Collecting Game-used: No MLB Authentication? No problem IV

Buzz made a rookie mistake with this one and there's some mystery ... but I might have solved it.

In a nutshell, that's this month's item in this Collecting Game-used series. I grabbed this MLB Authenticated batting practice warm-up last year with a near-instant offer -- one I made before I checked its sticker. And even before I could check the sticker, the seller accepted.

The problem and the rookie mistake here? The item's data has been lost with the MLB Authentication code showing an error message, asking me to contact MLB. (That's something I have done -- and I even sent them some of this info back to their automated response ... though it's not been updated just yet.) I'm no Yankees uniform expert -- I wouldn't want to be -- but this player is one I collect heavily and the price wasn't bad for the type of item, which is "game-used" as in gameday but not, obviously, used on the field during the game.

Despite the ironclad sticker info issue that's still in play here, I'm pretty sure I was able to match this piece to some pre-game action thanks to the typical public resources photo-matchers often use.

You can keep reading to see the details.

May 29, 2012 — Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images

THE BASICS ...
Game-used batting practice warm-up (MLB Authenticated): Nick Swisher -- Yankees vs. Angels, May 29, 2012.
Watch it in action: Nope, not this time.

What's Buzz-worthy: I was the owner of this piece before I checked the MLB sticker and received an error message (below in gallery) which has happened at times with database issues for MLB Authentication ... so I had to put my research hat on. In this case, I was a little skeptical of the item as the "New York" on the front isn't really the Yankees' norm -- it's small here and I had figured it should have been sewn -- but the price wasn't bad. My panic mode was mildly activated once the code wasn't working, but I also considered the uniform number embroidered onto the back of the piece and considered uniform number history. Swisher was there with No. 33 from 2009 to 2012 and what looks like a manufacturing date (11/2011) on the tag. With that timeframe in mind, I turned to the Getty Images photo database that anybody can access via GettyImages.com and started some searches with the 2012 season since that manufacturing date is obviously during the postseason. I knew that finding pre-game batting practice photos was a low-odds scenario but it didn't take long. For May 29, 2012, a trio of images popped up from a pair of photographers but the the two you see here pretty much seal the deal. There are no modifications or errant threads or stains to make it an exact match, but I'll wager that if the MLB Authentication data ever gets restored the piece would have been collected by the authenticators on this date or right around it. My gut says this model of Yankees gear may not have been used a lot -- it's really not the typical kind of sweatshirt material -- and I might have noticed the oddly undersized nameplate before this piece. Plus, other players taking BP in that series have more of a traditional light jacket with the larger "New York" people are used to seeing. But ... Getty saved the day on this one. The crazy part? A Swisher bat from this exact same game ... perhaps the one in his hand (no way to tell here for sure) is already in my collection and was in this series right here.

>> See all past Collecting Game-used stories from Buzz here

--

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy baseball cards on BlowoutCards.com