Michael Jordan 1985 shoe legit?

[drexler22]

Autograph doesn't look very right to me and shoe seems to be be used massively instead of light usage(1 shoe per game)
http://cgi.ebay.com/1985-86-Michael-Jordan-Game-Worn-Shoes-Signed-Auto-RC-/360284183508?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e29c5bd4

[legaleagle92481]

Autograph doesn't look very right to me and shoe seems to be be used massively instead of light usage(1 shoe per game)
http://cgi.ebay.com/1985-86-Michael-Jordan-Game-Worn-Shoes-Signed-Auto-RC-/360284183508?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e29c5bd4

I think a good axiom is if it is purported to be used by Jordan and is on Ebay it is fake. If you had something Jordan really used why put it on Ebay and get a song for it?

[trsent]

I think a good axiom is if it is purported to be used by Jordan and is on Ebay it is fake. If you had something Jordan really used why put it on Ebay and get a song for it?

I do not know if these shoes are real or fake, I didn't take the time to do research, but just because it is listed on eBay doesn't mean it is "fake". That is not really a fair argument for this item. That is not fair to the seller that you tell people looking at this item that because they listed it on eBay it is fake.

Many people do not know of other auction houses and other methods of selling an item. I would think if you have a reason to believe something is "fake" you would take the time to give details explaining why and because it is listed on eBay is not an acceptable point.

[both-teams-played-hard]

If you had something Jordan really used why put it on Ebay and get a song for it?

25 grand seems more than the going rate for a song.

[joelsabi]

Autograph doesn't look very right to me and shoe seems to be be used massively instead of light usage(1 shoe per game)
http://cgi.ebay.com/1985-86-Michael-Jordan-Game-Worn-Shoes-Signed-Auto-RC-/360284183508?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e29c5bd4

Deciding to research a little on something I know nothing about.

on the autograph, it seems to be missing the "trademark 8" on the M.
This based on this source below which is really cool.

http://www.rareair23.com/jordanchronology.html

Below are the labels for the retail shoes.
White/Black-Red Retai
- 850204 TY1
- 850305 TY1
- 850507 TY1
- 850810 BY

But the label is different on these as it says TYPS which seems to mean Type Player Sample.

There are 5 types of sample and it seems this is the first type.

1. Player Samples - produced for Nike sponsored teams and players

2. Sales Samples - produced for Nike Sales Representatives (EKINs)

3. Wear-Test Samples - produced for wear testers (individuals providing performance feedback)

4. Look-See Samples - produced for in-house distribution, often with hand written tags. The stage of development prior to 'sales samples' production.

5. Factory Confirmations - produced in quantities of typically 1, 2 pairs as a confirmation of quality before the entire production (of the same shoe, but in tens of thousands) commences. If the factory management is satisfied with the sample, QC staff must sign (yes) their names on the shoe.


It seems from other sales at auction sites that Jordan shoes from 1985 had light use. I cant tell from the photo what kind of use these shoes have for this current auction as I don't collect shoes.


This was interesting

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280523221560&ih=018&category=157004

one shoe only selling for $800. It had the same inventory code 850204 TYPS

Ask the seller about the provenance and any third party authentication of this item.

[joelsabi]

Deciding to research a little on something I know nothing about.

on the autograph, it seems to be missing the "trademark 8" on the M.
This based on this source below which is really cool.

http://www.rareair23.com/jordanchronology.html


I emailed the gentlemen with the Jordan signature expert website mentioned in the quotes above.

this is the reply I received when asking his opinion on the signature


Hi
I can safely say that the signature is authentic and matches the rookie timeframe.


Regards,
Darren

[drexler22]

I emailed the gentlemen with the Jordan signature expert website mentioned in the quotes above.

this is the reply I received when asking his opinion on the signature


Hi
I can safely say that the signature is authentic and matches the rookie timeframe.


Regards,
Darren

looks too curvy the signature for my liking. Signature look's brand new to.

[STLHAMMER32]

Signature looks perfect to me for a vintage Jordan. It looks faded with age and just right.....not sure about the shoes but the size of each are correct.

[joelsabi]

looks too curvy the signature for my liking. Signature look's brand new to.

I dont like the sig much as I stated my reason before I have to accept expert Darren's opinion on Jordan's signature on its authenticity. Not one of Jordan better example just because the area is small where to signed.

If Jordan is known to change to new pair of shoes often for games, this pair seems to have a lot of use.

If anyone is after this I would find out if this "friend" of Jordan is providing some type of letter stating his relation to Jordan and how he obtained the shoes. Seems like the chain of custody is weak for such a high end item. I would feel more comfortable if the shoes came from a teammate or from a coach of Jordan.

If you look at that Jordan's shoe that sold on ebay for $800, they are similar shoes so there are some floating out there.

[STLHAMMER32]

guys, I'm not seeing where the problem is with the sig. There are plenty fake signed shoes on ebay right now but this sig is a very nice vintage Jordan.

The shoes don't necessarily show a ton of wear to me....they certainly look aged to me which will happen with most of these vintage shoes especially if not stored properly. It looks like some stuff got on 'em but I don't see too much excessive wear like you would a pair of daily shoes worn...for instance the lettering is still very readable on the inside, which rubs off with heavy use. The soles of the shoes look good from the pics, they are not worn down without the treads or anything alarming.

They are far from mint but to me it looks more like they weren't treasured and treated like the valuable item we know them to be today. The rubber on early nikes definately shows aging sometimes even on brand new shoes.

[joelsabi]

guys, I'm not seeing where the problem is with the sig. There are plenty fake signed shoes on ebay right now but this sig is a very nice vintage Jordan.

The shoes don't necessarily show a ton of wear to me....they certainly look aged to me which will happen with most of these vintage shoes especially if not stored properly. It looks like some stuff got on 'em but I don't see too much excessive wear like you would a pair of daily shoes worn...for instance the lettering is still very readable on the inside, which rubs off with heavy use. The soles of the shoes look good from the pics, they are not worn down without the treads or anything alarming.

They are far from mint but to me it looks more like they weren't treasured and treated like the valuable item we know them to be today. The rubber on early nikes definately shows aging sometimes even on brand new shoes.

I was going by the description on Darren's website about the trademark 8 on the tail of the "M" on his first name. (see exemplar photo). But may the little room made Michael squish his Sig so that it can fit and the "J" overlapped where the tail of the "M" is. So instead of guessing, I email the expert who collects this stuff and got an answer.

Agreed on the poor preservation. Just like OtisMalibu's Dr. J Converse you need to keep them in ziplock bags to keep the yellowing of the outer soles or cracks in the rubber. The one that sold for $800 look even crappier and the seller didn't even know what he had and least that is what he said.

[ndestrucktable]

I was going by the description on Darren's website about the trademark 8 on the tail of the "M" on his first name. (see exemplar photo). But may the little room made Michael squish his Sig so that it can fit and the "J" overlapped where the tail of the "M" is. So instead of guessing, I email the expert who collects this stuff and got an answer.

Agreed on the poor preservation. Just like OtisMalibu's Dr. J Converse you need to keep them in ziplock bags to keep the yellowing of the outer soles or cracks in the rubber. The one that sold for $800 look even crappier and the seller didn't even know what he had and least that is what he said.


No question that auto is legit. Darren would point to the H in Michael as being a tell tale sign of it being real. The rest of the signature is very nice, the figure 8 isn't always perfect as in this case there just wasn't room to do it. You will see in a lot of cases where MJ doesn't even fully connect the figure 8 at the bottom of the M, pretty much always does connect the figure 8 at the bottom of the J though.

There are so many parts of MJ's autograph that are consisitent that if one part is just a bit off other parts can ultimately tell you if the auto is legit. Those early sigs are just beautiful!

[fabes23]

The auto is legit and so are the shoes. On the original Jordans from '85, the TYPS tells the story. The price is what's not legit. 25k is way too much. Plus, my bet is this guy wore them back in the day. Jordan never wore the same pair twice.

[trsent]

The auto is legit and so are the shoes. On the original Jordans from '85, the TYPS tells the story. The price is what's not legit. 25k is way too much. Plus, my bet is this guy wore them back in the day. Jordan never wore the same pair twice.

I spoke to as associate about these shoes last night. He thinks Michael Jordan wore this style in his first two seasons. I have not taken the time to look for photos, I am not interested in buying the pair on eBay for that price myself.

I discussed with him the size 13, as I thought Jordan wore size 12.5 his rookie year and switched to size 13 the following year, which would make sense that these shoes are size 13.

[both-teams-played-hard]

I spoke to as associate about these shoes last night. He thinks Michael Jordan wore this style in his first two seasons. I have not taken the time to look for photos, I am not interested in buying the pair on eBay for that price myself.

I discussed with him the size 13, as I thought Jordan wore size 12.5 his rookie year and switched to size 13 the following year, which would make sense that these shoes are size 13.
MJ wore Jordan 1s his first two seasons (84-85 and 85-86) As advertised these were worn in 85-86 when he broke his foot and wore a 13 and a 13 1/2 on his injured foot to allow for the extra bandaging.

I have never heard of MJ wearing a new pair of shoes for every game in the Jordan 1 era. In following years, yes.