Offered for sale is a Rawlings Size 44 New York Yankees #2 Pinstriped Player’s Jersey signed by soon-to-be Hall of Fame Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. I obtained Jeter’s autograph myself in person on this jersey at the Yankees’ Spring Training complex in Tampa in February 1999. While Russell Athletic was the official MLB game uniform supplier at this time, the Yankees used Rawlings to supply its jerseys for players at its Minor League camp and I believe all Spring Training player...s. I obtained this jersey directly from the Yankees equipment staff in Tampa, not a retail store. It is a Player’s jersey, meaning one meant to be worn on the field, not by fans. You can tell this by the lack of any manufacturer trademarks on it (for example, a Russell Athletic ‘R, ’ a Majestic ‘M, ’ or in this case a Rawlings ‘R, ’ usually found on the sleeve). The Yankees are the only MLB team to have never allowed any visible third-party logos on their playing uniform (with the exception of the MLB ‘batter man, ’ and just recently, the New Era flag logo on the cap). That will change this coming season when the Nike swoosh will adorn the jersey right chest next to the interlocking ‘NY.’ Alas, it’s just a matter of time before the sacred pinstripes are cluttered with ads like a soccer shirt or race car suit. But I digress.... Keen-eyed observers may also notice that the #2 on the back does not have the short upward extension at the end of the ‘2.’ This is the only difference I observe between this and the authentic MLB jersey. Whether these nuances make this jersey more or less collectible is for the buyer to determine. Note: I have no evidence that this jersey was game-worn by Jeter or anyone else. Jeter signed the jersey in blue fiber-tip marker on the back just above the number 2. I myself have not had the signature authenticated since for my collection I knew for certain that Jeter signed it — he did so in front of me. However, I can completely understand a prospective buyer’s desire to have a third-party formal certification to accompany the jersey. To that end, I will be happy to walk the buyer through the authentication submission process for either James Spence Authentication (JSA) or PSA/DNA, two of the premier authenticators in the business. It’s not all that complicated, but the forms can be confusing to a first-time customer. To provide more peace of mind, I will offer a full money-back guarantee upon return of the jersey if it fails to authenticate, as long as it was submitted for authentication within 90 days of purchase. That way, you can have something to put under the tree now and deal with authentication, if desired, in the New Year. If the jersey does not sell by Christmas, I will submit it myself for authentication and it will be re-listed in February.All Jeter signed items will only go up in price and value once he is voted into the Hall of Fame next month.