auction items are already framed. Without removing the frame, it is impossible to know the condition of the areas not seen. Therefore, Grey Flannel Auctions does not assume responsibility for the condition of areas hidden by the framing or matting on these specific item(s). For this reason, our catalog descriptions on these auction items are written extremely carefully, paying acute attention to detail. Please refer to our introductory letter on Page 4.
VIEWING OF LOTS - Lots can be viewed at the Grey Flannel Auctions showroom, located at 8 Moniebogue Lane in Westhampton Beach, New York, during regular business hours. We strongly recommend that you make an appointment at least two days in advance. There will be no appointments taken on the actual auction day.