Before getting into what to look for in order to spot a fake, lets first look at the different types of genuine jerseys. Today I'm going to describe a genuine jersey, hopefully tomorrow I will be able to release part 2 of this blog. In part 2, I'm going to break down the tell tale signs for spotting a counterfeit.
I'm going to break this down by league.
National Football League
- Officially Licensed: These types of jerseys can typically be found at a store like Walmart, K-Mart, or Target. These are not Reebok (the official manufacturer of NFL jerseys) jerseys, but do not claim to be either. These are still fully licensed by the NFL however. These jerseys are made of a very lightweight material and have a very basic design. Note the sleeves on this jersey. Instead of the correct striping, these jerseys feature a team logo. Regionally, these types of jerseys are sold for every NFL franchise.
- Basic Reebok: Even though this is actually a Reebok replica, it is the lowest one on the market. Like the officially licensed jersey above, these are made with a very lightweight material. These however make a basic attempt to look like the real deal. If you look at the sleeves, you will notice that they do feature stripes, as seen on the real jerseys. One thing you will notice about these jerseys however is that the stripes do not go completely around the sleeve. Also check out the chest of these jerseys, between the top of the numbers and the base of the collar. On this jersey, there is a Packers logo, which is not there on the real jerseys. Lastly, check out the collar itself. The first thing is the color. The collar on this jersey is just a single color, rather than the design with the stripe in it. These jerseys are also missing the "NFL Equipment" shield on the base of the collar, which the real ones have.
- Replica: This is the lowest official Reebok jersey created to look like the real deal. This is still geniunely lightweight, but heavier than both of the previous jerseys. All letters and graphics on this jersey are screened (printed) on. The sleeve stripes are correct, while also going completely around the jersey sleeve. The collar includes the correct striping and also includes the "NFL Equipment" shield at the base of the collar. The last unique thing about official replica jerseys is the cut at the base. The length of the jersey in front is approximately 2 inches longer in the back than in the front. These jerseys are also sized using traditional sizes (i.e. Small, Medium, Large, etc.).
- Premier/EQT/Replithentic: This jersey is the middle of the road in the NFL world. The material is heavier than the replicas, but not as heavy as the on-field authentics. Team graphics, such as logos and stripes are screened on and the sleeve stripes go completely around the sleeve. The collar features the correct striping, as well as the "NFL Equipment" shield. These jerseys are cut (e.g. the back is slightly longer than the front) and sized the same as the replicas (e.g. Small, Medium, etc.). The unique thing about these jerseys are name and numbers. They are all sewn on, but are made using screen printing on single layer twill. Use this picture as a reference. The numbers are completely white, with the yellow and navy layers printed on to look like multi-layer twill. Even the stitches in the middle are screened on, only the outer stitching is real. All player names and numbers are done using this style. Remember the single layer screen printing because it will come into play later.
- Authentic: With the authentic, we are finally up to the real deal. This is an official weight jersey and all names and numbers on this jersey are full tackle twill. Refer to this picture again. On the premier replicas, the navy and yellow layers are screened on to a while piece of twill. On an authentic jersey, all names and numbers are composed of multi-layer twill. So in the case of the picture above, the yellow, navy, and white numbers will be composed of three individual layers of twill. The graphics on authentics are unique to each indiviudal team. Some teams use screen printing, while others use twill. It is important when planning to purchase an authentic jersey that you do your homework and know what your team uses. In many cases, the bottom of the sleeves will have some elastic around them, which you can see in the authentic picture. The cut and sizing on authentics is also different from replicas. In authentics, the length of the jersey is uniform all of the way around, rather than a little longer in the back. Authentics also are not sized using traditional sizes. They use a numbering system which corresponds with each size (i.e. 54, 56, etc.).
- Premier/Replica: These jerseys are made to replicate the look of the authentic jerseys. They are made of a lighter material than the authentics. The crest (front logo) is a heat pressed onto the jersey itself and is a fully embroidered patch. The shoulder logos are heat pressed onto the jersey and are screen printed single layer twill. Again, that means that the image is screen printed onto a white piece of twill. There is no stitching or embroidery involved here. The replicas feature a Reebok sizing tag sewn on the front left of the jersey. Replicas also feature a Reebok logo on the back of the neck, just under the collar, and on the cuff of the left sleeve. These Reebok logos are actual patches and will be heat pressed onto the jersey. At the base of the collar in the front, there will be an NHL logo. These jerseys are equal length in the front and back and feature a rounded cut. The replicas also feature slits on the sides of the jerseys. These are sized using traditional sizes (i.e. Small, Medium, Large, etc.). If these jerseys are personalized, all names and numbers, as well as captaincy letters, are created using heat pressed single layer screen printing.
- Edge/Authentic: Like with the NFL, these are the real deal. They are official weight, and all logos, names, and numbers are stitched onto the jersey. Crest and shoulder logo patches are fully embroidered and stitched to the jersey. Players names and numbers, where applicable, are created using multi-layered twill. The authentics still feature an NHL logo at the base of the neck. There is no sizing tag on the front of an authentic jersey. On the authentics, there is only a Reebok logo on the back of the neck, not on the left sleeve. The Reebok logo is also a patch here. These jerseys also feature a fight strap on the inside of the jersey. Like with the replicas, the authentics have rounded cut to them and are the same length in the front and back. The sides of the replicas feature slits up the side, the authentics do not. They are slightly curved on the sides, which makes them slightly shorter than the front and back. The sizes on the authentics do not use traditional sizes, like the NFL authentics, they use a numbering system (i.e. 50, 52, 54, etc.)
- Replica: When looking at current MLB replicas, made by Majestic, all graphics are created using a combination of single layer twill and screen printing. That includes the graphic on the front (team/city name, team logo) and any name or number on the jersey. If a team wears a sleeve patch on a particular jersey, it will not be on a replica. Only authentics have sleeve patches on them. Replicas have a team specific Majestic sizing tag sewn on the front left of the jersey. There will also be a heat pressed Majestic logo on one of the sleeves. This logo will have "Majestic" written beneath the logo as part of it. Replicas are sized using traditional sizes.
- Authentic: This one can vary a little bit based on the type of the jersey. A traditional authentic is made of a heavier material than the replicas. These are becoming more and more rare. Most of the authentics today are called "Cool Base." These are made of a lighter material and are supposed to cooler to wear on warm weather days. So the material on these is much lighter than the material on the traditional autentics. Cool Base authentics also feature a lighter mesh material under the arms, this makes them easy to identify. All authentics feature multi-layer twill embroidery on the front (team logo/name) and the back (player name and number). All embroidery will be stitched onto the jersey, rather than heat pressed. Authentics will also include fully embroidered sleeve patches and numbers (where applicable). Traditional authentics will feature a sewn tag on the lower front left of the jersey, while Cool Base Authentics will feature a heat pressed tag. One of the sleeves will feature an embroidered Majestic logo. This will just be the logo and will not have "Majestic" written under it. Authentics are sized using the number system, just like the other authentics. MLB authentic jerseys will also have an MLB logo on the back collar of the jersey, at the base of the neck. The replica jerseys do not have this logo.
- Replica: The NBA replica is similar to the NFL replica. This is the cheapest NBA jersey on the market and is made to replicate the real thing. This is a lightweight material jersey and features only screen printing (no twill). That includes the team name/city on the front, the player name and numbers, and a logo at the base of the neck (if applicable). The striping around the neck and sleeves should look like the real thing. They will have an Adidas sizing tag on the front left of the jersey. I'm not sure whether these are screened on or sewn as Adidas has introduced a new type of jersey in the NBA this year. Previously these tags were sewn on, but I cannot tell from the picture. These jerseys also feature logos on each side of the front of the jersey on the shoulder area. One side features an Adidas logo, the other side is an NBA logo. Not sure if these are screened or sewn. These are sized using traditional sizes.
- Swingman: These happen to be the middle of the road jerseys. They are better quality than the replicas, but not as good as the on-court authentics. These are made of a heavier material than the replicas. The team/city name across the front, as well as player name and numbers and logos on the back of the neck (where applicable) will be a combination of single layer twill and screen printing. The areas around the neck and sleeves will have the correct team striping. There will be an Adidas sizing tag on the front left of the jersey. On previous Swingman jerseys, this tag was sewn on. With Adidas' recent jersey change, I'm not sure if they still are sewn or if they are heat pressed on. These jerseys also feature Adidas and NBA logos on the shoulder area of the jersey. There will be one logo on each shoulder. These logos should be embroidered onto the jersey. These jerseys are sized using traditional sizes.
- Authentic: The last NBA jersey is the on-court authentic. These are made of the same material as what the players wear on the court. The material for these is made to dry quickly, but it is made of a better material than the Swingman jerseys. All team/city names, as well as players names and numbers, and back of the neck logos (where applicable) are fully embroidered and multi-layer twill. The player numbers will be stitiched to the jersey, while the player and team/city name will be heat pressed to the jersey. Even though this is heat pressed, it is still multi-layer twill. Any logos on the back of the neck will be fully embroidered as well. Neck and sleeve designs are obviously the same as what the players wear on the court. There will be an Adidas sizing tag on the front left of the jersey. It is probably stitched on, but I cannot say for sure with Adidas' recent change. Authentic jerseys will not have an Adidas logo on the shoulder area of the jersey, like the Swingman and replicas have. There is only an NBA logo on the shoulder of the authentics and it is fully embroidered onto the jersey. The sizes for these jerseys are a combination of the traditional and number sizing. The previous authentics used the number system for sizing, however based on pictures, it appears as though the new authentics use the traditional system.
Hopefully tomorrow, I will add on to this guide. I will include a list of tell tale things to look for when purchasing a jersey. This should make it very easy to spot a counterfeit.
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