2007 Reebok Home Authentic
#43 Troy Polamalu
Manufacturer: Reebok
Size: 52
Purchased From: eBay
Lettered by: Manufacturer
The Story: Short of an authentic from the Super Steelers teams of the 1970's, I set my targets on this jersey as my Holy Grail of Steelers jerseys. Troy Polamalu is one of the best and classiest players to ever play the game. I hunted for this jersey for almost a year, and as a bonus, I picked up his 2007 Pro Bowl jersey along the way, but this one was really hard to find, most likely due mainly to my pickiness. You see, lettering on a jersey, to me, is just as important as the jersey itself. With Steelers jerseys, there's a lot out there that just doesn't look right. Slight variations of the font used means the lettering on the name bar doesn't look right or the numbers are cut wrong. If I'm going to find my Holy Grail of Steelers jerseys, it's going to be right.
As any collector knows, you have to be careful when buying on eBay. Reading all the reviews and feedback helps tremendously, but what happens when the seller doesn't have a lot of experience on eBay? Sometimes, you just have to trust your gut. That's what I did for this one. As a matter of fact, I probably trusted my gut more than I usually would, but I went out on a limb because I'd been hunting this jersey for so long. The seller was selling a single package on eBay, which consisted of this jersey, a authentic Ben Roethlisberger jersey, and an authentic game-used helmet. I didn't want the whole package, but the seller stated in his listing that he needed cash quickly. I contacted him to see if he'd be willing to part the package out and sell the Polamalu jersey separately if I'd agree to buy the jersey right now, and I was surprised when he answered quickly that he would. What surprised me even more was the value he put on that helmet, becuase he was willing to part with this jersey for only $125! At retail, this jersey is at least double that, so I jumped on it. A few days later, when I received it, it was perfect. Not a stain, not a snag, not any imperfection that I could find.
I guess this proves the old saying that patience is, indeed, a virtue! I now have "The One" for my Steelers collection, allowing me to focus more on hockey again.
Size: 52
Purchased From: eBay
Lettered by: Manufacturer
The Story: Short of an authentic from the Super Steelers teams of the 1970's, I set my targets on this jersey as my Holy Grail of Steelers jerseys. Troy Polamalu is one of the best and classiest players to ever play the game. I hunted for this jersey for almost a year, and as a bonus, I picked up his 2007 Pro Bowl jersey along the way, but this one was really hard to find, most likely due mainly to my pickiness. You see, lettering on a jersey, to me, is just as important as the jersey itself. With Steelers jerseys, there's a lot out there that just doesn't look right. Slight variations of the font used means the lettering on the name bar doesn't look right or the numbers are cut wrong. If I'm going to find my Holy Grail of Steelers jerseys, it's going to be right.
As any collector knows, you have to be careful when buying on eBay. Reading all the reviews and feedback helps tremendously, but what happens when the seller doesn't have a lot of experience on eBay? Sometimes, you just have to trust your gut. That's what I did for this one. As a matter of fact, I probably trusted my gut more than I usually would, but I went out on a limb because I'd been hunting this jersey for so long. The seller was selling a single package on eBay, which consisted of this jersey, a authentic Ben Roethlisberger jersey, and an authentic game-used helmet. I didn't want the whole package, but the seller stated in his listing that he needed cash quickly. I contacted him to see if he'd be willing to part the package out and sell the Polamalu jersey separately if I'd agree to buy the jersey right now, and I was surprised when he answered quickly that he would. What surprised me even more was the value he put on that helmet, becuase he was willing to part with this jersey for only $125! At retail, this jersey is at least double that, so I jumped on it. A few days later, when I received it, it was perfect. Not a stain, not a snag, not any imperfection that I could find.
I guess this proves the old saying that patience is, indeed, a virtue! I now have "The One" for my Steelers collection, allowing me to focus more on hockey again.