Bradford Jersey

Hi all. I'm new here, and wanting to know about my Bradford jersey. This was actually going to be a question as to its authenticity, but now I believe it will just be confirmation of the fact that it is fake. It looked good to my eyes initially, but after taking these pictures, I see too many loose threads and sloppiness in the stitching, as well as other questionable things. The hologram actually looks authentic, but it would be the wrong one for this year, correct? It does have a serial number on it (NF10108001), if that means anything. This would be my first ever jersey purchase which came from a seller at Amazon for $110 shipped.

I would appreciate any help or insights from you gentlemen. Thanks.

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry to say that you've been burned with that jersey - but then it sounds as though you already knew that. With the benefit of hindsight, there are a lot of reasons that you can tell this is fake, but just to give you one of those, check the NFL Equipment shield on a legit authentic in comparison:



As you say, there also shouldn't be loose threads etc.

The counterfeiters tend to target particular players (obviously based on popularity, retail sales) and I would say Bradford falls into that category. I actually don't think I've seen a legit Bradford on eBay, but literally hundreds of fakes.

The best I can suggest is to try and get your money back on the Amazon purchase, and have any future purchases screened here first. It's easy to tell them apart once you know what to look for.

Thank you RJ3000. I'm not so much burned as inconvenienced as I will get my money back one way or the other (seller will refund willingly or Amazon will bring down the smack).

I was pretty sure the jersey was a fake, but it's nice to have confirmation before I contact the seller. As I looked more closely, I could see more things that were wrong with this jersey, and my wife also got in on the act as she was the one who noticed that the logo one the sleeve was incorrect.

Thanks again for your help.

What about the Hologram? It certainly looks real. Did the bootlegger somehow obtain legitimate discontinued holograms?

I'm glad to hear that's the case. It's one thing to lose $20 to a bootlegger, but $110 is a lot more. I hope you do get it back, and don't doubt you will.

If you want ammunition for proving it's fake, we can give you as much as you need. The afore-mentioned loose threads and NFL equipment logo should hopefully should be enough, but here is some more:

1) The "Rams" stitching under the collar is incorrect. The shade of blue is also incorrect. Check the following Jackson authentic (not mine) for comparison:



2) The Reebok vector on the shoulders is scrappy, at best. Here's how they should look:



Notice the crisp edges, and no trailing threads.

3) The jock tag is not correct. Compare to the following:



Note the differences in the red and white NFLPA logo, and the "EQUIPMENT" and ball stitching.

There are other differences, such as the the plastic loop which attaches the label to the tag in the neckline. Genuine authentics have a single plastic strand, which is attached into the label rather than looped around it.

To be honest, I don't pay much attention to the holograms. You're correct that they have used the incorrect holograms, but you can usually spot a fake from a distance, long before you worry about this level of detail. You're probably correct that the bootleggers have acquired mass amounts of the old ones, but they're always one step behind the game. That said, don't assume that anything with a current hologram is legit.

Hopefully this is enough ammunition for you, but let me know if you need anything else, or have further questions.

Thanks again RJ. The more I look at this jersey, the worse it is. The other thing that really caught my eye was where the Pro-Brite material on the shoulders meets the mesh material on the body. It appears that the seam should be at the same level as the bottom point of the collar, but my seam is a good inch or so below the collar point.

This thing is a disaster and I'll be glad to get rid of it. Next stop: The St Louis Rams online Pro Shop.

As I said in my original post, hindsight is a great thing. I haven't been collecting jerseys long, but the guys on this forum taught me a lot, so it's easy to tell them apart these days. I was close to buying a lot of jerseys which I was convinced were legit but as soon as someone in the know picks them apart it seems so obvious they're fake.

What was your criteria for a Rams jersey? Were you after a Bradford in particular? I can keep my eye open for you, but you're only really likely to get a deal on traded players / used jerseys. If you were set on a Bradford, the Rams pro shop is probably your best bet. You could also try signing up to the NFLshop.com / Rams pro shop mailing list and seeing if you get a Labor day discount promo code emailed?

I specifically want a Bradford jersey and have ordered one at NFL.com. I applied for a rewards credit card they offered that will have the Rams logo on it so I could take advantage of a 20% discount which brought my total to $214 shipped.

Another $100 for the genuine article is a good deal in my book.

Welcome ramsfan,

I think RJ has said it all, makes me proud. Just a note on the hologram, you are right that it is the wrong type, for this year jersey it should be square. As to the one on your tag, it's not real as Reebok have not made a circular one with the 08 NFL logo on it.

Good to have a Rams fan here, we don't seem to have many.

Hi Billsfan,

I'm glad you guy are here to help the uninitiated. I always subscribe to the belief of "if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is", but I also had a lot of trust in Amazon (although I'm quickly learning that their third-party sellers are akin to eBay sharks as I've had several bad deals with some). Did $110 sound too cheap? Yes, but I gambled because I knew I would have recourse through Amazon. Anyway, all's well that ends well as I've got my order placed through NFL.com and should have my jersey in time for week two action.

Perhaps there will be a few more Rams fans around here as the season unfolds because I think Sam Bradford is going to be a very special player and the team is going to have a really good year.

ramsfan wrote:

Hi Billsfan,

I'm glad you guy are here to help the uninitiated. I always subscribe to the belief of "if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is", but I also had a lot of trust in Amazon (although I'm quickly learning that their third-party sellers are akin to eBay sharks as I've had several bad deals with some). Did $110 sound too cheap? Yes, but I gambled because I knew I would have recourse through Amazon. Anyway, all's well that ends well as I've got my order placed through NFL.com and should have my jersey in time for week two action.

Perhaps there will be a few more Rams fans around here as the season unfolds because I think Sam Bradford is going to be a very special player and the team is going to have a really good year.

The marketplace on Amazon doesn't have any type of screening to my knowledge - anybody can post on it. It's therefore the perfect place for counterfeiters to sell their fake jerseys. I haven't even bothered looking there to be honest, as I'd imagine it'll be stock photos lifted from NFLshop.com so no way of verifying prior to buying.

I think the Rams will be well in contention for the NFC West this year. It'll be interesting to see how Kolb does this year, as I definitely think the Cards will be your closest competition.

I've always liked the Rams jerseys. I'm looking to get my hands on a Warner or Faulk in the near future.

RJ3000 wrote:

I've always liked the Rams jerseys. I'm looking to get my hands on a Warner or Faulk in the near future.

New or old colors? I have to admit that I really prefer their new colors over the old ones as they were too bright looking for my tastes -- although they were wearing the old colors when they brought home the Lombardi in 1999, so the last time they wore them (other than throwback games) was as champions. Plus, the ram horns on the sleeves were pretty cool.

Always nice to retire on top.

One of the first things I look for is a gap between the collar and the mesh front of the jersey. I look at this first, because it's usually visible even with low resolution photos, unlike stitching or the logo quality.



Of course, this only applies to teams that have this particular neck style (like the Pats and Rams do, but the Giants and Colts don't).... but that's my little contribution.

Thanks jigokusabre. Now that I have become educated on these matters, the bootleg jerseys are basically screaming "fake" at me.

I find it interesting that this gap under the tip of the collar where the the two styles of fabric are sewn together and the poor NFL shield placement is on every fake Rams jerseys I have seen. You would think the bootleggers would clean up such a highly noticeable detail.

On the other hand, thanks for making it so easy to spot.