So you’ve found a Jordan and you can’t wait to get it graded! It’s so nice and you got it so cheap you can’t hardly believe it! Well, before you go spending your hard earned money to buy this card, or spend money to have it graded step back and take a closer look.

Many of these same techniques and items to look for are similar to any fake card. Realizing that they are around is the first step to protecting yourself, finding out how to spot them is the next.

A loupe/magnifying glass and this tiny amount of knowledge can go a long ways towards protecting your hard earned dollar.

Download and make sure to check out the included images that are close ups from several of the key reference points for you to look at.

FYI - Information on the Gretzky and a couple dozen other commonly counterfeited cards can be found at the bottom of the page under “REFERENCES”

On to Michael (MJ).

Of course not everyone has a real Jordan to compare to…but, if you can find yourself another Bulls card from 86/87 the color schemes and the card itself will match up to a real card quite well and give you a great reference. (this is true for an 79/80 OPC Oilers common, 84 Topps Dolphins card or any of the others…)

So how do you spot this? The front of the card - 1. The Fleer Logo - You will see that it is the easiest thing to spot with the naked eye, though not a guarantee so look at other things as well.

A. The turn- You will see down on the banner a darker orange than the yellow area that “Premier” is printed in. There are fakes with a darker orange so use other guidelines too.

A. The turn- You will see down on the banner a darker orange color than the yellow part that “Premier” is printed in. There are fakes with a darker orange so use other guidelines as well.

B. Also notice the red crown. On the real card the points are quite sharp, the word “Fleer” is more sharp and doesn’t seem to have the fuzzy edges it also is in a different font. The real one is quite sharp with sharp corners on the letters vs a more “bubblish” type of font. The color is also a bolder red.

3. The “Chicago” on M.J.’s jersey - Notice how blurry ‘Chicago’ is, it’s sometimes noticed on the fakes that the dot over the letter “I” looks touching the name as opposed to the real card where there is a noticeable separation of this dot. It also will appear that the loop in the letter “o” is closed. As if that weren’t enough, you can still read on…

4. The Name plate - Notice the difference in the color blue here. almost a dark blue vs. a baby blue. You’ll also notice that the name, team, position all is more “blurry” than a real card. The font is more “bubbly” on the fake than on the real and the corners of the letters aren’t near as sharp on the fake. (similar to the “Fleer Crown in #1A)

4. The Name plate - Notice the difference in the color blue here. almost a dark blue vs. a baby blue. You’ll also notice that the name, team, position all is more “blurry” than a real card. The font is more “bubbly” on the fake than on the real and the corners of the letters aren’t near as sharp on the fake. (similar to the “Fleer Crown in #1A)

With all this said, we still haven’t touched on Michael Jordan shoes…

With all this said, we still haven’t touched on Michael Jordan shoes… Air Jordans are named after the American basketball legend ‘His Aeiress”, Michael Jordan. It was the first in the series to hit the market and take the public sentiment by storm. To say Air Jordans were a run away success is an understatement. You will of course see looking at the way people were prepared to pay steep penalties, ignoring NBA rules, rather than having to play matches without wearing them. Of course that was probably another Nike endorsement when they wore them, but nonetheless. It was the bright Color Ways in red, white and black that initially caused all pf this euphoria about Air Jordans, which was also the reason why the legendary player himself dared to break all those NBA rules. When Air Jordan 1’s was introduced again in 2001, it reinstated the sneakers back at Number 1. Given the penchant for innovation, the creators of Nike Air have done it again when the introduced Jordan Air Force 1 Fusion. It was a hybrid shoe made by merging the craftsmanship and vibrancy of Michael Jordan Shoes and basic designs of Air Force 1 on the latter’s proven platform. For once, it is easy to tell why the makers of Nike have been trying hard to brand two different sneakers into one if you see how fast they went disappearing from stands. By combining Air Jordans and Air Force 1, Nike has killed two birds with one stone. Air Force 1 Fusion is a definite boom for those who were caught with having to either choose from Air Jordans or Air Force Ones. It might interest you to know why Nike Air was so popular since the late 80’s. It is the same reason that drives Nike which is playing behind Air Force 1 Fusion and Air Jordans fusions also. If you thought it was the hype alone that was responsible for the runway success of Nike Air and all its sequels that was to follow later, the true reason lies in their ability to actually make people think differently about cushioning. It is the encapsulated air, from which Nike Air Jordans take their name, which works great in combination with the ground breaking full length air unit and cup sole to cushion the foot impact in a wonderful fashion. No one needs told how great an impact the color of the shoes can also have on their decision making when purchasing air jordans.