[tb426]

A while back I bought my very first fake Edge Reebok jersey: a red Calgary Flames Phaneuf jersey. Am I proud of it? NO. Did I do it in purpose?? Well, sort of. $40 bucks for a chance of buy an authentic, why not???
I didn't actually buy the jersey on purpose, but at the time I placed my final bid, the jersey was only stand at $27 bucks + $13 shipping. So I guess if it is the real thing, then I obvious "stole" this jersey, since customization itself costs around $50-60 at least. If it is a fake, then it at least can give me (and now, to all fellow collectors) an idea the differences between a real, authentic Reebok edge jersey vs. a fake one. As it turns out, the jersey is a fake.

Many fans, eBay bidders, and our fellow collectors have long asked these questions:
1) How do we know whether these Edge jerseys on eBay, or some Internet websites, are real or not?
2) How can we distinguish the authentic, real ones and the fake ones?

I have used the fake Flames jersey that I bought on eBay, and compare it to my real authentic Flames jersey. Below are a few things that you can look for to determine whether the jersey you have on hand is in fact a real one. Now, in this experiment I am only using the "fake authentic" jersey that I bought on eBay to compare to a real one, and I am not certain whether this applies to replica ones (cause I don't collect replica jerseys). There are obviously quite a number of different manufacturers out there that manufacture fake jerseys. One jersey cannot speak for all of them, and with the popularity of Internet and communication, these manufacturers have "updated" the way their fake edge are designed and structured.

1) The Reebok logo and the NHL shield patch
NHL Shield trademark
Real:


Fake:

Reebok trademark
Real:


Fake:

For all authentic, real Edge jersey, the Reebok and the NHL shield trademarks are patches, which means they both need to be sewn onto a jersey. On my fake jersey, both trademarks are directly embroidered onto the jersey.
Also pay attention to how the Center Ice tag is sewn on to both jerseys. On the real jersey, it was only sewn on the entire top across, and only the corner of the bottom, whereas on the fake one the Center Ice tag was completely sewn on (the Reebok logo was surrounded by stitching completely). If the logos on your jersey are directly embroidered, then I’m sorry, your jersey is a fake.

2) Neck tags (sz 52 is the real Edge, sz 54 is the fake one)

Surprisingly, both the size tag and the Reebok Center Ice tag are similar. But there are still a couple of things that could be found
a) The red stripe of the Canada flag are more wide compare to the real one, and the red maple leaf on the fake doesn't really look like a maple leaf
The gaps between letters on the real one is a bit wider compare to the fake
c) The Reebok Center Ice tags are almost identical, and the only difference you can tell is the "I" of the word "CENTER ICE" below the NHL logo (note that the bottom neck tag is from the real jersey)

[tb426]

3) Reebok stripe
Real:


Fake:

For real authentic jersey the Reebok stripe located above the Center Ice tag has the bigger Gray "RBK" wording behind, where there was none on my fake one. Now, as of Aug 22, 2009, I have spotted a few fakes on eBay that starting to have the bigger Gray "RBK" wording behind, so using this guideline to judge your jersey may not work anymore.

4) Twill and customization
Real:


Fake:


The tackle twill on the real jersey is completely different than that of a fake. The twill that the real one uses, and the ones that we most collectors uses to customize our jerseys, are came from Stahls'. The surfaces are virtually flat and smooth, and very light (aside from the glacier and dazzle twill). But on the fake one the twill are not flat and smooth at all, and are very hard and heavy for some reason. Further for some unknown reason there are papers behind the logo and the numbers. I do recall a couple of my early 90’s jerseys are customized this way. But this style of customization are seldom use.

5) Fight strap (the one on the left is real)



Last but not least is the fight strap. Now, many fans, “rookie” collectors always have a mindset that a jersey with fight strap is authentic, or at least make it an authentic jersey, or even make it as a jersey that players worn on the ice. Well, an experience collector can tell you right away that “A JERSEY HAVING A FIGHT STRAP DOES NOT MAKE IT AUTHENTIC, AND DOES NOT MAKE IT TO BE THE SAME JERSEY THAT PLAYERS WORN ON THE ICE”! You could add a fight strap to a replica jersey easily, but that doesn’t mean the fight strap all of a sudden makes it an authentic jersey, or someone like to phrase it as “same jersey that players worn on the ice.”
Few notes on the fight strap:
a) all CCM, Reebok, or even Nike, you can only stretch the fight strap horizontally, not vertically. This is obviously to prevent the jersey from being pulled over one’s head during a fight. The fight strap on my fake jersey is very poorly construct.
The piece that attached the fight strap onto the jersey is tackle twill, and 99% of the time is the same colour as the jersey. It is sewn on with zig-zag stitching, with a cross stitching inside a small rectangle stitching, and a large rectangle sewn on around the twill using zig-zag stitching as well.


I just hope this information could help all fans and collectors. If you have additional information, please share it with all of us. Thanks in advance.

Happy collecting folks!!

[Brilliant!]

Wow. GREAT stuff here dude! This is awesome. I'm making this a sticky thread because this is something that we should all be aware of.

[Sluggermatt15]

Wow, this thread is very useful and informational. You can really tell the differences between the EDGE authentics versus those fakes. Thanks!

[madflava]

I pretty much won't buy an Edge jersey on Ebay because of the high number of counterfeit jerseys that are sold there. I actually find it much easier to buy a CCM authentic from the 90's on Ebay because it is easier for me to pick out which ones aren't true authentics. Too bad that is changing now that douchebags like Griffenfood have flooded the market with counterfeit retro jerseys. This is a useful guide for anyone wanting to take the risk of buying an authentic Edge though. The two that I have bought I had got through reputable online dealers like IceJerseys. If you have patience it is possible to buy them on sale and apply coupons that brings down the price.

[HawksFan79]

I don't really see a reason to buy Edge jerseys on ebay, all the real ones are about the same price as if you bought them from IJ or anywhere else that sells real ones.

[attila]

Rarely, like a few times a month, people will have real edge jerseys on ebay for decent prices. I picked up a blank authentic for just over $100 before.

[DerbyCoyote]

I'd tend to steer clear of an Ebay Edge jersey as others have said, but I may be tempted one day and this'll be a useful guide to spotting a fake, so thanks for doing the legwork tb426.

[xcdude]

Brilliant!, on Aug 23 2009, 08:10 PM, said:

Wow. GREAT stuff here dude! This is awesome. I'm making this a sticky thread because this is something that we should all be aware of.

Yeah Brilliant! knows I got a STAMKOS jersey hidden in the back of my closet because I'm embarrassed to relist it and be like those a*******, but I don't like showing it in my collection.

[Displaced Swede - FJC]

I find some of them are much better than others, it is very hit in miss from one fake to the next. The biggest thing that screams fake for me with the Flames jerseys are the color of the red on them. Its almost like a Canadiens red and not a Flames one.

[CanesCop86]

This is a great tool to have. Do you think you can do one for the Premier Edges?

[LeafsNeverDie]

solid thread. got some inspecting to do.

[hockeyjunkie]

Just wondering because I have both real and a fake Flyers jersey and the fake one has held up better and paid alot less for the fake. Anyone else ever experienced the same?

[CanesCop86]

Couple questions on fakes:

First: There is no 48 in the Edge Authentics. correct or incorrect? Which would lead me to think they are fake.
Second: Do the sizes of the Real and fake Authentics closely match, or is it hit or miss between, say, a real size 50 and a fake 50.

[goosegoose35]

Put it this way, if you get a Jersey on E-bay and do not pay anywhere near the $300 for a player jersey, its fake. I have a fake Ovechkin Jersey but I really do not care because it looks real and this is a pretty high quality knock-off some of the features on this jersey are just like the real ones. the reebok logo on the back and nhl on the front are the two main differences, the lettering is almost perfect. I paid $95 and, being a broke college student I could not care any less that it's not authentic. with the rate of players moving teams its crazy to spend $300 on a jersey. I would not mind paying the price if I were rich. Also on E-bay most of these jerseys are not sold as authentic, rather "____ jersey with fight strap and sewn on letters". If you bid or buy an Authentic jersey on ebay and its a knockoff you can sue (if you really wanted to) and get your money back via pay pal.

[TMLFAN]

goosegoose35, on Nov 18 2009, 11:01 AM, said:

Put it this way, if you get a Jersey on E-bay and do not pay anywhere near the $300 for a player jersey, its fake. I have a fake Ovechkin Jersey but I really do not care because it looks real and this is a pretty high quality knock-off some of the features on this jersey are just like the real ones. the reebok logo on the back and nhl on the front are the two main differences, the lettering is almost perfect. I paid $95 and, being a broke college student I could not care any less that it's not authentic. with the rate of players moving teams its crazy to spend $300 on a jersey. I would not mind paying the price if I were rich. Also on E-bay most of these jerseys are not sold as authentic, rather "____ jersey with fight strap and sewn on letters". If you bid or buy an Authentic jersey on ebay and its a knockoff you can sue (if you really wanted to) and get your money back via pay pal.

Not true. I've seen a lot of authentic edge jersey's being sold on E-bay for a lot less then $300. I know there are a few members here who have bought 100% real Edge jerseys off E-bay for less the $150. If you look hard enough deals are out there, as an example I bought a Capitals Edge jersey off a member here for $150.

[akteon]

I think it comes down to common sense. An individual could very easily be selling a couple Edge jerseys well below retail price - but if a business or individual were selling quite a few jerseys in a whole range of sizes for dirty cheap, you should immediately be suspicious. The jerseys retail for close to $300, so just take some time and think about the motives for someone to sell it for less. For an individual it can be easy - need money badly, no longer fits, player traded etc. For a business you have to think that unless they got the jerseys on closeout, their cost is going to be somewhere near the $150 mark (based on the simple "buy for 1 sell for 2" concept) so anything well below that should be a huge red flag. Customization is another thing to take into account - most places charge $50-80 for customization - so that should be factored into the price for most legit places to offset their cost.

Just about everyone using eBay and the like are bargain hunters - but it really comes down to if it seems too good to be true, it more than likely is.

[CanesCop86]

akteon, on Nov 18 2009, 02:45 PM, said:

I think it comes down to common sense. An individual could very easily be selling a couple Edge jerseys well below retail price - but if a business or individual were selling quite a few jerseys in a whole range of sizes for dirty cheap, you should immediately be suspicious. The jerseys retail for close to $300, so just take some time and think about the motives for someone to sell it for less. For an individual it can be easy - need money badly, no longer fits, player traded etc. For a business you have to think that unless they got the jerseys on closeout, their cost is going to be somewhere near the $150 mark (based on the simple "buy for 1 sell for 2" concept) so anything well below that should be a huge red flag. Customization is another thing to take into account - most places charge $50-80 for customization - so that should be factored into the price for most legit places to offset their cost.

Just about everyone using eBay and the like are bargain hunters - but it really comes down to if it seems too good to be true, it more than likely is.

Well what about a jersey like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/...d#ht_500wt_1182

I cant say for certain this seller has sold fakes in the past, It is a known fact he carried Factory errors. Can anybody confirm if this jersey is fake or real. I dont think you can find a better deal on a authentic edge if its genuine.

[TMLFAN]

CanesCop86, on Nov 18 2009, 03:24 PM, said:

Well what about a jersey like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/...d#ht_500wt_1182

I cant say for certain this seller has sold fakes in the past, It is a known fact he carried Factory errors. Can anybody confirm if this jersey is fake or real. I dont think you can find a better deal on a authentic edge if its genuine.

Hard to tell from the picture. If your interested ask for closeups of the collar, fight strap, and rbk logo.

[akteon]

CanesCop86, on Nov 18 2009, 03:24 PM, said:

Well what about a jersey like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/...d#ht_500wt_1182

I cant say for certain this seller has sold fakes in the past, It is a known fact he carried Factory errors. Can anybody confirm if this jersey is fake or real. I dont think you can find a better deal on a authentic edge if its genuine.

It's the Florida Panthers - not a very popular team and one that last season was giving away free tickets to anyone with a Florida drivers license. Plus the seller clearly states: "Why is the price so cheap? We buy closeouts."

My guess would be they are probably legit. As TMLFAN suggested, ask for some close up shots of key areas. A legit seller probably wouldn't mind, most bootleggers would probably ignore the request knowing someone else not quite so picky will come along.