Alright folks, grab your coffee, let’s get into this one. So yesterday, I stumbled upon this JJ Watt autographed jersey online. Picture looked decent, price wasn’t too crazy, but man, my gut started screaming. Been burned before, right? Ain’t happening again.
The Find and First Glance
Scrolling through this marketplace thing, saw the listing pop up. “Rare JJ Watt Signed Gamer,” it said. Seller had decent feedback, not perfect but okay. Clicked in. Pictures were alright, but kinda blurry when you zoomed too far. Signature looked… off? Sorta shaky, like someone was nervous. That was red flag number one right there.
Getting My Hands Dirty (Well, Digitally)
First thing I did? Went hunting. Not in the woods, but online. Pulled up every damn photo I could find of Watt’s actual certified signatures. Side-by-side comparison mode: activated.
- The “J”: Legit ones have this specific swoop at the top, almost like it’s floating. This listing? Nah, it was flat, like someone drew it carefully. Too careful.
- The Loops: Watt’s real sig has these loose, kinda messy loops, especially in the double “t”. This one felt tight, controlled. Like someone concentrated real hard on faking loose.
- The Flow: A real auto has a rhythm, you know? Starts strong, ends kinda fading. This thing looked drawn, stroke by stroke. No rhythm, just… stiff.
Okay, shaky sig. Could be a bad photo. Needed more.
Digging Deeper Than Just the Signature
Zoomed in on the jersey itself next. Wanted the nitty-gritty details.
- Material & Tags: Jersey looked newer than the time frame the seller claimed. I remember Watt switched materials around a specific year. Checked dates – didn’t match the jersey style they were showing. Hmm. Tags seemed legit for the team, placement looked right. Minor win for the seller.
- Stitching: Here’s where it got funky. NFL logos and team crests on real game jerseys have very specific stitching patterns – tight, dense, sharp corners. The logo on this bad boy? Edges looked soft, stitching seemed thinner, almost lazy around the curves. Big red flag waving now.
- Holograms & COA (But Not Really): Seller said it came with a COA from “Champion Authentics” or something like that. Never heard of ’em. Major league alarm bells. Any legit autographed jersey should have a COA from a known, reputable grader – PSA, JSA, Fanatics Auth, something big league. Some rinky-dink COA? Worth less than the paper it’s printed on. Bonus sketch points: They didn’t even show a clear picture of this so-called COA!
Piecing It All Together
Sitting back, looking at the screen. Shaky, suspicious signature that didn’t match Watt’s known flow. Jersey details conflicting with claimed era. Shoddy logo stitching. And that garbage-tier COA. No way, Jose.
Conclusion: Faker than a three-dollar bill. Didn’t even bother asking the seller more questions – the evidence was screaming loud and clear. Closed the tab, sighed. Saved myself probably a few hundred bucks and a whole lotta disappointment.
Moral of today’s practice run? Trust the gut. Cross-check EVERYTHING. Know the player’s sig backwards and forwards. Scrutinize the merch details harder than your ex’s Instagram. And for the love of everything holy, a legit COA from a big name is NOT optional. Spotting fakes is a grind, but man, dodging that fraud feels good.
