Frequently Asked Questions
 What is Grey Flannel Auctions? |  | Grey Flannel Auctions to date has held 18 auctions in their eight-year history, satisfying collector's needs and auctioning one-of-a-kind pieces of memorabilia. Highlights include "The Called Shot" 1932 Babe Ruth Game-Used Jersey, Yankee Stadium Organ played by Eddie Layton, Jim Brown Cleveland Browns Game-Used Jersey, Pete Maravich LSU Game-Used Jersey, and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame entire collection of enshrinee plaques. | | | Return to the top
| | How does GFA determine Authenticity? | | | 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 and T.J. Favilla who worked at Yankee Stadium for 4 years. 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. 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 "Bats", as well as our own T.J. Favilla. It is understood that every game-used bat will come with a PSA/DNA LOA. 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.
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| | How do I bid? | | | In order to bid in this auction you need to have a bidder number. You may obtain a bidder number 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 need to register only once, and this will give you a permanent bidder number for Grey Flannel Auctions. Placing a bid constitutes acceptance of Grey Flannel Auctions' rules and Grey Flannel Auctions has the final say in interpreting all rules. | | | Return to the top
| | Why do I need to register? | | | By registering with Grey Flannel, you are ensuring that you understand and agree to abide by the rules of Grey Flannel auctions. It enables Grey Flannel to send out an invoice to your correct address after the auction. It will also ensure you of receiving our catalogues before each auction. | | | Return to the top
| | What is your privacy policy? | | | Your privacy is very important to us. Grey Flannel is fully committed to protecting your right to privacy. The release of any members' personal information for reasons other than those specifically connected with Grey Flannel is prohibited. We do not allow your e-mail address or any other personal information to be displayed anywhere on our website. Grey Flannel does not sell, rent or otherwise release registered user information to third parties and this information is not used for marketing purposes. | | | Return to the top
| | How do I update my information? | | | If you need to update your bidder information, you may either call us during regularl business hours at 631-288-7800, ext 223 or email us at gfcsports@aol.com. | | | Return to the top
| | What is the Minimum Bid Increase? | | | 10% minimum increase, in whole dollar amounts. There will be no exceptions. Please see Ceiling Bids. | | | Return to the top
| | What is the 9:00 PM Rule? | | | The auction will close for initial bidders at 9:00 p.m. EST day of auction. If you have not placed a bid on an open lot prior to 9:00 p.m. EST day if auction, you will be ineligible to bid on said lot after 9:00 p.m. EST. However, any unopened lot can be bid on after 9:00 p.m. If you are the only bidder on a lot after 9:00 p.m. EST, you will instantly become the winning bidder. Grey Flannel Auctions reserves the right to extend this rule for any reason. For ongoing lots after 9:00 p.m. EST, the 10 minute rule will be applied, meaning the auction will not end until the phone stops ringing for 10 minutes. | | | Return to the top
| | Is there a 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. | | | Return to the top
| | Do I get charged 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 dealers: if you have a resale number, please make sure that we have it on file or you will pay sales tax. | | | Return to the top
| | What are 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. | | | Return to the top
| | Why can't I bid on Premier Lots? | | | Grey Flannel Auctions Premier Lots are identified in the catalog by wording "PREMIER LOT". 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. | | | Return to the top
| | What do I do After the Auction Closes? | | | 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. | | | Return to the top
| | What forms of Payments are accepted? | | | 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. | | | Return to the top
| | What will My Shipping Costs be? | | | 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 does not ship the larger auction lots from our location. The safe arrival of your item(s) is very important to us so we use a professional packing company to prepare your item to ship. Therefore, on certain lots, there will be a shipping charge that includes a packing fee as well as the FedEx charge. The packing fee is set by our outside vendor, so you pay us what we pay him. For example, if you buy a lot of three large framed pieces, the packing fee will be approximately $125 plus the FedEx charge of approximately $50. Grey Flannel Auctions is not in the business to make a profit on shipping; we would just like to recoup our costs in shipping your items to you as best as possible. Any item may be picked up in person at our office after funds are cleared. Please call ahead to make arrangements. | | | Return to the top
| | Do you have a 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. | | | Return to the top
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